Chester—The day after the first team lifted the Supporters’ Shield on the same field, Union II took on NYCFC II at Subaru Park for MLS Next Pro Decision Day. While their opponent was already eliminated from playoff contention, it was by no means going to be a cake walk for Union II, who were looking to nab three points and finish at the top of the East. They would indeed get a 4-3 win, however Red Bulls II also won, so Union II finished second in the Eastern Conference via the regulation wins tiebreaker.
It was the usual 4-2-2-2 formation for Union II, versus NYCFC II’s 4-2-3-1. Ryan Richter’s starting lineup featured Andrew Rick in goal after he had been on the bench the previous night with the first team. Neil Pierre returned to center back with Rafael Uzcátegui, with Giovanny Sequera and Jordan Griffin as the outside backs. Nick Pariano, the captain, was paired at defensive midfielder with CJ Olney, and Cavan Sullivan returned to the lineup as an attacking midfielder with Markus Anderson. At striker, Eddy Davis, recently returned from being a training player with the U-20 squad in Chile, started up top with Stas Korzeniowski. Richter also had a deep bench to work with, which may not be the case when they get to the playoffs with some players likely off to the U-17 World Cup.
The early part of the match saw dangerous chances for both sides, but Union II struck first when Korzeniowski sent a well-placed ball to Sequera, who turned the corner and crossed it to Anderson, who in turn hit a volley for the goal in the 27th minute. It was his sixth goal of the season.
Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union II
“That clean hold up play, getting the timing right in this third man movement, so you can kill teams with this at every level of the game,” Richter said of the first goal. “So it was a really clean play. Gio [Sequera] played amazing today. He was really, really influential in the game and yeah, that play kind of sums up what he could give to the team today.”
NYCFC II responded a few minutes later with a goal by Seymour Reid. They struck again to take the 2-1 lead via Juan Ponce in the 38th minute after some uncharacteristically sloppy defensive play.
“The shaky moments in defense for everyone today, I would say was a team issue,” Richter said. “ So the center back or the goalkeeper are the ones who get the blame, but the situation that happened before that puts them in situations where they have to make some decisions that they don’t want to make.”
Union II found the equalizer just as first half stoppage time was about to begin. Olney took a corner, which found the head of Pierre for his third goal of the season. The first half ended 2-2, and shots on target even at 4-4.
Union II came out of halftime seemingly renewed and started to rack up the chances. They finally found their third goal to take the lead in the 61st minute with Korzeniowski’s eighth goal of the season—tying the team lead—when he shot from the top of the box, assisted by Olney. Immediately after, Davis, Korzeniowski, Sullivan, and Griffin were subbed off for Malik Jakupovic, Sal Olivas, Kellan LeBlanc, and Óscar Benítez.
Richter made his last change in the 74th minute, bringing on Noah Probst for Anderson. NYCFC II fought back, with Reid pouncing on an opportunity when Rick was caught out of position to make it 3-3 in the 79th minute. At that point, Union II were outshooting their opponent 20-8, but a couple defensive mistakes had proven costly.
With four minutes of stoppage time, Union II were bringing pressure, but NYCFC II nearly took the lead on a breakaway that led to a 1v1 with Rick who came out and made a huge, game-saving stop. With renewed energy, Union II surged forward and had a barrage of shots by Probst, Pierre, and Jakupovic. As the time was about to expire, Union II were awarded a corner, executed by Olney. The 6’5″ Pierre beat the defenders to the ball, jumping up and heading the ball over the keeper for the winning goal. “For him to get the two goals on set pieces, I mean, that’s what I expect every game from him when I see him walk through the door, and he’s up here,” Richter said, motioning to indicate height. “So it was good that he did it in good timing at the end.”
Overall on the match, Richter was glad of the win and for the momentum, though there were areas to clean up. Goalkeeping has been a strong point, but three goals were conceded on the day. Rick had some great saves, but also some learning experiences. Richter and goalkeeping coach Ross Cain could be seen speaking with Rick at times during the match. The 19 year old has done a phenomenal job at the MLS and MLS Next Pro level, but is still learning.
“We don’t want to take away the guy’s brains at all, but in situations where we’re suffering for a little bit, he grabs a cross or a corner,” Richter said of Rick. “He has his mind to see if there’s an opportunity to play forward, and he’s rushing this decision too much. We’re forcing him when it’s not on him. And I was pretty disappointed in that, to be honest with you. It’s like, you have to read this situation much better than that. The level a player that he is, like, he forced a couple things today.”
Still, the squad was able to get 23 shots, with 13 on target, though NYCFC had their share (9 shots, 6 on target).
“We had a lot of chances and they had a lot of chances, very chaotic, and then waves of them really in control, us really in control, but it was a great attitude and mentality to be able to come back in it,” Richter said of the match.
CJ Olney’s return from loan
Pierre had come through in the clutch, but so did recently-returned CJ Olney. Three of the four goals on the day were assisted by him, and Richter was pleased with his performance and glad to have him back. “His delivery in set pieces was excellent, I would say. Not just in the run of play that he was good, but, yeah, the two goals… but also a lot of the dangerous crosses that he put in.”
Olney said that he reintegrated into Union II seamlessly since returning from his loan to Lexington of the USL Championship. “Everyone here, especially the second team welcomed me with open arms, and we just picked up right where we left off. We didn’t skip a beat, everything was great, and I felt right at home.”
The loan proved to be challenging for Olney, where he did not get a lot of playing time, but he took life lessons away from it:
“I mean, USL life is extremely different, and I think the one thing I realized, like, you’re not gonna be everyone’s favorite. And it’s once you hit like the real men’s men’s game, like it’s cutthroat. Like, it’s, if a coach has his guys, he’s got his guys. If a team is a team, like, that’s a team. Like, it can be difficult to integrate into a team that’s in a good group mid season, but just, yeah, you’re not going to be… wherever you go, whether you’re as good of a player or not as good a player or whatever it may be. If you step into a team, that’s a team.
“So it’s going to be difficult to just get going right away sometimes, but I learned a big deal of physicality there. The league, USL, is very, very physical, which I like a lot, and a lot of guys with very good experience and a lot of great guys, that Lexington team. I can’t say one bad thing about any of the players on that team. Great group of guys as well. Just to learn from them, not just soccer, but things in life and stuff off the field, which is also just as important as the on field stuff.”
Having Olney back as they head into the playoffs could prove to be very valuable for Union II. He has injected energy and skill into the lineup, and has the experience of going through the playoffs and to the MLS Next Pro Cup that could be beneficial for the group moving forward.
The playoff picture
Union II will get the second pick for first round opponent when MLS Next Pro holds their selection event. They were second in the East last season, and made it to the final, with the first place team getting knocked out in the first round. The win they ended the regular season on was important, and Olney did not mind finishing where they did in the standings.
“I think momentum’s huge,” Olney shared. “ I think that I honestly, I like a little bit that Red Bull won today. It doesn’t put us too high, getting ready for playoffs. It keeps us hungry. We’re second right now, but we have much more we’re striving for. And I think all the guys have a great mentality. And the guys who haven’t done it, and the guys that have already been in playoffs—we’re all ready to go.”
Pierre, who like Olney was a key member in the Eastern Conference Champion squad last season, echoed that sentiment, saying “Oh, yeah, we’re definitely excited. We’re ready to push even further than we did last time and hopefully win the whole thing this year.”
Richter liked the momentum the team ended the regular season with as they head to the playoffs. “It’s the mentality, it’s the team spirit that we need, and all the games are going to be close and there’s going to be tough moments in games. There’s going to be moments where we’re rolling, but we have to have a mentality that we push through as a group, and I think we’ve won five games in a row now. Didn’t play great in every game, but to be able to push and get the win in these games was really, really good for the group.”
A taste of victory
Olney and Pierre, along with several others who feature with Union II, were involved in the celebrations the previous night for the Supporters’ Shield with the first team. It gave them a taste of accomplishment and made them hungry to lift a trophy with Union II as well. Pierre, though he had a brace on the day, admitted he was a little tired, but at the same time did have a bit more motivation on the day. It has been a special season for him with getting signed to the first team as a homegrown, and making his MLS debut recently against Vancouver—where his brother Nelson now plays (and yes, Nelson was there to see him, along with his dad).
“It was a great feeling,” Pierre said of hoisting the Supporters’ Shield. “First year, first trophy is… you can’t complain. It was like, when I was younger, I remember being there when we won Supporters’ Shield [in 2020], and watching it and I was like, wow, this is a great feeling. Being there, holding it and lifting it, it’s different. It’s a dream come true, to be honest.”
Olney, who was signed to a first team homegrown contract last season, making one appearance (none this year), was able to celebrate the night before as well.
“I mean, that’s awesome,” he said of lifting the Shield. “I mean, I wish I could have been playing and contributing in the games for that, but even just my name being on the team sheet and just being able to be with them and the team during that moment, it’s surreal. I mean, you get to lift up the trophy—it says you’re the best team in the league in front of your home fans. There’s nothing quite like it.”
Union II just finished the regular season with the most points they have ever accrued in a season (58) and have a chance to bring on the celebrations for their squad if they can finish the job they nearly completed in 2024. The complete Quarterfinals schedule is expected to be announced on Thursday, October 9. MLS Next Pro employs a “pick your opponent” format for the first two rounds, and since they finished second, Union II will have the second pick of an opponent from the 5th-8th place finishers. The first playoff game will take place between October 17-19, so stay tuned to see what is next for Union II.
Main article photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union II
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