Rate the U: Miro magic and the defense that wouldn’t break

It’s getting old already this season to talk about a team winning despite being outplayed, but the Philadelphia Union once again showed that they can win on a night (a humid one at that) when they aren’t at their best with their second straight 1-0 win Sunday night in D.C.

Jamiro Monteiro was the magician pulling the rabbit out of the hat in the first half stoppage time when he set up Kacper Przybylko for the equivalent of a layup after he was played onside by a crooked DC United offside trap. The Union only had one shot the entire second half, an attempt from debutant Dániel Gazdag that was blocked and were outshot for the game 17-7.

Jakob Glesnes, meanwhile, led a back line that bent but never broke under pressure from the DC United attack. He had 10 clearances, a pair of tackles and was vital in his movement and positioning to keep DC in check. Jack Elliott, meanwhile, had another masterful game relieving pressure with his passing out of the back.

Jose Martinez showed some rest after missing three games to suspension and was subbed out in the 67th minute after picking up his second yellow card of the season in four matches. He was the only one in the book until Andre Blake got a rare yellow card deep into stoppage time for time wasting. Blake made seven saves on the night, including a goal-saving stretch to knock a shot from Kevin Paredes over the bar, and was the lone representative on the MLS Team of the Week. Glesnes, arguably the man of the match, was named to the Team of the Week bench.

Przybylko’s goal was his second of the season to tie him for the team lead with Cory Burke for the team lead. He has seven goals in 11 matches in all competitions.

Head coach Jim Curtin used just three of his available five subs with Sergio Santos and Gazdag both putting in 23-minute shifts. After not starting a homegrown player for the second game this season, Curtin was five minutes away from not playing any in the match when he subbed Matt Real in for the injured Monteiro with five minutes left.

What did you think of the individual performances, the refereeing, Curtin’s game plan, etc.? Fill out our Community Player Ratings Poll.