SMITHFIELD, R.I.— Looking to replicate their form on the road against New England back in July when they won 4-0, Union II met with Revolution II for the third and final time during the regular season at Beirne Stadium at Bryant University. Just like the previous two matches between the squads, it was not a dull affair.
The first time, in Chester, Union II played down a man after Sal Olivas was sent off early, and then conceded in the last few minutes. The second time was the Eddy Davis hat trick match. This time, Union II scored four goals again while playing up a man, and after a rollercoaster of a match, were victorious 4-3.
Interim head coach Chris Harmon initially had made two changes to his starters from last match, with Malik Jakupovic and Óscar Benítez back in the lineup, but had to make a last minute swap just before kickoff. Abdoulaye Diop had been announced in the starting lineup, but Kaiden Moore took his place. Pierce Holbrook was once again in goal, and the back line consisted of Jordan Griffin, Moore, Finn Sundstrom, and Rafael Uzcátegui. Matheus De Paula shifted to defensive midfield with Benítez, and Willyam Ferreira and Kellan LeBlanc were the attacking mids. Jakupovic was joined by the squad’s leading goal scorer fresh off a brace, Stas Korzeniowski, at striker.
Notably, Academy goalkeeper Abram Judy made his first appearance in a Union II lineup on the bench. Charli Lorenz and Matthew White, who have been the backups often, were with Union III (see the end of this article for more on that).
The first half was a tumultuous affair and would end up stretching far later than expected. The first great chance for Union II came in the 7th minute when a stellar cross by De Paula found Jakupovic, who used his 6’3″ frame to put a fantastic header on target, but Max Weinstein managed the save.
It did not take Union II much longer, however, to find the back of the net, as they capitalized on the resulting corner. Ferreira sent the ball in, where Sundstrom’s head deflected the ball over in front of goal, and Griffin blasted a header to finish it past Weinstein and give Union II the lead in the 10th minute. It was his first goal of the season.
In the first of the ten bookings of the day, New England’s Carlos Zambrano picked up a yellow in the 11th minute after fouling Jakupovic.
New England’s Levi Katsell, who had been a 9th minute sub, forced Holbrook into a fantastic diving save on a shot in the 13th minute to preserve the lead. Revolution II, however, found the equalizer two minutes later when Makai Wells crossed to Myles Morgan for the tap in.
Revolution II continued to bring pressure with a few chances, but Union II were battling right back. In the 26th minute, Korzeniowski was shown a yellow card for a foul, and Holbrook made a save shortly after. Union II retook the lead after Holbook sent the ball back out, beginning with Jakupovic passing to Korzeniowski, who in turn sent the ball to LeBlanc. The 18 year old, who just made his first team debut in Leagues Cup, blasted a beauty into the left side of the goal in the 27th minute to give Union II the 2-1 lead.
Play came to a screeching halt in the 32nd minute after Uzcátegui and Zambrano collided, with the latter going down with a horrific leg injury. The Revolution II players and coaches were quite incensed with the referee for not issuing discipline to the Union II captain, and a yellow was shown to both Makai Wells and the New England coach for dissent. After a lengthy delay, play resumed in the 47th minute of the first half, with 15 minutes of stoppage time announced.
Then, in the 45+4, Wells was sent off with second yellow after fouling LeBlanc, putting Union II up a man for the remainder of the match. After appearing to be in some pain, Uzcátegui, who had played the full 90 in his first team debut against Santos Laguna on Thursday, left the match in the 45+12′ and was replaced by Timo Mendoza, moving De Paula to right back. Mendoza then picked up a yellow shortly after.
Revolution II were down, but not out, and managed to tie it up 2-2 in the 45+16′ on a header by Cristiano Oliveira. Though it was past the original amount of stoppage time, there was enough time for Union II to retake the lead before the half as LeBlanc nabbed a brace after slotting the ball past Weinstein in the 45+18′. Interestingly, all three of LeBlanc’s goals this season were scored on that field against New England. The first half finally came to a close with Union II leading 3-2.
The second half saw New England pushing for the equalizer, but the attempts were thwarted. In a game marked by several injuries, De Paula left the match with an injury, necessitating a substitution with Oliver Pratt coming on in the 53rd minute.
Revolution II were relentless, with several saved and missed attempts, and finally brought the score level in the 66th minute on a scorcher from distance by Gabriel Dahlin, making it 3-3. Union II attempted to retake the lead on attempts by Jakupovic and LeBlanc, who came oh-so-close to getting a hat trick.
Harmon made a double substitution in the 77th minute, bringing more onto the attack with Sal Olivas and Mamoutou Berthé replacing Ferreira and Benítez.
Though down to ten men, Revolution II had a huge opportunity to take the lead when a foul in the box was called on Union II, and the referee awarded a penalty kick in the 81st minute. Myles Morgan took the kick from the spot, but in a pivotal moment, Holbrook stood tall, making the diving save to his right to keep the score 3-3.
With their spirits clearly buoyed, Union II rode that wave of adrenaline as Korzeniowski received a cross from LeBlanc, took a shot that was stopped, and then drove in the rebound to give Union II the 4-3 lead in the 84th minute. It was almost reminiscent of the match in Chester with the wild celebration that New England had when they took the lead in almost the same minute, and one has to wonder if that was in the back of anyone’s mind. The Boys in Blue held off the home team for the remainder, including six minutes of stoppage time, which saw Holbrook and the defense make several big stops.
Union II earned a much-needed three points to help keep their playoff chances alive, and it was a brace for the young LeBlanc, who Union interim head coach Ryan Richter had praised after his first team debut against Santos Laguna three days prior, but added that he needed to produce more with Union II. LeBlanc clearly understood the assignment.
Despite being outshot 28-13, Union II were able to finally finish more chances, and the defense had many great moments, anchored by a nine-save performance by Holbrook and a penalty save.
With the win, Union II sit in 11th at 33 points, and only two out of a playoff position, however several teams in contention have games in hand to their advantage. Union II will return home to Subaru Park on Sunday, August 23 when they host CT United at 3:00 PM.
Union III back in action
For those unaware, yes, there is a Union III, and before covering the Union and Union II matches on Sunday, this writer was able to catch the majority of the game just a short drive away in my hometown of Lancaster.
Union III, which is comprised of U-18 Union Academy players, had their first UPSL match of the season as they traveled to Lancaster Bible College to take on PA Classics. It was a rainy affair, but Union III brought a lot of energy in a tough battle. In the first half, Liam Holtzman scored to give Union III the 1-0 lead, however PA Classics answered back in the second half with two goals by Matteo Adiletta to secure the 2-1 victory.
For the Union II fans, some names you may recognize as playing with the squad are Charli Lorenz in goal, with Matthew White also there. Jett Harrison and Mateo Gallegos have also appeared with Union II. It was also the first action I have seen from Academy newcomer Tommie Wysong, the UVA commit who just joined from Baltimore Armour. We at The One Team We Agree On will have more Academy coverage as the season progresses.
Main article photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union II.
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