Quick recap: Philadelphia Union 3, Columbus Crew 0

A great win for the Philadelphia Union sees them only five points out of a playoff spot. The first 45 minutes of the game was filled with action, including the Union’s first goal. The first fifteen minutes of the game was mostly a feeling out process, as neither of the teams were able to get much action in the opposing team’s end. That all changed when Philadelphia’s Marcus Epps curled a shot that clanked off the post. This seemed to wake the Union up as their attacked roared to life. Two minutes later in the 20th mintue, the Union tallied their first goal of the game as Ilsinho rocketed a shot into the roof of the net to blast the Union into the lead. The Union almost gave the lead up six minutes later as Columbus had an excellent chance to tie the game, but their opportunity was wasted as the ball rang off the post. The 35th minute saw the first of two Columbus red cards as Jonathan Mensah brought CJ Sapong down in the box, earning the Union a penalty kick. There was a notable argument between CJ Sapong and Roland Alberg on who should take the kick, with Alberg eventually taking the chance. Roland perhaps should have let CJ go, as the PK was saved. The Union went into the halftime break with a 1-0 lead, knowing that they should have been up by more.

The Union came out strong with a strong opportunity seconds into the second half, but Marcus Epps sent his shot high. CJ Sapong had a shot ring off the post in the 58th minute, keeping the Union’s lead still at one goal, giving Columbus hope. Luckily the CJ and the rest of the Union would not be denied as the 66th minute brought the Union their much deserved second goal and put the game for all intents and purposes out of reach. The second Columbus red card came in the seventy forth minute as Lalas Abubakar was sent off after striking Ilsinho across the face. To cap off the scoring, Union rookie Marcus Epps scored his first career goal, growing the lead to 3-0, which ended up being the final score.