Chester – After a disappointing loss at Carolina Core that saw their unbeaten streak come to an end, Union II got back in the win column and ended FC Cincinnati 2’s unbeaten streak that had begun after their loss in June to Union II. On a day of gorgeous weather in Chester and in front of a decent crowd (including a number of visiting supporters), Union II got a grind-it-out 1-0 victory to match first place New York Red Bulls II in points, and with a game in hand.
The lineup for Union II saw Pierce Holbrook return to goal and Isaiah LeFlore back from his red card suspension at left back. The very dependable tandem of Neil Pierre and Rafael Uzcátegui were at center back, and Giovanny Sequera continued in his right back role that he has thrived in.
The midfield was unchanged from the previous match, with Nick Pariano, Óscar Benítez, Markus Anderson, and Kellan LeBlanc. After David Vazquez and CJ Olney’s departures on loans, Benítez and LeBlanc have really gotten an opportunity to contribute more.
Leandro Soria and Malik Jakupovic, in his second straight start, got the nod up top. Notably, Noah Probst, the midfielder recently loaned to Union II, made his first appearance on the bench, though he did not play. Stas Korzeniowski, Willyam Ferreira, and Mike Sheridan would also be unused subs.
Union II wasted no time getting on the board as a foul by FCC2’s William Kuisel on Soria led to a dangerous free kick just outside the 18 yard box. Kellan LeBlanc took the kick and blasted it over the wall, where the ball hit the crossbar and ricocheted into the goal to put Union II up 1-0 in the 2nd minute. It felt like a very deserved goal for the midfielder who has been in fine form and getting shots, but has just gotten unlucky with some shots hitting the post. It was his second goal of the season, with his first being back in April.
On the confidence the goal gave the team and what it meant to him, LeBlanc remarked after the match, “It was good, especially early on in the game. I think it definitely helped me start the game on a positive note and also with the team as well, going up early… really helped us the rest of the game.” When asked what was going through his mind, he added, “I mean, I’m confident in my abilities to shoot free kicks, so I just pick my spot. It was a good strike.” Indeed it was, and would end up being enough to get Union II the win.
A scary moment happened for Union II when Isaiah LeFlore was running to challenge Amir Daley for the ball, and took a boot to the face in the 16th minute. Daley was shown a yellow for the match’s first caution and LeFlore was able to resume after a moment of being down.
The first half saw the majority of the action in Union II’s attacking half, and any chances from FCC2 were cleared out well. An early substitution came in the 36th minute as Jordan Griffin replaced Neil Pierre. This was a planned substitution according to Richter, who elaborated post-game. “If you think about the week that these guys had, they played, what was it, last Saturday with us? Then they played Wednesday, then they played last night some, and then another game. So four games in eight days is not easy. But they all made it through, no injuries, nothing. So that was planned ahead of time.”
LeFlore moved over to cover center back as Griffin took the left back position. It took the visitors until the first half was nearly over to register their first shot on target, which was saved by Holbrook. At the end of the first half, Union II had more shots, but it was even with shots on target.
The second half began with no changes to the lineup. Union II threatened right away, and Soria just missed the goal on a volley that deflected out for a corner. LeBlanc was able to get the recycled ball and take a shot, but it sailed just over the crossbar. Another chance came in the 51st minute when Soria just missed getting a long ball sent by Pariano past the keeper, who came way out and just beat Soria to it. On the night, Pariano did a very solid job negating threats and getting the ball into space. Overall, however, the second half was a bit more sloppy for Union II, but they ground it out.
In the 57th minute, Richter switched out his forwards, bringing Eddy Davis and Sal Olivas on for Malik Jakupovic and Leandro Soria. Uzcátegui was the recipient of the first yellow shown to a Union II player for a foul just outside the box, resulting in a free kick to FCC2. The shot by Stefan Chirila (formerly of the Union Academy) was on target, but right into the hands of Holbrook. Union II put some fairly easily-saved shots on target as they were ramping up the pressure later in the second half. LeBlanc would exit for Jamir Johnson in the 82nd minute after a very strong match for the 17 year old.
Holbrook, who came into the match with three consecutive clean sheets, came up with a big save in the 86th minute when he batted away an attempt by Peter Mangione from outside the box. Union II’s defense was getting more pressure on them in the waning minutes, but they also got some chances to pull ahead. In 89th minute, Davis ripped a powerful left-footed shot that pinged off the left post. Johnson was close to being able to get the rebound to take a shot, but it just slipped out of his possession.
Holbrook had another huge save in the 89th minute on a shot by Stefan Chirila. This was followed by three minutes of stoppage time as Union II clung to their one goal lead. The match would end with Holbrook making one last save, and the referee blew the final whistle as it settled into his hands. It was the keeper’s fourth consecutive clean sheet, and extended his shutout streak to 395 minutes.
Richter praised the performance his goalkeeper and former Navy standout. “He had a couple of good saves. You see he has the body of an MLS goalkeeper, and that’s a good starting point, and then he’s a good leader. He’s getting better in training, he has the right mentality, the right attitude, so, you know, happy for him that he played well. He’s really in the last couple of months come a long way, I think, and you know, he has the right attitude to keep that going.”
Unlike many of their recent matches, Union II was actually out-shot by their opponent, however the stats were basically even. Union II had 11 total shots with only two on target, while FC Cincinnati II had 12 shots and four on target.
“I think it was not our best game as far as with the ball,” Richter shared after the match. “ But the overall energy, compactness, the work against the ball, I really felt like guys were fully committed for the team first. And what we can learn today is that you don’t always play a great game, and everything’s not coming off the way that you know, it normally does, but you can still grind through a result, and I thought that’s what today was. And I thought they played well too, so it was a really, to me, an enjoyable game, even though I think we didn’t play at our best level.”
Maybe it was not the prettiest win, but it was a win. After the loss at Carolina Core, it was a good bounce back, which Richter remarked about. “Yeah, it was huge. It was huge. And if you look at the Carolina game, I said to the guys, like, we did a lot of things that are uncharacteristic of us, against the ball, really stretched, you know, really, like, looked disorganized, you know, I was like, initially like, focus on that, okay? Take the team first, do the job, close the game and every chance that we get. And they did a good job in that, so that was a good response, so happy with them.”
LeBlanc agreed that it was a good response by the squad. “The last 11 games we came out on top of 10 of them, so the last game was a little fluke, and I thought it was really important for the team going into it to bounce back strong from that, and I think we did that really well.”
Two players who had a strong night and had good connections between the back line and midfield were Giovanny Sequera and Óscar Benítez, who have continued to grow stronger in their roles. “They do the job,” Richter said. “And Óscar gives you that bite in midfield, that really, is what we’re kind of built on, you know? And as long as he keeps staying simple with the ball, then he’s really effective. And Gio, another another good performance, so he’s rolling. He’s got to just keep that going and keep getting better every week.”
LeBlanc, being in the midfield, was very involved in what was a physical, chaotic match at times. “It was a tough match for us, really physical team. So it took a lot of, like, grinding out today and a lot of hard work from everyone collectively.” That hard work has helped contribute to the best goal differential in the league (28) and fewest goals allowed (17). On what he has seen in that regard, LeBlanc remarked, “We’ve always been known to be a very strong defensive team, and I think we’re showing that, and when we all work hard together, collectively, I think it shows. We don’t concede many goals, so that’s good.”
Union II will next face a New York Red Bulls II squad that has allowed 42 goals (nine in one game recently after a red card) but also scores a lot of goals. It will be a big test, and one that could move Union II into first with a victory. They will travel to MSU Soccer Park at Montclair State University on Monday, August 11 (7:00 PM) for that match.
Main article photo credit: Philadelphia Union II
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