Union CCL run ends with 3-0 defeat to LAFC

Defensive mistakes have cost the Philadelphia Union all season, and they bit them again when it mattered most. Timothy Tillman’s first-half goal and an Olivier Mbaizo second-half red card gave LAFC all they’d need to defeat the Philadelphia Union 3-0 in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions League semifinal at BMO Stadium.

Kwadwo Opoku and Denis Bouanga added late goals to put the shorthanded Union out of their misery. LAFC now awaits the winner of Tigres-Leon tomorrow night and will play in their second-ever CCL final after reaching the 2020 final, where they lost to Tigres.

The Union, playing without injured José Martinez, wasted no time making up for his physical presence as Alejandro Bedoya had a nasty challenge in the opening minutes on Diego Palacios that drew a yellow but could have seen red. Carrying the play in the early minutes, the visitors had their first chance seven minutes in when Kai Wagner’s curling free kick from the right side made it through traffic before falling into the arms of LA keeper and Philly native John McCarthy.

LAFC jumped on the board in the 13 th minute against the run of play on a goal from Tillman. Ilie Sánchez had a free header on the Union six that Andre Blake picked off the goal line only to fall to Tillman, who buried the rebound into the top of the net for the 1-0 lead and 2-1 aggregate advantage.

After the goal, LAFC began to assert more of themselves in the game, and bottled up the Union wide backs, unlike in leg 1 when Olivier Mbaizo and Wagner had freedom to go forward. But the Union had another great chance in the 23 rd minute off a long, bending Wagner cross that found Gazdag at the opposite edge of the six. The Union playmaker settled the ball before firing a point-blank shot that was stopped by McCarthy.

Gazdag had another great chance with just under ten minutes left in the half when he ran a lovely dummy before receiving Carranza’s layoff at the top of the box. His low shot appeared headed to the bottom corner but was tipped past the post by McCarthy.

While the Union held the advantage of possession to round out the half, Mateusz Bogusz forced Blake into a diving save early in stoppage time, and Carlos Vela, quiet for much of the half, almost got on the end of cross seconds before the break. LAFC opened the second half with another goal in mind, pressing more into the attacking third while Union also tried to bring another level of energy to their game. Bouanga had a good chance five minutes into the half when he took a cross first-time outside the six that Mbaizo blocked.

But the Union’s chances at a comeback took a major blow in the 59th minute when Mbazio was booked a second time for a late challenge on Bouanga. Down to ten men, the Union lost their competitive edge going forward, and when Nathan Harriel replaced Uhre minutes later, they no longer had an attacking identity and spent the majority of the second half defending while searching for free kick opportunities to get back into the game.

Opoku, on midway through the second half, almost added a second in the 70th minute after a some cheeky dribbling, but he pulled his shot wide. The Union’s only opportunity came minutes later off a free kick to pull level. The second ball fell to Bedoya at the top of the box and his well-taken volley was blocked in front and bounced around before LA were able to clear it
away.

Opoku then put the game away in the 82nd minute when Vela found him with a ball across the box that he blasted past Blake into the far corner. A gassed Union looked helpless as Jose Cifuentes dribbled through the midfield and Vela split three defenders with one pass.

Bouanga added a third in the 90th minute when he ran onto a Cifuentes through ball and touched it past Blake. The goal was Bouanga’s CCL leading 6th . Not soon after, the final whistle blew, and the Union CCL run came to an end with a sour taste in knowing that they had a goal in them to be scored playing at full strength.

Goals:
LAFC: Tillman 13’
LAFC: Opoku 82’
LAFC: Bouanga 90’
Yellow Cards:
PHI: Bedoya 2’
LAFC: Bouanga 17’
PHI: Uhre 37’
PHI: Mbaizo 41’
LAFC: Murillo 43’
PHI: Mbaizo 59’
Red Cards:
PHI: Mbaizo 59’

Lineups:
Union: Blake, Mbaizo, Glesnes, Elliott, Wagner, Flach, Bedoya, McGlynn (Sullivan 77’), Gazdag,
Uhre (Harriel 61’), Carranza (Torres 88’)
Unused subs: Bendik, Trent, Real, Lowe, Bueno, Perea, Donovan

LAFC: McCarthy, Hollingshead, Murillo (Maldonado 46’), Long, Palacios, Sanchez, Acosta,
Bogusz (Opoku 66’), Tillman (Cifuentes 66’), Vela (Biuk 87’), Bouanga
Unused subs: Romero, Dueñas, Palencia, Cristostomo