CHESTER, Pa.— How fitting that on the weekend of the USA’s Semiquincentennial, two of the most important places during the American Revolution will be facing off in MLS Next Pro action.

After a rough second half against Red Bull II on Sunday, which resulted in a 5-0 road loss, Union II are busy preparing to hit the road again as they travel to Rhode Island on Sunday to face New England Revolution II (11:00 AM). The lopsided result was the worst for the squad this season as most matches, win or loss, have been with tight margins. There were lots of learning moments, however, that will Union II will take into account.

Union II were coming off a strong win against Orlando City B the week before, and Chris Harmon saw his squad bringing a lot of fight early in the match.

“They’re a really tricky opponent,” Harmon said of Red Bull II. “We knew we were going to go after them in our style, we were going to press them high, we knew we’re going to have to have maybe one or two moments where we’re going to have to defend the box really well, and yeah, they got the better of us, and even going into halftime, we felt yeah, we were still in it, and still carrying that momentum against a really good team.”

The first 60 minutes or so, Union II were hanging in there, and only down 1-0, however the match got away from them in the latter part. The average age on the field at that point was very young and less experienced.

“Obviously, we were young, but we were still really confident in how the boys were playing, and the collective mentality of the group, and sometimes with a young group, sometimes it can start to unravel, and it’s a little bit more difficult to bring it back together, because you have less voices and less experience in the field, and things like that. That’s part of their learning process,” Harmon related.

It was very apparent when four substitutions were made in the 62nd minute that a lot of experience and skill came off the field, but with Jordan Griffin, Rafael Uzcátegui, Giovanny Sequera, and Kellan LeBlanc having played in the friendly the day before against Houston, it was expected that their minutes would be restricted.

“Yeah, so some guys were on some minute restrictions, but that was our decision, you know, to make sure that we’re taking care of these guys in the best way that we can. It’s a long season, and they’re playing a lot of soccer, and for me, the most rewarding thing is seeing these guys play in those first team games—get those opportunities,” Harmon said.

Speaking of opportunities, two players that came on in the 62nd minute were making their professional debuts. Sammy Gallego, who had mostly been with the U-16s, and Jett Harrison, of the U-18s, took the field for the first time with Union II. Both had strong academy seasons and have been training with Union II since the academy season finished.

“I mean, it felt great,” Harrison said of his debut. “It was just like my kid’s self coming out again and just having fun playing, even though the result wasn’t what we wanted. I still had a really fun time playing, and finally being able to say that I’ve somewhat gotten to the next level, but always going to push for more and make it even farther.” [Read the full interview with Jett Harrison here]

“Really happy for them,” Harmon said of Gallego and Harrison. “Anytime these guys make a debut, it’s a win for the Academy. Really happy with these guys, and it wasn’t just, you know, a snap decision. It’s based on the quality of work over the whole fall season. So really happy for them. I thought when they first came in, the first 10 minutes we still had the better of the play, you know, and then, like I said, we kind of hit a rough patch there in about the 70th minute, and they had to hang on. But for them to feel those types of games on the road is really great for their development.”

Now Union II (6-8-2, 11th) go on the road once again, and will face New England Revolution II (8-3-4, 4th) for the second time this season. Revolution II are coming off a 3-1 win over Toronto FC II, and have won their last three out of four matches.

Their previous meeting, back on May 13 at home where Sal Olivas was sent off in the 31st minute, ended in a 1-0 loss after a very late goal by New England’s Jake Shannon. This was followed by a raucous celebration by Revolution II on the field and in the locker room, so one has to wonder if that will sit in the back of any of the players’ minds as they meet again. Regardless, Union II were working hard at training when I observed this week, and are focused on continued improvement and playing as a cohesive unit.

Harrison said of the team’s mindset this week, “Came back, worked our [butts] off, shake off the result, and then we’re gonna go into the next game and win it…try our best to win it.”

“I would say for sure I’m already starting to see the guys come together, so we’re looking forward to it already,” Harmon said on Wednesday of the upcoming match. “Just the week ahead, being around these guys, it’s going to be fun as we lead into another away trip.”

In terms of the roster for the match, Harmon said, “It’s gonna be a competitive group, and for sure there’ll be opportunities for guys just like there were last weekend.”

Union II fought hard while down a man in their previous meeting, and almost held on for the approximately 60 minutes they had to play that way. Ryan Richter, still head coach at the time, had said he was proud of the way the guys played in that situation. Perhaps it will be a time for redemption, between that and coming off a rough loss. As Philadelphia’s beloved Rocky Balboa said, “But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”

Catch the match at 11:00 AM on Sunday, July 5 (note the time change!) at mlsnextpro.com and OneFootball.

Main article photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union II.