Philadelphia Union ties FC Dallas in fourth-straight draw

The Philadelphia Union (14-8-9) drew FC Dallas (10-10-11) 1-1 at Subaru Park Wednesday night. The game was the Union’s fourth-straight tie and the MLS Cup Playoffs are now four matches away.

A goal apiece from Quinn Sullivan and Alan Velasco began the action in the first half, while Paul Arriola’s game-winner in the 83rd minute was pulled out of the net to allow the match to end in a tie.

Jim Curtin put out a lineup far from his best starting XI on the field against Dallas, with Julian Carranza, Jose Martinez, Jakob Glesnes and Leon Flach all absent from the lineup due to injury.

Philadelphia had the first solid chance of the night, as Alejandro Bedoya nearly put his shot past Martin Paes in the 17th minute with a backheel flick toward the right side of the net, though Paes was able to maintain his shutout early on.

Sullivan and Kai Wagner kicked off the scoring for the night in the 25th minute, as Wagner’s well-placed ball to Sullivan allowed the homegrown to slot his shot past Paes perfectly into the back of the net to give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead. Andre Blake earned a secondary assist on the goal, making him the first goalkeeper in Union history to record an assist in a regular season match.

After the goal, the Philadelphia home crowd began chanting for Union owner Jay Sugarman to give Wagner a new contract, with Wagner due to leave the club at the end of the season after he and the club have been unable to renegotiate a new contract.

FC Dallas brought the score back to even in the 36th minute, as Velasco received a poorly cleared ball five yards outside the penalty area. Velasco’s well-struck half-volley soared into the side netting of Blake’s goal as Velasco made the score 1-1, which would stand through the end of the first half.

Bedoya began the action in the second half with a powerful header in the 56th minute that challenged Paes, who deflected the shot over the net. Mikael Uhre followed suit with his shot in the 66th minute, as his shot was tipped wide of the net.

However, it was Dallas who took put the ball in the back of the net first. Paul Arriola scored for the visitors in the 83rd minute, as his first shot was blocked by Wagner, but the ball landed at Arriola’s feet before he swung it into the goal, though the score was called call for a handball against Arriola.

Despite seven minutes of stoppage time, neither side was able to find a goal to take a win home.

While Philadelphia had its moments througout the game, goalscorer Quinn Sullivan stood out. He remained calm under pressure to give the Union an early lead, and it paid off for his second goal in three games.

Philadelphia returns to action at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, September 30, as it takes on Columbus Crew SC on the road. The game will be broadcast on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.