An ugly win on the road in July is still a massive result

The Philadelphia Union got a little bit lucky and their best player was arguably a guy from Wyndmoor wearing a yellow jersey but the details of how they snapped their two-game losing streak and returned to the win column with a midweek win over Nashville SC are less important than the reality of the outcome.

“That ugly three points in the month of July does not get remembered at the end of the year at all,” head coach Jim Curtin said after the 2-0 win Wednesday night. “So a big night for us and a big three points to stop that two-game losing skid on the road.”

The Union were in the danger zone of their first three-game losing streak in six years when they rolled into GEODIS Park without Jose Martinez but thanks to dodgy defending and finishing for Nashville and favorable VAR calls they were able to get a pair of Daniel Gazdag penalty kicks and survive a game that got uglier as it wore on and ended with 14 minutes of stoppage time. Daniel Lovitz had a night to quickly forget against his hometown team, conceding both penalties and seeing the first of three red cards on the night.

In his final game before Andre Blake returns from Gold Cup duty, Joe Bendik bounced back with a solid performance to record his first clean sheet in an MLS game for the Union and second in all competitions this season. Though he didn’t record a save he was more decisive in his box and did well to come off his line and rush a wide open Teal Bunbury chance off a giveaway in the first half.

“Getting a clean sheet in this building guys is not easy, and that was a great job,” Curtin said.

Hany Mukhtar hit the crossbar on a chance in the second half and Sean Davis misfired on another good chance in the second half. Jakob Glesnes and Jack Elliott were sharp on the night and at their best when they needed to be while Jesus Bueno fulfilled his duty of El Brujo understudy admirably. Quinn Sullivan earned the start for Mikael Uhre and was close early to opening the scoring on a couple shots, including one that pinged off the left post.

“This group sticks together and we help each other out, which is important,” Curtin said. “(We got) big performances from a lot of guys tonight.”

The match was a six-point swing in the Eastern Conference standings with NYCFC back home on Saturday before we can all take a break from watching MLS for the Women’s World Cup (the Leagues Cup is also happening). The Union sit in fourth on 37 points with 12 matches to play.

Barring a successful appeal – Curtin wasn’t sure if they would appeal the red or not after the match – they’ll have one big absence from their lineup on Saturday with Julian Carranza serving a red card suspension but the return of Blake and Damion Lowe after Jamaica was knocked out of the Gold Cup on Wednesday by Mexico will be a welcome site for a team that is very much in the thick of another possible run to an MLS Cup final.