Columbus—Philadelphia Union II returned to action after the international break as they traveled to Historic Crew Stadium to take on the Columbus Crew 2 for the third and final time this season. Philadelphia’s second team frustrated their opponent all match long with a strong defensive performance, while the attack was relentless, and got three points via a 3-1 victory.
Ryan Richter’s starting lineup featured the return of midfielder CJ Olney, who had been on loan at USL Championship side Lexington SC since July, and just returned to Philadelphia. Mike Sheridan made his third start in goal, with newly signed keeper Lou Liedtka on the bench. The back line consisted of Jordan Griffin, Rafael Uzcátegui, Óscar Benítez, and Giovanny Sequera. Along with Olney, Markus Anderson, Nick Pariano, and Kellan LeBlanc rounded out the midfield, and Stas Korzeniowski and Eddy Davis were the starting striker tandem.
The first half saw chances for both teams, with Benítez putting a header on goal for Union II’s first chance. Sheridan’s first save came in the 7th minute, and was cleared out by Griffin to negate Crew 2’s first threat, followed by another great save by Sheridan minutes later. Union II, however, would strike first when LeBlanc set up a ball that Korzeniowski sent into the Crew 2 net to open the scoring in the 11th minute.
Smelling blood in the water, Union II struck again three minutes later when Pariano sent a ball forward, and Anderson beat Stanislav Lapkes for his fifth goal of the season. While Crew 2 got some dangerous chances, especially in the 18th minute when Kevin Gbamblé’s shot was blocked by Uzcátegui on the goal line, the defense held strong.
Union II continued to bring a lot of pressure in the first half, and could easily have had at least another goal if not for Lapkes making some nice saves. Davis and Anderson were especially dangerous in the attack, but unable to tack on more goals. In the 38th minute, however, a big chance for Crew 2 came when they earned a free kick right outside the box, but the ensuing shot was blocked and cleared out. The first half ended with Union II outshooting their opponent 12-7, and eight of their shots were on target.
The second half began with no changes for either side. Crew 2 saw some chances that were stymied by the Union II defense, and saw a few opportunities of their own. Union II made their first changes in the 64th minute, replacing Davis and LeBlanc with Malik Jakupovic and Willyam Ferreira. Five minutes later, Leandro Soria replaced Pariano. Crew 2 were getting opportunities and were still very much in the match, forcing some nice defensive plays by Union II.
Jamir Johnson was brought on for Anderson in the 78th minute, and would get a nice shot from distance in the 88th minute as Union II looked to add on a third goal, but it was saved by Lapkes. Crew 2 were not down and out, however, and Chase Adams broke through for a goal in the 90th minute.
Four minutes of stoppage time commenced. Union II, facing increased pressure to not concede an equalizer, worked to maintain possession and ride out the clock. After a quality ball by Ferreira, Johnson scored the dagger in the 90+3′ for his second goal of the season to make it 3-1. That score would hold and Union II found themselves in second place in the Eastern Conference.
While one would expect a playoff-bound team like Union II to possibly run all over a team in last place, as Richter had said earlier in the week, Crew 2 were usually very much in the games. The teams ended up equal in shots at 18, but only the ones that go in matter. Sheridan and the defense were very good on the day. It was a victory Richter, his staff, and his squad should be happy about, but likely not satisfied as the offense could have put the game away in the second half.
Crew 2 avoided a worse loss thanks to Lapkes’s nine saves. It was also a very clean match for both sides, with only one yellow card given (Crew 2’s Anthony Alaouieh) and referee Stephanie MacFarland largely letting the teams play. It was a victory over a team that Union II should beat, and they got the job done. That momentum will be important heading into their next match—home versus fourth place Chicago Fire II on Sunday, September 21st.
Main article photo credit: Philadelphia Union II
The One Team We Agree On 
Leave a comment