After an exciting 12-round penalty shootout win following a 0-0 draw at Chattanooga, Union II are back at Subaru Park on Sunday where they will host Columbus Crew 2. The last time these teams met was in the 2024 Eastern Conference Final, where Union II put on a commanding performance to secure the victory with a score of 4-0. That was last season, however. Currently, Union II and Crew 2 have each played the fewest number of matches in the conference (six), but the former is in 7th (but right in the hunt) while the latter sits in last place. While Crew 2 only have one win, it was against first place Chattanooga.

The One Team We Agree On team spoke with head coach Ryan Richter before Sunday’s match to discuss thoughts on the Chattanooga game, player performances, and the upcoming Crew 2 match. He said that while it wasn’t their best performance against Chattanooga, they battled well:

“The challenges that a team like Chattanooga give that are great for our young players is that we’re playing against grown men, so the physicality in the game was was something that they maybe don’t get weekly in MLS Next Pro, and something that they have to adapt to if they want to play in men’s soccer. So I thought we did well in the second half to really understand that that is a way that you have to fight in the game and have to kind of try to control the game. It’s not always just about quality and technique. It’s about physicality and winning your battles too. So they did a good job of adjusting of that. And, you know, I thought the second half was a was much better than the first half. And 0-0, is probably fair for the game, I thought.”

So far, Union II have had some tough matches against top teams in the conference, and have been on the road more than at home, so getting points on the road was big for Richter’s squad. He discussed it, saying:

“They’re the first place team in the league. So we go away. I think if you look at our schedule so far, it’s actually been pretty difficult with away to New England, Red Bull at home and Huntsville away, Chattanooga, away… those are four of the tougher games that we’re going to get in this league. So we should be positive from it. And like I said, going there- first place team in the league- to come away with the two points with the penalty shootout was was a real big positive for the group, and now we need to take that into this week, and at home, we have to take care of business and win.”

Union II have had consistently strong performances by numerous players on their team, including homegrowns who, while being signed to first team contracts, mainly feature with the second team at this point. Three such players had large roles in the Union’s US Open Cup match on Wednesday versus Indy Eleven. That match was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation and extra time, so it went to a penalty shootout. Standout goalkeeper Andrew Rick, who has made several appearances with the first team since 2024 when Andre Blake hasn’t been available, had a man-of-the-match performance. During the shootout, Rick made a save on Indy Eleven while the Union made all five of their attempts. His prowess at penalties has been remarkable. Additionally, midfielder Cavan Sullivan made his first start for the Union after only coming off the bench so far and played all 120 minutes, and David Vazquez (playing as a left back but is normally a midfielder) made his first start and appearance. Richter discussed their performances:

“It was a great experience. I was happy to see that they were able to step into the starting lineup and use the minutes that they’ve gotten with the second team to kind of be prepared for real game minutes. You know, Cav was was active all night, and looked dangerous and looked like he was trying to make something happen. You know, just didn’t come off for him in, like, the final action with a couple of his shots, but he was, it was good to see him, like going in with the personality, taking guys on, trying to trying to make something happen. You know, that’s what you want your attacking players to do. And for him to step in with that kind of personality, and bravery is kind of what you ask for any player if they’re gonna be an attacking player on the MLS level, they have to try to be able to make a difference. And he did a great job in that. And, you know, I wish he would have came away with a goal or an assist or a play to kind of, you know, make a difference in the game, but he was trying. So that was cool, but definitely things that he can improve.

“David, to get the start at left back, I think is new for him, but it was good experience, and he did well to adjust to the game. I think he could have done a little bit better, if I’m being honest. You know, the best version that I’ve seen of him is is probably better than that. But it’s not like he had a bad game. So we got to keep holding these guys to high standards. And you know, being proud of them when they make… it was David’s first team debut, so proud of him that he was able to make his debut and know that he can go up from there. So that was cool.

“And then with Andy, another really solid performance. And he’s really growing into a solid MLS player, I would say, you know, it’s every, every week at MLS next pro, he’s, he’s kind of dominating, you know, his position, he’s gaining confidence, and he’s growing as a leader, and it’s nice to see him take that experience and turn it into really solid first team minutes.”

Something that MLS Next Pro does, for those unaware, is when regular games end in a draw in regulation, they proceed to a penalty shootout to decide which team gets an additional point, akin to the NHL (minus the overtime). I asked Richter if he thought the experiences in MLS Next Pro have helped his growth in that area, and Richter shared his thoughts:

“I think it’s a way that he can showcase it. Because I remember U-15, I was his coach, he’s my goalkeeper. And in the playoffs, we went to like, three penalty shootouts, and he won us every one. So he’s always had this skill. And anyone who’s seen him- I think he won the same with the U-17s and GA Cup the year after that. So he’s really good in penalties. And it was like the other day, some of the saves… he’s able to wait out the slow run ups. He times it. He commits to his jump. He’s got a solid hand on a lot of balls. So it was cool to see him win one at the first team level as well.”

As Union II turn their focus to Crew 2 while the first team is playing a congested schedule that requires some rotation and plugging in of players on their part, a chance arises for others on the second team to step up. In the absence of Cavan Sullivan, Kellan LeBlanc started and could see more action if Cavan keeps playing with the first team.

Henry Bernstein made his Union II debut coming off the bench for the second half in place of CJ Olney. Richter was pleased with his performance, saying, “I thought when he came in the field, he settled things down for us a lot, and that was a lot of the reason we were able to have a little bit more control in the second half.” Bernstein went on to make his penalty kick attempt in the shootout as well, and could be seeing more time in the squad after his solid debut.

One player that will be sorely missed on the squad is Neil Pierre, who seemed poised to get a chance with the first team during the Open Cup, but suffered a knee injury during the Chattanooga match. Union head coach Bradley Carnell stated in his presser ahead of the Indy Eleven match that Pierre would be out 4-6 weeks. The highly touted center back’s absence means Richter will need to decide how he wants to organize his back line and who to pair with Rafael Uzcátegui, who has been very impressive and consistently paired with Pierre. Options could be Óscar Benítez, Ramzi Qawasmy, or Gavin Wetzel. Wetzel plays mostly right back, so if he is moved inside, that means they need to figure out what to do at right back, which Richter noted was “part of the puzzle we’re trying to solve right now.”

As far as Crew 2’s playing style, Richter discussed how they want to turn Crew 2’s strategy into a positive for Union II:

“Yeah, I think if you look at this style that they play, it’s a you know, they’ll try to build out of everything. They’ll commit a lot of numbers to this and are really committed to playing this style. And when it comes off, it can create situations where you’re going at the back line, 3v2, 4v3, when it doesn’t come off and and the opponent’s able to win the ball high, can lead to transitions that are close to your goal. So you know, in the game against Chattanooga, they were really clean in their build up, and they create a lot of these opportunities and scored goals when they get in these 3v2 situations, 4v3 situations, because they bring so many guys out of the picture for the defending team, and build up, and then we connect through the lines are kind of driving it to the back line. So for us, it’s trying to trying to turn that into a positive for us, for our style of play. We want to try to win the ball high, so a team that wants to build out that’s a great matchup for the contrast and philosophies of of the ball playing team versus the team that’s trying to win the ball high and go and transition.

“So I’m really excited for it, just to see kind of how we match up, because they they do some really high quality things, you know. So if we’re, if we’re a step late in our pressing, or we’re not connected, then they’ll play through us. But if we’re organized, aggressive, going on the right cues, then, you know, can be a lot of success for us to create chances.”

Union II will have to contend with players like Chase Adams, who some will recall scored 10 goals in one match for the US U-17 Men’s Youth National Team at the Concacaf U-17 World Cup Qualifiers in February, where teammates included Union II’s Kellan LeBlanc, Jamir Johnson, and Jordan Griffin. Richter noted:

“He finds the right space open at the right time, gets easy goals. And what more do you want from a striker? You know, his hold up play is very good… good, powerful, a big body for a young man. I really appreciate the style of play, appreciate the type of striker that he is, and I think it’s one that every, every team is looking for is just a guy who scores, you know, a guy who scores goals.It doesn’t have to look flashy. He has to be in the right position.”

Union II have their own strikers who leave Richter with several options who are big scoring threats. Stas Korzeniowski, Eddy Davis, Sal Olivas, Markus Anderson, Leandro Soria… and a few waiting in the wings (while nothing official has come from the Union yet, various sources on social media have indicated Malik Jakupovic has signed a homegrown contract). Anderson was missing from the lineup at Chattanooga due to non-injury reasons, which Richter stated were “personal reasons” and that he would be back for the next match. Goalkeeper is another question mark as Andrew Rick played for the Union on Saturday in place of Andre Blake, who was out with an injury. Oliver Semmle or Mike Sheridan could be in net as a result.

The match is set for 3:00 PM at Subaru Park in Sunday, May 11th, and if you can’t get down to support them in person, the match will be shown live on Apple TV as part of MLS Season Pass.

Main photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union II