Match report: Philadelphia Union 2-3 Seattle Sounders

Just three days after a disappointing home loss, the Philadelphia Union (3-4-1) ran back onto the pitch at Subaru Park on a Tuesday evening to finish a game against the Seattle Sounders (1-3-5) which had been abandoned on March 9 due to the field resembling a slip-n-slide.

While the lineup differed from Saturday night, the final result did not, as the Union suffered a second straight home defeat. The Union allowed three first-half goals for the first time since the Leagues Cup game against Miami last August. The Boys in Blue were much improved in the second half, as goals from Jack McGlynn and Dániel Gazdag at least made the match competitive. It was not enough, however, to salvage a point as Seattle hung on for a road victory.

The game started where it left off at the 6 minute mark featuring the same players that were on the pitch in early March, with a few exceptions because of injuries (and byzantine substitution rules). First, Oliver Semmle replaced an injured Andre Blake in goal, and Jakob Glesnes replaced an injured Damion Lowe and captained the team. Tai Baribo substituted for the injured Markus Anderson, but was immediately replaced by Julián Carranza, who had replaced Matt Real on the bench. This meant Baribo was not available off the bench for the remainder of the game. Added to the bench were Leon Flach, Sanders Ngabo, and back-up keeper Andrew Rick. For Seattle, Yeimar Gomez Andrade replaced Xavier Arreaga on the field, while Jaoa Paulo and Albert Rusnack were added to the Sounders' bench. 

The Union's standard formation

The Union stuck with the formation that it had lined up in on March 9 - its usual 4-4-2 narrow diamond formation. Semmle was between the goalposts, while Jack Elliott centered the back line with Glesnes. Nathan Harriel featured at left-back and Olivier Mbaizo at right-back. The midfield consisted of José Martínez as defensive midfielder, Jesus Bueno and Quinn Sullivan on the left and right sides of the diamond, respectively, and Gazdag as the 10 at the top of the diamond. Julián Carranza entered the match at striker, where he was partnered with Mikael Uhre. 

A ridiculously bad first half

The match restarted in the 6th minute with Union in possession, just on their side of the half way line. A few minutes into the restart, the Union were caught napping in the 13th minute when a back pass to Martínez was mishandled, and Raul Ruidiaz jumped on the ball and lobbed a long shot from more than 35 yards out over a stranded Semmle. The Union responded the same way on Tuesday as they had when scored upon on Saturday - disjointedly and out of sync.

It was Seattle's counterattack that continued to look the more dangerous, and the Sounders were rewarded again in the 22nd minute when Obed Vargas took a pass from Leo Chu and stroked a shot to the far post that eluded the outstretched Semmle. Two shots on goal, two goals. A merely bad night turned worse when Mbaizo was called for a foul in the box and Seattle was awarded a penalty. Ruidiaz made no mistake from the spot and scored his second of the night in the 37th minute.

Seattle continued to have the better chances as the half wore to a painful end, as 9 minutes of injury time only prolonged the misery. The Union did look alive, for once, in the 48th minute, when they had some legitimate chances, but a Carranza shot from the top of the box was easily saved by Andrew Thomas and some nice passing to find an open Gazdag was wasted as the Sounders were able to direct his shot out for a corner. After that short burst of Union soccer, Seattle again spent most of the remaining half on the Union's side of the field. Boos rang out from the stands as the half mercifully came to an end after 12 minutes of stoppage time. 

Second half comes up short again

The second half saw three changes to the Union's lineup, as Kai Wagner, Alejandro Bedoya, and McGlynn replaced Mbaizo, Martínez, and Bueno respectively. That said, the second half started with Seattle on the forefoot again, forcing a nice save from Semmle in the 48th minute. But just as quickly as things turned sour in the first half, in the 56th minute Jack McGlynn breathed some life into the Union corpse with a great strike from 20 yards out. Seconds later, the Union rose from the dead with a second goal, as a Quinn Sullivan cross found Gazdag who headed into the goal. All of a sudden in the 57th minute, the Union (and the crowd) were back in the game. The Union continued dominating the chances, and a near goal was written off for offside.

The match settled into a back and forth, as both teams took turns in possession and trying to create chances. Jim Curtin used his last substitution in the 81st minute as Chris Donovan replaced Mikael Uhre to bring some fresh legs to the match. The Union had some chances, as Sullivan had a nice cross headed by Carranza off the top of the bar. The Boys in Blue threw everything forward in the four minutes of second-half injury time, but the third goal never came.

Three Points

Scoring First? - The Union haven't scored first in what seems like ages, and while they chased a point (or three) with a great second half, one can't help but wonder why they can't get a lead to start a game.

Jack McGlynn - Besides his great strike for the first goal, his vision and cross-field passes continue to impress.

Grass vs. Turf - A firm believer that professional soccer should always be played on grass, I can't help but wonder whether this game would not have been suspended if it was being played on a turf field. I thought I would take the rescheduled date and byzantine substitution rules over playing on turf, but perhaps playing the game in the March rain would have been better for the Union?

Lineups

Philadelphia Union (4-4-2)

Oliver Semmle, Nathan Harriel, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Olivier Mbiazo (Kai Wagner 45′), José Martínez (Alejandro Bedoya 45′), Jesús Bueno (Jack McGlynn 45′), Quinn Sullivan, Dániel Gazdag, Mikael Uhre (Chris Donovan 81′), Julián Carranza

Unused Subs: Leon Flach, Jeremy Rafanello, Sanders Ngado, Andrew Rick

Seattle Sounders (4-2-3-1)

Andrew Thomas, Nouhou, Jackson Ragen, Yeimar Gomez Andrade, Cristian Roldan, Josh Atencio, Alex Roldan, Obed Vargas, Leo Chu, Raul Ruidiaz (Cody Baker 84′), Jordan Morris (Paul Rothrock 90+1′)

Unused subs: Jaoa Paulo, Jonathan Bell, Jacob Castro, , Danny Leyva, Dylan Teves Albert Rusnak

Referee -  Joe Dickerson

Scoring Summary

Raul Ruidiaz - STL - 13′

Obed Vargas - STL - 22′ 

Raul Ruidiaz - STL - 37′

Jack McGlynn - PHL - 56′

Dániel Gazdag - PHL - 57′

Discipline Summary

Jackson Ragen - STL - 27′

Julián Carranza - PHL - 38′

Mikael Uhre - PHL - 45+9′

Nouhou - STL - 58′ 

Author: Chris Turk A Union season ticket holder since "Day One", Chris has also been a Chelsea supporter since the early 1990's, though he counts perennial lower league side Leyton Orient his "local" team from time spent living in London's East End. Chris is an avid marathoner, and when not working as a lawyer, travels the globe in search of good food, drink, and meeting fellow soccer fans.