“I’m proud of the game overall” Bradley Carnell on Union loss vs Columbus Crew

The Union’s 11-game MLS unbeaten streak came to a sad end on Sunday night at Lower.com Field, as the Philadelphia team lost 1-0 to the Columbus Crew. Philly spent the entire second half trying to reply to Mohammed Farsi’s first-half goal. However, Union coach Bradley Carnell had an extremely positive outlook on the game despite the loss.

Carnell’s Postgame Thoughts

“This was a tough game against two teams, really top teams,” Bradley Carnell said.

“There was a battle that we lost in the first half, and I feel we won that battle in the second half, and credit to the boys for digging deep. Obviously, Wilfred’s teams finds ways to manipulate space and catch you in certain moments, and I thought we mitigated very much of that for the day, and I thought the backline did an excellent, admirable job.”

When Bradley Carnell was appointed head coach of the Union, his first press conference won many over. He brought with him a clear strategy for Philly and spoke with confidence, which was made more prominent by his aura of intelligence.

Union, MLS — Image Credit: Philadelphia Union

Union shows promise even in first loss since April 12th

After leading Philadelphia to the best-ever start in franchise history, he soon proved there was more to him than a laudable press conference. This time, the team didn’t deliver the expected result, but the South African, with his postgame conference, delivered in every way. His words were the kind that would make the Union fans forget those 90 minutes of disappointment they experienced at Lower.com Field.

“We didn’t give too much away. And then, we started the second half with different renewed energy, different belief, and this is a never easy place to play at. I think they’ve dominated here for many, many years.”

Despite the Union leaving the game with no shot on target, Carnell showered praises on his players, especially the young guns who managed to put up a worthy performance in a very difficult environment.

“I was proud of that second-half performance and proud of the game overall. And on top of that, we showed our academy is thriving, with David Vazquez coming in the game, Sal Olivas coming in the game; last week, Eddie Davies with his debut. And then, still to create chances even from the set piece at the end, even with the run of play with Cavan [who] had a few moments. So, [I’m] really proud of those youngsters coming into the game in tough environments.”

Motivated ahead of Nashville clash

Carnell also tried to bring the Union fans from the highs of their unbeaten streak to the reality of their situation in the MLS: their run was never going to be a bed of roses, as it would involve good and bad days. Regardless, he promised that the loss wouldn’t faze his team in any way; rather, they would remain motivated and head into their next game with a winning mentality.

“We might not win the game, and we certainly don’t expect to go through the rest of the season unbeaten. To put ourselves in contention here at this place and to probably deservedly get a point out of this. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. But it’s okay. We all hold our heads up high, and we leave here. We’ve got a game next weekend in Nashville.”