AUSTIN, TX — On a hot night in Texas, the Philadelphia Union headed to Q2 Stadium for a showdown with Austin FC, with both teams battling in their respective MLS conferences to get into the playoff picture.
While both teams traded first-half goals, impressive second-half performances combined with some missed opportunities resulted in a 1-1 draw on the evening capping off three matches in seven day span.
“It was a tough week, especially with the only three days between both of the games. It was tough to turn around like that, but what we decided was to trust the group from the start and sort of try to change them”, Ryan Richter said in his post match press conference.
“And I think they did a good job and they fought to the end. It got a little wild at the end both ways. I think both teams could have probably gotten a goal, but the way they pushed through and were able to get a point in this game, you know we’re always going for the win, but it was, for a week like this, two games on the road, home to Miami, to come away without losing a game and and five points. That’s okay.”
Going with the exact same starting eleven as he did on Wednesday, interim head coach Ryan Richter showed belief in his squad for the matchup against Austin FC.
Andre Blake returned in net, with the defensive back line consisting of Frankie Westfield, Neil Pierre, Nathan Harriel, and Kai Wagner.
Jesús Bueno got the start despite Jovan Lukic returning from suspension due to yellow card accumulation, and paired with Danley Jean Jacques once again.
Cavan Sullivan and Indiana Vassilev made up the rest of the midfield, while Bruno Damiani and Milan Iloski rounded out the starting eleven at forward.
The bench consisted of Ben Bender, Alejandro Bedoya, Andrew Rick, Ezekiel Alladoh, Malik Jakupovic, Quinn Sullivan, Agustin Anello, and Japhet Sery Larsen.
On his decision to start the same line up from Wednesday, Richter had this to add on his thought process for the matches starting eleven:
“Made it a hard decision definitely, and you know I couldn’t sleep between between Wednesday and today trying to think what was the right decision to go with. But I ultimately decided to trust the guys to turn around again, and I think they they did a good job in that. And then the guys that came in and and the subs we made a little bit earlier than normal, they all did a good job as well. So you know, I think everyone that played a role in the game did a good job and played the role well. So it was not an easy decision when we thought about it through the week,”
With temperatures at Q2 Stadium around 101 degrees at kickoff, the match got underway. The Union got off to a strong start, with Iloski and Pierre creating early chances as Philadelphia pressed for the opening goal.
Austin had an excellent opportunity in the 14th minute when Myrto Uzuni ripped a shot that Blake was able to dive to his left to save. However, on the rebound, Jon Gallagher’s shot hit the crossbar, and on the follow-up, Uzuni’s shot was blocked by Pierre, forcing the Philadelphia defense to scramble to clear the ball out of danger.
Cavan Sullivan got the visitors on the board first in the 18th minute. Following a short corner from Iloski, Nathan Harriel was able to head the ball back into the box, which Sullivan buried to put Philadelphia ahead early.
For Sullivan, it was his second goal in league play, while Harriel and Iloski recorded their fourth and fifth assists of the season, respectively. Iloski now has 15 goal contributions on the season.
The lead would not last, though, as Austin responded moments later off a set piece of its own. Defender Brendan Hines-Ike got his head on a Joseph Rosales delivery to level the match.
Neil Pierre kept Philadelphia in the match following the hydration break, with Verde pressing for the go-ahead goal. Christian Ramirez’s shot was blocked by a sliding Pierre, preventing what could have been a goal.
Bueno picked up a yellow card in the 38th minute for fouling Rosales after the Honduran international dispossessed Cavan Sullivan. Through the first half, Rosales, who came over from Minnesota United earlier this season, was arguably Austin’s best player to that point.
Pierre picked up the first yellow card of his MLS career in the 42nd minute after fouling Hines-Ike while contesting a header. Pierre just missed the ball and made contact with the Austin defender. However, the homegrown defender made several key defensive plays during the first half to keep the match level.
Philadelphia had one more chance following a feed from Damiani to Iloski, allowing the forward to run into space down the right side of the box. However, his final pass to a charging Cavan Sullivan let him down, and both clubs headed into the break following a back-and-forth first half.
The visitors came out in the second half as they have since the restart, looking to regain the lead by attacking Austin’s defense. The home side stood tall and nearly countered with a goal of its own moments later, as Ramirez narrowly missed with a shot that sailed over the net.
Cavan Sullivan and Frankie Westfield went to work on the attacking end, creating chances for Iloski and Danley Jean Jacques. However, neither was able to finish those opportunities, though Jean Jacques’ attempt did hit the crossbar.
Jovan Lukic and Quinn Sullivan came on for Jesus Bueno and Indiana Vassilev in the 56th minute for Richter’s first substitutions of the match.
Austin brought in some serious firepower in the 63rd minute, bringing Brandon Vazquez and Facundo Torres off the bench as Davy Arnaud pushed to secure all three points.
Lukic won the ball in midfield and created an opportunity, feeding Quinn Sullivan, who found a wide-open Jean Jacques running into the box. However, Danley’s final touch let him down.
Agustin Anello came on for Cavan Sullivan, while Ezekiel Alladoh replaced Damiani in the 74th minute following a series of corner attempts from the home side. Quinn Sullivan ripped a shot seconds later, forcing Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver to make a leaping save to keep the match level as both teams headed into the hydration break.
Both teams pressed for the go-ahead goal as the match began to wind down and open up. Austin had another chance through Brandon Vazquez, who had a great opportunity to put the home side ahead. However, his shot was stopped by Blake and cleared out of danger by the Philadelphia defense as stoppage time drew near.
With the match heading into stoppage time, Vazquez missed another key chance for Austin. Moments later, Myrto Uzuni had an opportunity saved by Blake in what might have been one of the goalkeeper’s biggest saves of the evening, adding to his four saves on the night.
Agustin Anello had the final opportunity for the Union with a shot on target that was blocked by Mikkel Desler as the match came to a close, with both teams picking up a point.
While Cavan Sullivan and Neil Pierre stood out for Philadelphia on the evening, it marked the second match in a row in which the Union’s defense was able to close out a match and earn a point and in their last six matches the club has earned 14 of a possible 18 points.
Richter in particular praised Neil’s performance on the night.
“I thought he was our best player,” he said. “The amount of shots that he blocked, times he stepped out of the line, big clearances that he made, and some of the interceptions that he had. He had a really solid game, so it was another good step for him.”
With that point, Philadelphia ended the evening in 12th place in the MLS Eastern Conference, just three points behind ninth-place Orlando City for the final playoff spot at the time of publication.
The Union head back on the road next Saturday to Harrison, New Jersey, where they will face the New York Red Bulls at 7:30 p.m. at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Philadelphia will look to maintain their six-match unbeaten run and climb even closer to the playoff picture.
Main article photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union.
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