Union II second half collapse eclipses dominant start in defeat to Revs II

Philadelphia Union II entered their Sunday afternoon MLS NEXT Pro matchup with New England Revolution II as a rejuvenated side, having grabbed points in four of their previous five matches following a winless start in their first three matches of the 2023 campaign. The test against New England would be the ultimate measuring stick for their recent progress, considering Union II had been embarrassed by New England just a month ago by a score of 5-1. 

Early on in Sunday’s match, it was apparent that Marlon Leblanc’s side really was making strides. Despite conceding a goal in the 10th minute from a deflected free kick by Revs II winger Esmir Bajraktarevic, Union II looked the far superior side. 

And in the 17th minute, Union II finally got their breakthrough. After a turnover in the midfield from New England, Union II midfielder Jeremy Rafanello led a quick counter attack by playing a beautifully caressed outside of the boot ball into the path of Union II forward Chris Donovan, who smashed the ball home to level the game at one goal a piece. 

Chris Donovan equalizes with a clean finish and it's game on! 👊 @PhilaUnionII pic.twitter.com/o9wKnBlkyP

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) May 21, 2023

Just six minutes later, on another quick attack from Union II, Rafanello played another brilliant pass into the feet of Donovan, who sent the ball across the box to an unmarked Christopher Olney Jr., who put Philly ahead 2-1. 

Donovan 🤝 Olney

The dynamic duo puts @PhilaUnionII in front! pic.twitter.com/dwkDHxbrrz

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) May 21, 2023

Union II continued to be dangerous throughout the first half, and even in the early parts of the second half. The trio of Donovan, Radanello and Olney Jr. were posing all kinds of threats to the New England backline. And in the 51st minute, another Rafanello to Donovan combination extended the Union II lead to 3-1. This time, Rafanello picked up his head as he went down the right wing and found Donovan in a pocket of space on the near post, where the red hot forward, fresh off of an assist for the first team on Saturday night, applied the finishing touch with a sweeping right footed effort. Cool as you like. 

🗣️ CHRIS DONOVAN

3-1 @PhilaUnionII pic.twitter.com/TvxxJdFBlu

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) May 21, 2023

But then, the game flipped on its head. After a dominant first 51 minutes from Union II, the Revs began to claw their way back into the match. The warning signs began when Revs II forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith scored a goal that was ruled offside in the 67th minute. Just seven minutes later, in the 74th minute, Revs II winger Damian Rivera cut his way through the Union II backline like a hot knife through butter before ripping a left-footed effort off the crossbar. 

The Revs finally got their spark a minute later, when Bajraktarevic embarked on a brilliant solo run that resulted in a tidy finish into the bottom right corner. His second goal of the day cut the Union II lead to 3-2. Game on.

Then, in the 82nd minute, Revs II forward Marcos Domingos Dias found a deflected pass just inside the box and smashed a right-footed effort into the top bin to level the match at 3-3. 

And despite a Donovan header that kissed the outside of the post in the 83rd minute, Union II’s demise felt inevitable. Things only got worse in the 86th minute, when a clumsy challenge from Union II midfielder Maike Villero resulted in his second booking of the day and a red card. Down a man and on the ropes, Union II were tasked with trying to hold on to a point in a game that felt like a win for nearly 70 minutes. 

Instead, in the first minute of added time, a Dias cross found the feet of Rivera, who played an inviting pass to Bajraktarevic, who smashed the ball into the bottom right corner to get his hat trick and put the game to bed. The match ended 4-3 in a crushing loss for Union II. 

However, the match showed signs of growth for the young Union II side. Playing a team that dismantled them just over a month ago, they looked like a squad with new life. 

There are always roadblocks to success, and this team will know that all too well after Sunday’s heartbreak. Perhaps Marlon LeBlanc can help his young men see the bigger picture as they try to continue building on their recent form in what will surely be another difficult match against Crown Legacy FC on Wednesday. 

GOALS/ASSISTS
NE – Esmir Bajraktarevic 10’
PHI – Chris Donovan (Rafanello) 17’
PHI – CJ Olney (Riasco) 24’
PHI – Chris Donovan (Rafanello) 51’
NE – Esmir Bajraktarevic (Rozhansky) 75’
NE – Marcos Dias 82’
NE – Esmir Bajraktarevic (Rivera) 90+1’

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
PHI – Maike Villero (caution) 40’
PHI – Francis Westfield (caution) 43’
PHI – Maike Villero (second caution, ejection) 86’

LINEUP
Philadelphia Union II: Holden Trent, Juan Castillo (Anton Sorenson 65’), Hugo Le Guennec (Carlos Rojas 66’), Daniel Krueger, Jeremy Rafanello, Christopher Olney (Stefan Stojanovic 65’ ), Maike Villero, Boubacar Diallo, Francis Westfield, José Riasco (Nelson Pierre 80’), Chris Donovan (Luke Martelli 87’).

Substitutes not used: Anthony Ramirez, Andrew Rick, Noe Uwimana, Luciano Sanchez

New England Revolution II: Jacob Jackson, Peyton Miller (Colby Quiñónes 66’), Pierre Cayet, Victor Souza, Santiago Suárez (Jacob Akanyirige 66’), Esmir Bajraktarevic, Joshua Bolma (Malcolm Fry 46’), Jake Rozhansky, Damián Rivera, Jordan Adebayo-Smith (Weverton 80’), Marcos Dias (Ben Awashie 90
+4’).

Substitutes not used: Italo, Brandonn Bueno, Nakye Greenidge-Duncan, Nico Campuzano