The Union draw 2-2 on the road to remain the only unbeaten team in MLS

The Philadelphia Union faced a tough task in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a venue known for being tough to win at with its artificial turf and large fan base. However, Atlanta was missing some key players, including Giorgos Giakoumakis, while the Union were basically at full strength. Going into this, at least getting a draw and a point seemed attainable, and that is just what the Union managed in the end. That being said, some controversial events led many to believe it should have been a win for the Union.

Coach Jim Curtin and his staff opted to go for a more usual lineup, but kept Mikael Uhre on the bench since he was coming back from plantar fasciitis. Andre Blake and Kai Wagner were back and in the starting lineup. The Union came out much more aggressive than they did in the first half against Nashville, and both teams had chances. Unfortunately, Blake would suffer a quad/groin injury late in the first half and have to be subbed out for Oliver Semmle. In his postgame presser, Curtin was unsure of the severity of the injury or prognosis at that point. Semmle, to his credit, once again had a solid outing for coming in mid-game. Hopefully it is nothing too severe, but the bye week coming up is certainly a blessing, as well as having a competent backup in case Blake has to miss more time.

In the second half, Atlanta came out aggressively and managed to score twice, first by Daniel Rios in the 55th minute, and then by Caleb Wiley in the 63rd. Many will say having a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous lead to have, and we have seen this Union squad fight back multiple times. Mikael Uhre was subbed in for Jose Martinez in the 65th minute, resulting in a formation change and proved to be a catalyst for the offense. Uhre would go on to score in the 73rd minute, breathing new energy into the game. Kai Wagner leveled the match with a spectacular shot in the 77th minute after a Nathan Harriel throw in. It seemed as though the Union got the go-ahead goal late in the game off a fantastic shot by Uhre, only for it to be called off for a supposed offside. Replay would show this was a pretty questionable call, but unfortunately the offside would stand. Jim Curtin had some more all-time quotes in the presser regarding the call:

Jim is not a fan of "clear and obvious." Also, he's not a fan of "Two and a Half Men."

“What does clear and obvious even mean? What’s clear and obvious to me might not be to the next human. Millions of people watch Two and a Half Men and I think it’s the dumbest show ever. It’s… pic.twitter.com/4xu37vDsOy

— José Roberto Nuñez (@JoserNunez91) April 14, 2024

The Union had some chances in the waning seconds of the game, and looked like they could get a shot at a winning goal, but referee Jon Freemon blew his whistle just as the Union were setting up to put the ball on goal. This made the players quite upset and Curtin had to intervene to keep his players from getting more yellow cards (he himself would be given a yellow).

I need to know why Jon Freemon blew the whistle there. However, I asked Jim for his thoughts.

Curtin on the ending of that match:

"They thought we were going to the corner and run the clock out, but a ball gets cut back and now our 10 (Gazdag) is at the top of the box with a… pic.twitter.com/GDAnUFfuYb

— José Roberto Nuñez (@JoserNunez91) April 14, 2024

The Union will take a road point and are currently sitting in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference and 6th for the Supporters Shield with only 7 games played (Miami, in 1st, has 9 games played). Their next match is at home versus Real Salt Lake on April 27th.

Notes:

• This was the third goal this season for Uhre, and first MLS goal for Wagner. Harriel registered his first assist of the season.
• The Union had six yellow cards: Carranza, Martinez, Gazdag, Wagner, McGlynn, Bedoya. Atlanta had two (Almada, Muyumba). Carranza getting the yellow in the 21′ certainly had an impact on his game and led to less aggressiveness from him.
• The only subs for the Union were Semmle for Blake a (45’+2) and Uhre for Martinez (65′).
• Damion Lowe had a very strong game, and along with Kai Wagner, has been consistently strong. Jim Curtin mentioned in his post game presser that he realized he may have run the center backs into the ground a little last year and was utilizing some rotation. This game went against Jack Elliott, but he will probably play next game.
• It was Jeremy Rafanello’s birthday- he did not feature in the game.
• As always, Todd Lewis of the The Free Kick does an excellent job breaking down the goals from the game- check it out here
• With Andre being hurt, should Andrew Rick be needed as a backup, this soon creates a situation with the roster and short-term loans being used up. Only time will tell what happens there.

For more on the match and the fan experience, be sure to catch out our latest podcast, episode 75!