Strong second half pushes Philadelphia Union to 3-0 win over New England Revolution

The Philadelphia Union defeated the New England Revolution 3-0 on Saturday night, with a strong victory at home. Daniel Gazdag recorded a brace on the night while Julian Carranza sealed the deal for the Union with a goal of his own.

The win set aside recent memories of a poor performance a few days prior against D.C. United with a victory over a group near the top of the MLS table.

Jim Curtin debuted a 5-2-1-2 against the Revolution, with a lineup that was noticeably missing captain Alejandro Bedoya, who had reportedly picked up an injury in training the day prior.

5 in the back 😤

📝👉 https://t.co/C4Fngw0yTe#StartingXI | #PHIvNE | #DOOP | @mls pic.twitter.com/U3LG1vwcSO

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) May 20, 2023

Philadelphia controlled the match offensively from the first whistle. The Union looked more comfortable at home than they had in recent matches, but struggled to find a goal early on. However, Mikael Uhre and Julian Carranza were both active in the box in the initial moments.

The Union’s best moment of the first half came in the 27th minute, as Julian Carranza nearly poked a header past Djordje Petrovic near the post, but the New England keeper came up with a strong save to deny the attempt.

Best chance of the half so far.#DOOP
pic.twitter.com/Z4uLV3oOMh

— Philadelphia Soccer Now (@phlsoccernow) May 21, 2023

New England had to make an early substitution in the 34th minute, as the former MLS MVP was taken out of the match after an apparent injury. The Revolution replaced Gil with homegrown Jack Panayotou.

Just moments later, Kai Wagner was taken out from a flying knee by Brandon Bye, who had won an aerial ball and avoided giving up a foul or suffering any cautions from referee Lukasz Szpala. While the lack of a call didn’t directly impact the game, the collision got the crowd at Subaru Park involved as the match’s intensity ticked upward.

The Revultion’s Bobby Wood took a yellow card just before the end of the first half, after he drove his arm into a leaping Jose Martinez in the 45th minute. Instead of Martinez seeking vengeance, it was Wagner who took the most issue with Szpala after the fact.

The first half ended scoreless, with neither side able to produce much on offense. While Philadelphia led the shots battle 8-2, it only led the xG battle .3-.2 after 45 minutes.

Philadelphia put together a good chance in the 53rd minute, as Julian Carranza once again challenged Petrovic with a header inside the box. However, this time Carranza’s shot sailed over the net harmlessly as both sides continued to probe for opportunities.

Just moments later, the Union got their goal. Daniel Gazdag received a ball from Uhre and rifled a shot that bounced in the net off the post, as the midfielder scored his first goal from the run of play in the 2023 MLS season to give the Union a 1-0 lead in the

The Hungarian Harden strikes!#DOOP
pic.twitter.com/MVOahUG9Nl

— Philadelphia Soccer Now (@phlsoccernow) May 21, 2023

New England nearly scored a quick-tying goal, after Emmanuel Boateng forced Andre Blake to a strong save. The rebound, which fell to Bye, was blasted over the crossbar harmlessly.

In a “when pigs fly moment” in the 70th minute, the Union saw another chance generated by Martinez. Martinez served as the group’s leading attacker, and drove into the box from the goalline before laying the ball off to a teammate. The sequence was finished by Gazdag, who was unable to find a brace and instead pounded his shot into the River End.

The Union generated their best chance on the night via a penalty kick, when Uhre was taken down while racing down the side of the penalty area in the 72nd minute. Revolution head coach Bruce Arena was awarded a yellow card before Gazdag stepped up and secured his brace in the 74th minute.

Automatic.#DOOP pic.twitter.com/oPPQcbdIYM

— Philadelphia Soccer Now (@phlsoccernow) May 21, 2023

As if a 2-0 win wasn’t enough, the Union closed out the night with one last goal in the 89th minute. Chris Donovan and Carranza faced down Andrew Farrell, and Donovan laid a pass off for an easy Carranza score to give Philadelphia a 3-0 win.

Julian!!! What a ball by Dono. #DOOP
pic.twitter.com/U4ROxxZh54

— Philadelphia Soccer Now (@phlsoccernow) May 21, 2023

Philadelphia couldn’t close out the match with ease, as Matt Real earned one last yellow card in the dying minutes. However, after six minutes of stoppage time, the Union walked into the locked room with a strong win.

The man of Saturday night’s match for the Union was most certainly Gazdag. The midfielder has been often underwhelming this season, but he had been inching towards a non-penalty kick goal in recent weeks. His performance overall was solid, and the brace only helps his case.

Philadelphia will return to action in a week’s time, when it takes on New York City FC at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 27 at Citi Field Stadium on the road. The match will be broadcast on MLS Season Pass.