MATTHEWS, N.C.— In a match that saw a depleted Union II squad muster a lot of offensive power, make 13 shots, and a strong performance in goal by Pierce Holbrook, the Philadelphia squad was kept off the scoresheet in a tight, physical match with Eastern Conference-leading Crown Legacy, falling 1-0.

Assistant coach Henry Apaloo was once again at the helm as interim head coach Chris Harmon is in Spain with the U-18 Men’s National Team, along with Union II players Jordan Griffin and Kellan LeBlanc. The matchday roster saw the return of a few academy players, but the bench was once again thin between national team duty (including Malik Jakupovic, who was with the U-17 MNT) and players on a break.

Getting the start up top at striker were Eddy Davis and Theo Reed, the latter scoring in his last appearance with the squad (May 23). Willyam Ferreira and Nehan Hasan were at attacking midfielder, while Óscar Benítez and Matheus De Paula were at defensive mid. Kaiden Moore was at left back and Giovanny Sequera at right, Rafael Uzcátegui and Finn Sundstrom were the center backs, and Pierce Holbrook was in goal.

Only four field players were on the bench in Andrew Craig, Lennon Harrington, Sal Olivas, and Mamoutou Berthé, along with goalkeeper Alex Smith.

Meanwhile, Crown Legacy were missing their top three goal scorers, including Hugo Mbongue, who was dealing with out with an injury.

Union II began by pressing and seeing a lot of action in the Crown Legacy half, however all it took was a defensive breakdown and the first shot by Crown Legacy to put the home side up 1-0. The MLS Next Pro leader in assists, Nathan Richmond, found the back of the net in the 6th minute to put Crown Legacy up early.

Union II, to their credit, fought back impressively and nearly answered minutes later when Davis and Reed brought pressure on the Crown Legacy keeper, but were denied. They saw several more chances in the following minutes including a free kick by De Paula and a huge opportunity by Hasan, who was displaying some fine play in the early going.

In the 22nd minute Hasan sent a cross to Davis, whose shot on target was saved by Lazar Kalicanin. Union II continued to bring the pressure when De Paula blasted a shot that sent Kalicanin diving for an impressive save to deny Philadelphia.

De Paula was also the recipient of the match’s first booking, earning a yellow card in the 34th minute for a foul. Union II were having more of the offensive chances during the first half, but nearly gave up another goal in the 36th minute on a breakaway that led to a shot by Michael Ayovi that Uzcátegui blocked.

Philadelphia saw a second booking when Sundstrom was shown a yellow card in the 40th minute for a foul. The ensuing free kick was fruitless as Union II’s defense and Holbrook negated the threat. The half finished after one minute of stoppage, with Crown Legacy up 1-0. Union II, for their part, were outshooting their opponent 9-5, with two on goal. However, they had nothing to show on the scoresheet at the end of the half despite looking like the more dominant side for most of the match up to that point.

The second half began with no changes for either side. Sequera saw the next yellow card for Union II in the 48th minute after a foul. Right after, Union II took advantage of a turnover and ran on goal, with Davis sailing a shot over the goal. Crown Legacy saw their first booking when Richmond was shown a yellow for a foul on Ferreira in the 51st minute.

Union II got another chance in the 59th minute when Hasan ripped a shot from distance, forcing a save by the keeper and a leading to Union II’s first corner. Moments later, Davis ran on goal, going one on one with the keeper, but his shot was saved.

Crown Legacy saw their own chances in the 63rd minute, but Sebastian Ventura’s shot was saved by Holbrook. This was followed by a flurry of activity around the Union II goal with the defense doing everything in their power to clear the ball out.

Union II made their first substitution in the 69th minute, bringing on Olivas for Reed. Immediately after, Union II barely avoided conceding on a shot by Ventura, but Holbrook was able to make a skillful save.

Davis had another shot in the 74th minute that went wide as Union II continued to look for the equalizer. Crown Legacy answered with some pressure on goal, but unfortunately for the visitors, they would have to finish the match with ten men as Sundstrom was shown a second yellow in the 75th minute, leading to a red card ejection. The ensuing dangerous free kick right outside the box missed the target.

Union II made their next change of the match in the 79th minute, bringing Berthé in for Hasan. Shortly after, in the 83rd minute, Craig replaced Moore. However, Craig received a booking in the 86th minute for a hard tackle, contributing to the increasingly physical nature of the game, as Crown Legacy also saw two separate yellow cards soon after. In the 90th minute, De Paula took a free kick that just missed the equalizer; Uzcátegui’s header bounced off the ground and over the crossbar.

Despite a spirited effort and numerous chances, including a late push that brought Holbrook into the scrum on a free kick, Union II were unable to find the back of the net and fell 1–0. Aside from the early goal they conceded, Union II had plenty of positives in the match but nothing to show for it.

They will play a friendly on Monday night at Subaru Park against the Côte d’Ivoire Men’s National Team at 7:00 PM, which is a free event (but requires a ticket). Then they will return to MLS Next Pro action on Sunday, June 14 at home, playing at Kinetic Field at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex at 3:00 PM.

Main article photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union II.