Toronto—Philadelphia Union traveled north of the border to face Toronto FC II for the third and final time in the regular season. With playoff positioning on the line for both squads, much was at stake. In the end, Union II battled back after giving up a PK to win 2-1 and be tied in points with first place New York Red Bulls II.
The lineup for Union II was their typical 4-2-2-2 but with a few changes from the last match. With Cavan Sullivan and Neil Pierre presumably with the first team for the match against DC United on Saturday night, Óscar Benítez was paired at right back with Rafael Uzcátegui, and Kellan LeBlanc got the start at attacking mid. The rest of the lineup was the same. Giovanny Sequera and Jordan Griffin were the outside backs. Nick Pariano and CJ Olney at defensive midfield. Markus Anderson was at attacking mid, and the strikers were Sal Olivas and Stas Korzeniowski. George Marks was once again in goal after a strong outing against Chicago Fire II.
Marks was put to the test early, making two big saves in the first six minutes. Union II brought their own early pressure, however, and would get their first big chance off the foot of Olivas with a shot that went wide left. TFC II almost found the opening goal in the 14th minute. A deflection in the wrong direction off Uzcátegui that went right to TFC II’s Michael Sullivan led to a one on one with Marks, but the keeper made a terrific save. Both sides had chances, but the home team was controlling much of the match.
Toronto struck first on a penalty kick after Nathaniel Edwards was fouled in the box by Sequera. Mark Fisher took the kick and converted to make it 1-0 in the 28th minute. Union II had yet to make a shot on target, but they finally found the equalizer in first half stoppage time as Olney intercepted the ball, made an excellent pass to Korzeniowski, who in turn sent it past Toronto keeper Adisa De Rosario to level the score 1-1. Union II had been outshot by their opponent in the first half, but that goal would be what seemingly turned the tide, and perhaps an effective halftime message because the rally was on.
The second half saw Union II looking much more dangerous, with a fantastic shot by LeBlanc early on that De Rosario made a great save on by knocking it over the crossbar. Shortly after, a flurry of chances came for Union II in front of the goal mouth, but TFC II were able to clear it away after several near misses. The Toronto keeper made another impressive save in the 62nd minute when Olivas crossed the ball in front of goal to Korzeniowski, whose header seemed destined to go in.
Union II’s first changes were Malik Jakupovic and Willyam Ferreira subbing on for Olivas and Anderson in the 67th minute. Notably, Jakupovic had a brace earlier this season against Toronto en route to his team-leading eight goals, so the question was if he could do it again (spoiler: he came close). With pressure on their opponent mounting, Union II made another change in the in the 76th minute, bringing Jamir Johnson on for LeBlanc. Union II were relentless in the second half, winning ball after ball and controlling the match. In the end, they did not allow a single shot on target in the second half after allowing three in the first.
It seemed as if it were only a matter of time until Union II would break through, and they did in the 84th minute. Olney executed a corner and got his second assist of the night as Benítez headed the ball in for his first goal of the season and the 2-1 lead. He was the 18th different goal scorer for Union II and perhaps an unlikely hero, but seemed like a just reward for his defensive work during the game, and a testament that there are so many who can contribute on the squad. Like the first team, the “team” is the star.
One more change came for Union II as they looked to secure the three points as Leandro Soria replaced Korzeniowski in the 88th minute. Union II were hungry for more and nearly got a third goal as Jakupovic had an opportunity during the three minutes of stoppage time, but missed. TFC II had some last-ditch efforts but were stymied by the defense, and Union II secured the 2-1 win, three points, and a home playoff match for the first round. They also set a new club record for points in a single season (55), which surpasses the mark set in 2024. As amazing as the squad was in 2024, and impressively coached by Marlon LeBlanc, Ryan Richter and his staff deserve a lot of credit for not only continuing the strong legacy, but building upon it.
With four wins in a row and an abundance of momentum going for Union II, they head toward decision day on Sunday, October 5th at home versus NYCFC II at 1:00 PM.
Main article photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union II
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