Despite having a 2-0 lead at halftime, Union II allow three goals in the second half as North Texas SC took the MLS Next Pro Cup trophy. Still, the youngest squad in Next Pro had a season to be proud of.

They were playing with house money, some would say. They punched above their weight. The main focus was on development of the players, but they were really, really good at winning at the same time. They had the team chemistry and belief that they could beat anybody. All these ingredients combined into a recipe for success for Union II, who were Eastern Conference Champions. They would have to face the top team in the Western Conference in North Texas, who had a goal differential of 24 in the regular season, to claim the MLS Next Pro Cup trophy.

Prior to kickoff, MLS Next Pro recognized Bridge Brigade’s Kyle Wood as he walked out with FC Dallas’s Bernard Kamungo to present the MVP and Next Pro Cup trophies as both the clubs walked out on to the pitch.

Coach Marlon LeBlanc went with the same lineup as the Eastern Conference Final against a North Texas lineup that included mostly 20-somethings while Union II only had one starter who could legally buy a drink. Action got underway after the first kick as Union II forced a turnover in the first minute in a dangerous area leading to a CJ Olney shot which keeper Michael Collodi saved, leading to a corner kick.

Moments later, North Texas came with a counter that led to a cross in the box that was cleared out by the Union II defense. Philly was attacking and putting the pressure on from the get go, and in the 9th minute, Markus Anderson put Union II up 1-0 after a beautiful cross and rebound found his foot to beat Collodi.

In the 15th minute, Union II had two more opportunities off counters: one being save by Collodi and the other being ruled offside. The pressure kept coming, and in the 19th minute Eddy Davis scored his first goal since September 23rd to give Union II a 2-0 lead with plenty of time left on the clock. However, North Texas game driving back hard on the attack shortly after the goal. While the host team was a little flat for much of the first half, they were starting to wake up.

As the first half moved on, North Texas began to create more and more chances, including getting away with a 50/50 call in the box and another in the 39th with a header in the box by Andrew Rick. The first half wrapped up with a corner that saved by the North Texas goalkeeper and both teams headed to the locker rooms.

With Union II up 2-0 at the half, one had to wonder if the boys in blue could hold what is often referred to as the most dangerous lead to have. Markus Anderson had been subbed out at the half due to continued tendinitis issues, with El Paso, Texas native Sal Olivas coming in. North Texas had the first real chance of the second half after a foul by Neil Pierre, which led to North Texas’s Logan Farrington scoring on the ensuing free kick to make it 2-1.

In the 67th minute, North Texas scored the equalizer on a cross that got behind the defender to Enes Sali who buried it in the back of the net to make it 2-2, much to the chagrin of many Union faithful who had made the trip and others watching from afar, as it stirred up memories of another championship just two years prior.

Things continued to get worse as the the second half went on and came to a head when Union II center back Olwethu Makhanya drew a straight red card in the 75th minute for a foul, putting the “baby snakes” down to 10 men with 15-plus minutes to go. Substitutions were made to help switch up the formation, and Union II managed to hold strong until a heartbreaking goal by Pedrinho about one minute into stoppage time that would ultimately be the winning goal for North Texas. As the referee’s whistle blew and the North Texas players and fans erupted into celebration, Union II players and fans alike felt the heartbreak after coming so close to winning it all.

One game, even though it was the biggest one, should not define their entire season, however. The youngest team in the league had won the Eastern Conference trophy and had a regular season full of triumphs and memorable moments. They had stood toe to toe with an older, very talented team with immense pressure. They also gained a huge new following and helped to further the growth of MLS Next Pro, and be the future of the Union’s organization.

In his post-game press conference, Marlon LeBlanc noted, “I can’t help but be complimentary of our Philadelphia Union II team. All year we’ve kind of defied the odds, and been able to beat teams like North Texas especially two goals looked good in the first half and playing really well… I’m proud of how brave they were, proud of how well they fought.”

I asked Marlon about what his message is to the fan base that may feel frustrated and disappointed that a Philly team came so close to winning it all again:

“It was a trophy. We don’t have a whole lot of trophies and we just won one a week ago. And I think the main message to the fan base is if we can achieve with this group of players, this young group of prospects- we had one player legally allowed to go and buy himself a drink on the pitch that started this game today. You can’t be more excited for what the future holds in store for this club, because for that team to go out against a team three years older on average per player and put up a fight and play as well as they did for so long, this club has nothing but good things in store for them. And certainly, on a different day, maybe it plays out a little bit differently, but for us to be that young and compete that well, we have nothing but great days ahead for the Philadelphia Union.”

With a crop of talented young players at the Next Pro level and some waiting in the wings for their chance as they come up through the academy, the future is bright for Philadelphia Union II, and hopefully that will continue into the first team. As we await more news on the coaching side with the parting of ways with Jim Curtin and the question mark of where Marlon will be moving forward, what has been made clear by Ernst Tanner is that they believe in their academy and development, and that is what they want to build the club on.

Will we see some of these current Union II players on the pitch in first team games next year? Some seem poised to have a shot (CJ Olney and Frankie Westfield amongst others), but that is a conversation for another day. In the meantime, it was a momentous season for the second team, and a bright spot during a disappointing season for the first team. The young men of the squad can hold their heads high for giving it their all from beginning to end, and they gained the love and support of so many more people who were privileged to find out why they were a team worth rooting for.

Article co-written with Kyle Almoney.

For more great content, watch our podcast episode where we discuss our trip to Frisco, Texas, and the MLS Next Pro Cup. Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.