Union II defeat Columbus Crew 2 4-0 in a dominant performance
There was a palpable electricity inside the stadium at Subaru Park before the game even began. The Bridge Brigade was leading chants and the record breaking crowd (aside from the 2023 Wrexham friendly) of 4,727 was pumped. While the first team may have come up short, Union II were giving the Philly faithful something to believe in. Coach Marlon LeBlanc stuck with the same strong lineup that won the semifinal, and the stage was set for a huge matchup between two teams that already played each other three times in the regular season.
Early on in the match both teams were figuring each other out. Through the first five minutes, outside of a cross inside the box for Union II, neither team mustered much offense. Then in the 8th minute the Union II had their first real chance as Cavan Sullivan dropped it off to Frankie Westfield who crossed it into the box, but but Markus Anderson and Eddy Davis could not connect.
In the 17th minute, a long ball from David Vasquez found CJ Olney on the opposite side of the field. Olney took it down the the left side for a cross that deflected off of Eddy Davis to the feet of Markus Anderson who buried it in the back of the net to put the Union up 1-0.
Through the 35th minute, Union II were attacking the left side of the pitch, creating chances into the box.
In the 42nd minute, Cavan Sullivan took a banger of a shot from distance that deflected off a Crew 2 defender and found the back of the net to put the second team up 2-0 heading into the half.
Union II started the second half almost putting another one in the back of the net when Markus Anderson’s header hit the crossbar followed by another Cavan Sullivan attempt in the box in the 54th minute.
However, in the 56th minute, captain Frankie Westfield broke the game open with a strike on net to make it the 3-0. The Union kept the pressure up and in the 73rd minute, after a skillful shot by David Vazquez that deflected off the post, the ball went to Markus Anderson who scored his second goal of the evening.
Columbus Crew 2 would manage only one shot on goal, which was not on target, to Union II’s 21 shots (8 on target). It was a resounding victory in front of a raucous crowd that brought a joy to Chester that had not been felt in some time.
With North Texas defeating St. Louis City 2 in the Western Conference Final, Union II will travel to Frisco, Texas for the MLS Next Pro Cup on Saturday, November 9th at 8:30 PM EST.
Following the match, Coach Marlon LeBlanc noted how proud he was of the squad, who have displayed that underdog, blue collar grit that Philly embodies. LeBlanc stated, “There are very few times you walk off the field as a coach satisfied, and I walked off today satisfied. We’ve won a lot of games this year, played really well. This is probably the most satisfying performance we’ve had this year.”
He also commented on how disciplined the squad was on the ball:
Something has to be said about the incredible support Union II received this season. The Bridge Brigade, a newly formed supporter group this year for Union II, was a grassroots effort and brought so many new fans to the stadium, while providing consistent support with their chants and willingness to travel. Captain Frankie Westfield noted that the crowd made it like they were playing a man up. It is unfortunate the the Final will be away, but there will be some traveling fans who will surely make their presence known as they have all season.
As the team gets ready for the MLS Next Pro Cup, learn more about some of the players we interviewed on our podcast:
Neil Pierre interview, episode 69
Frankie Westfield interview, episode 80
Eddy Davis interview, episode 89
Sal Olivas interview, episode 94
Co-written with Kyle Almoney.
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