Union II put in dominant, disciplined performance in win over NYCFC II

Union II came into their Friday evening matchup with NYCFC II on a bit of a tear. Having won four out of their last five matches in MLS Next Pro, the young lads from Chester entered the match buzzing. 

And from the opening kickoff, they set the tone. The midfield of CJ Olney, David Vazquez, Carlos Rojas and Stefan Stojanovic were brilliant right from the start. Their energy and calm distribution in the center of the park were a calming presence for the side. Perhaps the key facet of that midfield force was Rojas, who actually came to Union II as a center back, but has since transitioned to a holding midfielder and excelled. Positioned in the back of the Union II midfield, he played the pacemaker and put in crunching tackles when necessary. 

Another man reinvented and thriving in his new role for Union II is Stojanovic. Coming off goals in back to back matches against Columbus Crew II and New York Red Bulls II, the 22 year-old who had often been positioned as a target forward has played a lot of minutes in the midfield of late and found a great deal of success. Tonight was no aberration. He was brilliant, picking out beautiful, incisive passes and even getting an assist on Union II’s first goal scored by the Man of the Match, right back Francis Westfield (his first for Union II). 

Vazquez also had an outstanding performance in the middle of the park, often connecting with forward Jeremy Rafanello, who was finding a lot of joy dropping into half spaces between the midfield and the frontline. Vazquez and Rafanello posed a constant threat to the NYCFC II backline, and sprung most of the counter attacks that gave Union II the bulk of their chances. And in the 59th minute, Vazquez snuck into the penalty area and decided to etch his name into the scoresheet with a ripped shot into the back of the net following a cutback pass from Rafanello. The goal was Union II’s second of the night and proved to be the security blanket they needed.

However, the midfield wasn’t the only star of the show on the night. In true Philadelphia footy fashion, the Union II backline proved to be absolutely impenetrable. Juan Castillo, Hugo Le Guennec, Daniel Krueger, Westfield and goalkeeper Andrew Rick were stalwarts. And Westfield proved to be the showstopper. In addition to his opening goal, he led the match with 13 duels won and even had a goal-saving clearance in the second half. He was everywhere and solidified what was an overall outstanding performance from Union II. 

The 2-0 win catapulted Union II to their third straight victory. Now, Marlon Le Blanc’s lads will look to continue their postseason push in their next match on August 13 at home against FC Cincinnati II. 

GOALS/ASSISTS
PHI – Francis Westfield (Stojanovic) 43’
PHI – David Vazquez (Rafanello) 59’

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
PHI – Carlos Rojas (caution) 13’
PHI – C.J. Olney (caution) 66’
PHI – Nelson Pierre (caution) 79’
NYC – Jack Beer (caution) 89’

LINEUP
Philadelphia Union II: Andrew Rick, Juan Castillo, Hugo Le Guennec, Daniel Krueger, Francis Westfield, Carlos Rojas (Alex Perez 88’), C.J. Olney (Kyle Tucker 70’), Jeremy Rafanello (Luciano Sanchez 72’), David Vazquez (Boubacar Diallo 72’), Chris Donovan (Nelson Pierre 46’), Stefan Stojanovic.

Substitutes not used: Gavin Atkinson, Anton Sorenson, Nathan Nkanji, Edward Davis.

New York City FC II: Alex Rando, Christian McFarlane (Brian Flores 90’), Alexander Hauschild, Rio Hope-Gund, Andrew Baiera (Ronald Areválo 79’), Stevo Bednarsky (Jonathan Shore 90’), John Denis, Piero Elias (Máximo Carrizo 70’), Jack Beer, Jonathan Jiménez, Matt Myers.

Substitutes not used: Kofi Hope-Gund,, Julián Gómez,, Klevis Hazhari, Jonny Lopez, Jacob Arroyave.