CHESTER, Pa.— Looking to build off the momentum from their win over FC Cincinnati 2 and stay in the playoff hunt, Union II hosted Columbus Crew 2 in a tight match on Friday night that saw them victorious after a late game-winning goal by Jordan Griffin.
The starting lineup featured the return of George Marks as goalkeeper and wearing the captain’s armband, following a series of consistent starts by Pierce Holbrook. Theo Reed and John Ruf, both of whom delivered outstanding performances against FC Cincinnati 2, comprised the striker duo.
Kellan LeBlanc made a return to the lineup following his red card suspension, teaming up with Willyam Ferreira in the attacking midfield role. Meanwhile, Óscar Benítez and Abdoulaye Diop anchored the defensive midfield, while the back line featured Jordan Griffin and Matheus De Paula as outside backs, complemented by Finn Sundstrom and Kaiden Moore in at center back.
The first half saw a lot of back and forth between the two teams, with the amount of shots nearly equal at halftime. LeBlanc was impactful, contributing a near miss in the 13th minute. Crew 2 answered with a close call of their own that went wide five minutes later, and saw other chances sporadically. In the 27th minute, the visitors made a push on goal, but Marks was up to the task and made the save.
Ruf, getting his first start since April, was seizing his opportunity with some quality on the attack throughout the first half along with Reed. The growing confidence within the pair has been obvious, and interim head coach Chris Harmon shared post game, “Really happy for [John] and Theo to grow that partnership. You know what type of game you’re going to get from them every single time, and that’s just a game where they’re not going to stop running, and they do so much of the dirty work for us. Really happy with with how they’re continuing to come on.”
While Reed had been getting more minutes lately, Ruf had mostly been on the bench with limited minutes over the summer—until Stas Korzeniowski and Eddy Davis went on loan.
“Happy for John to get those minutes under his belt, and and for sure, I think there’s moments in the game where they [Ruf and Reed] both probably want an action or two back where they think they maybe could have done better in front of goal. But for them and their development, it’s really really important for them to get these minutes,” Harmon shared.
Ruf had a shot saved in the 32nd minute as well as the 39th. Crew 2’s Rui Aoki was the first booking in the 34th minute for a foul in a match that the referee largely let the young men play. LeBlanc was in on the action late in the half as well, with a saved shot in the 38th minute on a breakaway, and went on a run minutes later that brought Crew 2 keeper Luke Pruter well out of goal to beat him and send the ball out. The match would go into halftime scoreless, with the amount of shots for either team nearly identical— which was fitting with how even the game had been.
The second half began with no changes for either side, and shortly after, Benítez was the next booking for a foul for Union II’s first yellow.
While he had limited opportunities to showcase his skills, thanks to the defense’s numerous blocks, Marks demonstrated exceptional leadership on the field and contributed significantly with five crucial saves throughout the match. One of his standout moments came in the 50th minute when he made a spectacular save against Oneal Taylor, ensuring Crew 2 remained scoreless.
The tide shifted quickly as Union II came close to scoring in the 52nd minute, when LeBlanc unleashed a shot that was initially saved but then spilled by Pruter to Ruf, who seized the opportunity to finish, only for Pruter to make yet another impressive save.
Crew 2 subbed in formidable reinforcements in their top two scorers currently in the squad in Kevin Gbamblé and Chase Adams in the 58th minute as they really pushed hard for a goal in the second half. Union II, however, continued to fight as well, and had shots from Ruf, Reed, and Diop.
Harmon went to his bench for the first time in the 69th minute, bringing on Timo Mendoza and Giovanny Sequera for Diop and Ruf, leaving Reed as the lone striker.
Ferreira, still looking for that elusive first pro goal, had two shots, including a a rip from outside the box, but Pruter made the save. Right after, Tyler Gladstone replaced Ferreira in the 80th minute. De Paula then received a yellow card for a hard tackle just outside the box as Crew 2 were attacking.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 83rd minute when Marks sent a goal kick up to Moore, who quickly fed the ball to Sequera. The Venezuelan beautifully threaded the ball to LeBlanc, who in turn sent a fantastic ball to the left edge of the box for Griffin. From there, the left back sent the ball past Pruter and into the bottom right of the net to give Union II the lead in the 83rd minute. It was his second goal of the season, and LeBlanc’s fourth assist.
“Super happy for him,” Harmon remarked of Griffin. “And I think our fullbacks, I thought, were excellent today. So Matheus and Jordan, just to be able to arrive into the attack in the way that we did, especially in the second half. I thought the build-up to the goal was was excellent. Yeah, the actual goal we’ll see. I have to see it back, but just for the fact that he was in that position is great, and it shows his willingness to to join the attack.”
“I mean, the team, just we had to talk at halftime to come out with energy and just keep pushing, and our chance was going to come. And everyone was fighting, showed great energy, great attitude to push and just get the goal, so it’s great,” Griffin remarked after the match.
Harmon’s final substitution came in the 90th minute as Oliver Pratt came in for Griffin, who had gone down and appeared to be in some discomfort and hobbled off the field. The six minutes of stoppage time, which extended to eight minutes in the end, were a bit of a nail-biter as Union II were trying to fend off last ditch efforts by Crew 2. De Paula went to ground in pain four minutes into stoppage time, and had to exit the field, leaving Union II down to ten men in a precarious situation, and Crew 2’s keeper even went all the way up and into the fray on the subsequent corner. Pratt and Sequera contributed to keeping the ball out and negating the threat, which ultimately ended with Crew 2’s shot hitting the crossbar and going out.
Now past the initial six minutes of stoppage time, Union II kept working to keep the ball out of their end, with Benítez and Gladstone making blocks before the referee blew his whistle, finally sealing the victory for the home side and the squad’s first clean sheet since July. The win kept Union II’s playoff aspirations within reach, and they ended the evening in 10th place, and tied in points with NYCFC II, who sit in ninth. It was announced earlier in the week that MLS Next Pro will have a play-in game for the playoffs between the eighth and ninth seeds, which could benefit Union II possibly in the tight race.
“It’s big to get a clean sheet, and also big to get three points, which is something that we need late in the season. And the team once again just showed great mentality to just put their bodies on the line to get to do anything to get the win today,” Griffin shared after the match.
“Yeah, really happy with the performance,” Harmon said. “The guys fought till the end. Not an easy game. They’re a really difficult team to play against, and I think for the guys to really fight the whole time to get the clean sheet, that’s huge. Some really big performances for the guys. A lot of really good minutes. Overall, really happy with the guys and the momentum that we’re continuing to build.”
The match proved to be a total team win, with everyone contributing defensively at some point, which was crucial without the talents of Rafael Uzcátegui, who was on the bench as he has been recovering from an injury. Moore and Sundstrom deserve their flowers for a fine performance as their chemistry has built, and both Harmon and Griffin were complimentary of the pair.
“I mean, [Crew 2] spread you out. They make it so difficult, and I think Finn and Kaiden were excellent. I think how they had to manage the line, how they had to defend the box, I mean, what you’re talking about, you know, in terms of the blocks and clearances, that’s a stat that we talk about first day back. We’re going to celebrate for sure because it’s so important.”
Harmon praised the leadership of the two 19-year-olds, saying, “And again, I think it gives confidence to everybody else. So when they’re on their game and they’re making the decisions and leading the line and giving us leadership, it really, really helps. It helps the younger guys, and it’s funny because they’re not that old. But to us, they’re a little bit older. For them to take the leadership and really lead the team, I’m really proud of them.”
“They show great growth. They’re a really good pairing,” Griffin said of Moore and Sundstrom. “They both have a great mentality, great attitude when it comes to performing and doing everything they can for the team. So it’s just good to see them both grow together and grow as a pair.”
Beating an eliminated FC Cincinnati 2 last weekend was one thing, but defeating a good Columbus Crew 2 squad who are currently in third showed that perhaps the squad has learned from past mistakes as Harmon remarked earlier in the week that he hoped they had at this point. Griffin could see it.
“I think everyone who played in the back line today did a really good job to just do everything to stay compact and not let the other team score,” Griffin remarked. “And it’s something that we’ve worked on in training just to push and do everything we can to not get scored on. So it’s a credit to us and also the staff for working us in training to improve on those things.”
It certainly should be a confidence boost as it was arguably some of the best form they have shown, and could be the momentum that they need with two matches left in the regular season. They will travel to Chicago Fire II next Sunday for a 4:00 PM match at SeatGeek Stadium, and then finish with a home match against NYCFC II on Sunday, September 20 at 2:00 PM. They will have some momentum and confidence as they race toward the playoff line.
Main article photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union II.
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