Philadelphia Union extend undefeated streak with a bit of help

There’s an old adage in sports that is frequently used after a bit of an ugly game, “a win is a win.” For the Philadelphia Union, that’s exactly how every fan should feel after their 1-0 victory over Charlotte FC.

It was an exceedingly frustrating mid-week affair at Subaru Park for the Boys in Navy Blue on Wednesday. This match was the definition of a grind, Charlotte was up to the test to push Philadelphia to their limits. Not much was there to really separate these two clubs currently sitting in playoff spots, with very few clear-cut chances for either side.

For Philadelphia, it was the same story once again. No, this isn’t some profound statement about something the club is weak at or a fatal flaw in the squad. No, it’s much worse than that. Tonight saw once again just how unlucky this Union squad has been all year, with two goals disallowed due to offside rulings. The first goal in particular by Mikael Uhre was incredibly close, even commentary thought it should have been allowed. Such is football though. Add in a Julian Carranza shot that pinged off the crossbar within the first minute, and this felt like one of those Union draws where they feel cheated out of the additional two points.

Sometimes though you’re better to be lucky than good.

An own goal in the 70th minute was what separated the two sides in this one. We all thought we saw a beautiful Kai Wagner assist, his first-time ball that found Daniel Gazdag at the back post was simply incredible. However, it does go into the record books as an own goal, a bit of good luck thrown towards the Union’s way tonight. It wasn’t an undeserved bit of luck though. Philadelphia had steadily been attacking the Charlotte end, looking threatening to score. They already had two near opportunities, now finally they got a good break.

Think of it less as a gift, and more a fortuitous result of a great team effort!

There have been a lot of great team efforts for the Union in recent weeks, Philadelphia’s league unbeaten streak now reaching eight games. Philadelphia has also won three in a row now, and currently sit third in the Eastern Conference. They are only a point behind Nashville, and are looking to build towards current league leaders FC Cincinnati.

As seems to be tradition for the club, the Union have simply been on fire since bouncing out of the other competitions, their focus squarely on league play. The new five at the back formation has done wonders for them. Glesnes and Elliott look back to their old form, and Damion Lowe looks like a fantastic addition already. The advanced wing-back positions have aided Wagner and Mbaizo as well moving forward. For a team that everyone said was famous for playing their style of football based on the diamond, the new look Union have regained their edge on the pitch.

The Union play on Saturday on the west coast against San Jose where they will once again look to get the job done and keep extending that streak!