CHESTER, Pa.— Looking to secure the sixth seed in the playoffs and end the regular season with some momentum, the Philadelphia Union returned home to Subaru Park for Decision Day to face Toronto FC. Not only did they take all three points in the 4-1 victory, but they did it with some flair as Quinn and Cavan Sullivan put on a show, becoming the third pair of brothers to score in the same MLS regular season match.
Ryan Richter opted to start Quinn Sullivan up top with Bruno Damiani in the absence of Milan Iloski, who was still out with injury. The rest of the lineup was typical with Indiana Vassilev, Cavan Sullivan, Danley Jean Jacques, and Jovan Lukic in the midfield. The back line was once again made up of Kai Wagner, Nathan Harriel, Neil Pierre, and Frankie Westfield, and the captain, Andre Blake, in net.
Additionally, Jordan Griffin received another short-term loan and was on the bench, but went as an unused substitute.
Notably, Union Academy/Union II alum Jackson Gilman go the start for Toronto FC. After being drafted by TFC, he was signed to TFC II and made his debut on opening day at Subaru Park in their match against Union II—which, of course, was coached by Ryan Richter at time, bringing it full circle for Gilman.
Before the match, the Union paid tribute to Alejandro Bedoya, who announced this week that he would be retiring at the end of the season. He was the drum striker for the match and the River End unveiled a tifo in his honor.
The Union opened strongly, creating several chances in the first ten minutes. It seemed the Union had found the early goal in the 11th minute after Danley ran on goal and appeared to be tripped up the keeper. Quinn ran on and finished the ball into the net, but the elder Sullivan was ruled offside after a VAR check, and no penalty for Danley’s tripping was awarded, either.
However, the younger Sullivan got the party started for real as he scored the opening goal in the 28th minute after Quinn sent a cross to Vassilev, who had some great hold up play and then nutmegged Gilman to get the ball to Cavan in front of goal for the finish. It was yet another moment of brilliance by Indy, who has seemingly found his groove under Richter.
“I think he’s a great player, and he’s playing really well right now,” Richter said of Vassilev. “So that’s what we’re seeing, and you can feel when a guy’s playing with confidence. You can see when a guy’s playing with confidence, and he’s very confident.”
The Union’s momentum continued as Cavan was fouled in the box in the 39th minute, with referee Tim Ford pointing to the spot. With the usual penalty taker in Milan Iloski unavailable, Quinn stepped up and emphatically buried it for the 2-0 lead in the 41st minute.
As the match was headed to seven minutes of stoppage time, Lukic was shown the first yellow card after a late challenge on Gilman.
The Union looked like they would be taking a 3-0 lead to the locker room when Cavan connected with Frankie Westfield, who scored what would have been his first goal of the season. However, once again, Quinn was ruled offside in the sequence, negating the goal after a VAR check.
Then, the Union did the last thing they wanted to do and let the momentum swing in Toronto’s favor as Josh Sargent sent a header in to bring the Canadian side within a goal in the last play of the half.
“Yeah, I mean the first half, we were electric,” Richter noted postgame. “We were running everywhere. We were playing with quality. We created chances. We created goals. It was annoying the the goal we conceded at the end of the first half, but the level that we played at in that first half of the game was was outstanding, and then we managed it in a good way in the second half. But the way that we started the game, the intensity that we played with, we knew we had to be the ones that drove that through the game, and the guys did.”
It could have been deflating to have let Toronto cut the Union’s lead in half right before the halftime whistle, when they could have been up 4-0 easily. Richter, ever the motivator, had a simple message at halftime for his squad:
“I said, guys, we are playing amazing. Keep running like this forward. Make sure you keep running like this back as well. This can be a really fun night and go exactly how we want it to go and how it should go. But don’t lose focus. Don’t get complacent, and keep going in the way that we are.”
The Union made one change at the half, replacing Blake in goal with Andrew Rick in what came as a surprise. Following the match, Richter shared, “He felt something at halftime just when he was kicking and his groin. So we don’t have how serious that is yet. It doesn’t seem like it’s super serious, but something that made us make the change at halftime.”
The Union got down to business with several chances early in the half as Damiani had two shots saved and Cavan had one saved. Sargent had a chance but sent it over, though it was ruled offside in the end.
The moment many were waiting for—the Sullivan brothers combining for a goal—came in the 58th minute when Quinn went on a break toward goal, and then sent the pass to his brother, with Cavan finishing it for a brace on the night—his second this season—and the 3-1 lead as Subaru Park erupted. It was Cavan’s ninth goal of the season.
“It’s about time. Been waiting for it. I think everyone’s been waiting for it for a long time. Special, special. I think you know scoring in the same game as the first tonight, and then assisting one of us assisting the other. So super special night,” Quinn remarked after the match.
“Yeah, I mean, that’s obviously my my favorite goal in my career so far. Probably my favorite forever,” Cavan shared. “That means a lot. It’s the first one. Like I said, hopefully first of many. But you know, grateful that he slid it across, and yeah, I was happy I put that one in.”
Jonathan Osorio was shown TFC’s first yellow of the night after a foul on Cavan in the 67th minute, setting up a free kick that ended with Vassilev’s shot being saved by William Yarbrough.
The Union tacked on another goal after Quinn was taken down in the box during a corner, and Bruno Damiani stepped up and buried the penalty kick to make it 4-1 in the 73rd minute. It was the Uruguayan’s 13th goal of the season. While Cavan could have taken it to complete a hat trick, it was a well-deserved opportunity for Damiani, who was instrumental in a lot of the success on the night for the Union.
Richter made his next change with Ben Bender replacing Lukic in the 77th minute.
Cavan went to ground in the 82nd minute in some pain, appearing to clutch his knee after a collision. He was then off the field getting treatment, got up and was moving around and talking to Richter and the staff. This left the Union with 10 men for several minutes.
Following the match, Richter noted he did not have an update, but he did not think the injury was something serious. During that time, the crowd roared as Bedoya took off his training top at the bench and appeared like he would be going in, but Malik Jakupovic replaced Cavan instead in the 90th minute.
With the referee’s final whistle imminent, Bedoya finally got his moment as he subbed on for Quinn Sullivan in the 90+6. Harriel, who had been the captain after Blake departed, handed his captain’s armband to the man who has been the leader of the squad for a decade.
“I’m glad I was the one that subbed out for him because I was the one that wanted, you know, subbing in for him in my early years, and you know, fight for that spot,” Quinn said. “So it was special to share that moment. He’s been a great leader and a coach-like figure for me, and for six years now. So looked up to him for many years before that, a legend, an honor to be a part of his farewell.”
Richter noted after the match that he was committed to getting Bedoya onto the field, but it was a bit tricky given Bedoya’s eye injury and managing substitutions.
“Ale was not able to compete in the game,” Richter said. “Basically, the sub to get him on the field was to give him the moment that he deserved, and that moment in front of the fans. So, with that said, when we get down to our last moment, it was the 85th or 86th minute, I think, I was fully committed to putting him in the game no matter what, and giving that. So he might have had to go out there and just stand in the corner or something, but the way that worked out is, because [Toronto] used a concussion sub, we got an extra moment, so we were able to do that the right way in the end.”
The match ended moments after Bedoya stepped on the field, and the Union secured the 4-1 victory and a sixth place finish. It completed an improbable run during the regular season that saw them go from dead last in the East at the World Cup break, to getting into the playoffs. With only seven points and one win before the break, they took an incredible 43 points out of a possible 57 in the second half, going 13-2-4 during that time.
As always in a home victory, the chosen “man of the match” got to strike the drum. In a very symbolic moment, Bedoya did the first few strikes, grabbed Cavan Sullivan and handed him the mallet, and the 17-year-old took his swings.
“He’s just a tremendous guy and has been a huge, huge role model for me ever since I was about seven, eight years old,” Cavan said after the match about Bedoya. “So coming in and working with him since I was 14, he’s been a huge support through my personal ups and downs. Just been there. Recently, started showing me clips and and doing more film with me and stuff like that, and just you know, sort of taking me under his wing. So, yeah, we love him here in Philly. We’re truly grateful for him, and we’re gonna try and send him off with with the MLS Cup. So that would be amazing.”
It was an important victory, but to the team, the night was also about paying tribute to someone who was a catalyst in transforming the Union into a contender each year. Richter opened up his press conference following the match by recognizing Bedoya:
“Yeah, before we get in and talk about the game, today and this game is a good opportunity for everyone in our club to reflect on just how much Ale Bedoya has meant to so many different players, so many different staff members, so many different coaches, and his impact on the club over the last 10 and a half years. He completely changed the club and and put the Union in a position where we have been competitive for a long time because of his impact, the way that he changed the culture, and so he’s a really special person and a really special player, and you know I’m happy for him and happy for his family that he got a good regular season send off here from the fans and from the club because it’s everything that he deserves.
“And if there’s one, just to put simply to describe Ale as a player, he’s a winner, and he’s someone who makes everyone around him better, and I think that’s the best compliment that you can give to a professional athlete. And I’ve seen him do it with a number of players over the years, a number of teams over the years, and it’s been an honor for me to be friends with him for a long time, but also to be be coaching him. And the respect that he’s given me is something I’ll always be grateful for. So congratulations to him, and thank you for everything that you did for me and for this club.”
With an international break preceding the playoffs, where the Union will play a best-of-three with New England Revolution on dates yet to be determined, the focus shifts to the postseason and being healthy and primed for it. It is also a big window for several players who got called to their respective national teams.
For Bruno Damiani, it has been a huge week. Not only did he score a personal-best 13 goals this season, he got his first call to the senior level of the Uruguay National Team.
“It’s a dream come true,” Damiani shared. “It’s gonna be an amazing experience. I wish I get some minutes, but everything is gonna be great to play with top players, playing in the biggest team in the world. I think it’s going to help me also to learn and to come back with confidence.”
They will need Damiani to continue with the form he has been in as the Union look to go on a run in the playoffs.
“Yeah, look, I think we have a lot of guys that are, you know, have played in a playoffs and know what the playoffs mean, and also some guys that it’s new for,” Quinn remarked about the playoffs. “But yeah, we’ve been fighting. You know, we were at the bottom, obviously, and fighting for every game and game by game, and that’s the mentality we got to take into the playoffs. You can’t think too far ahead, and focus on the team that’s in front of you. And you know, we know our path now.”
Main article photo: Emily Wallace-Sutton
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