Fourth time not the charm: Union II suffer wild, season-ending defeat to Revs II

Union II made the trip to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts tasked with something they had failed to do all year: beat New England Revolution II. In their three previous matchups with Revs II, Union II lost by an aggregate score of 12-4. To make matters worse, in the MLS NEXT Pro playoff format, the higher seed has the opportunity to choose their matchup for their first round match, and the Revs decided to choose Philly. In the words of Future, they wanted “all da’ smoke.” 

And early on in the MLS Next Pro Eastern Conference first round playoff match, it looked like the Revs made the right choice. Just 25 minutes into the processions, Revs II winger Joshua Bolma got onto the end of a long ball and was taken down in the penalty area by Union II’s Francis Westfield for a penalty kick. Revs midfielder Marcos Dias stepped up to the spot and buried the penalty to put Revs II ahead 1-0. 

For the remainder of the first half, Union II were on their heels. Unable to sustain any kind of possession, they were forced to live off of rare counter attacks. In the 34th minute, the Revs came close to breaking the game open. Bolma found a bit of space on the edge of the penalty area and slid a ball across the face of the goal right into the path of forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith, who was face to face with an open net after Union II goalkeeper Andrew Rick went flying by trying to snuff out the pass, but Adebayo-Smith somehow scuffed the effort. And while Union II were able to find a bit of success with their high press from forwards Chris Donovan and Jeremy Rafanello, they were unable to muster much of any chances at all, and they went into the half probably feeling lucky to only be down 1-0. 

To start the second half, it was the Esmir Bajraktarevic show for Revs II. The 18-year-old began his reign of terror with a brilliant curling effort that he caressed around Rick and into the back of the net to extend the Revs lead to 2-0. And for those of you that have been watching Union II all season, you’ll know that Bajraktarevic has a tendency to terrorize Union II. The goal was his fifth against Philadelphia this season. But that wasn’t all. Just nine minutes later, Bajraktarevic stepped over a free kick and smashed a low effort through the wall and into the back of the net to get his brace and extend the Revs lead to a commanding 3-0. Had he not been substituted from the match just moments after his second goal, who knows what kind of night he would have had. 

However, while everyone watched Bajraktarevic stroll off the field to scarce claps from the nearly empty Gillette Stadium, two Union II substitutes who would later have their own magical moments entered the match. In the 67th minute, Juan Castillo and Boubacar Diallo came on for David Vazquez and Hugo Le Guennec, respectively. And after just 11 minutes on the pitch, Juan Castillo found himself alone at the top of the box with the ball at his feet after a Revs defender misplayed a clearance directly into his path. Castillo calmly collected the ball, picked his head up and passed the ball into the back of the net with his left leg to cut the Revs lead to 3-1. 

Then, just four minutes later, Boubacar Diallo picked up the ball in midfield and decided to slice and dice his way through the entire Revs squad, cutting his way past every defender in his path, before getting taken down in the box for a Union II penalty. And, as he should, he stepped up to take the penalty and coolly slotted the ball into the side netting to bring the match to 3-2. Game on.

What ensued after Diallo’s goal was pure, unadulterated MLS Next Pro chaos. 

The match completely opened up, and both sides began trading blows on the counter, trying to solidify their place in the next round. After thwarting a pair of New England chances, Union II felt like they found their way to another penalty when Diallo found himself in the box again and after cutting onto his right foot, a Revs defender appeared to sweep Diallo’s leg and take him down in the area. However, the match official disagreed, and the Union II were denied a lifeline. But before anyone could consider the penalty shout (or catch their breath), the Revs went straight down to the other end on a counter and Malcolm Fry found himself in a one vs. one situation with Andrew Rick, who saved Fry’s effort on goal. 

In the end, the comeback fell just short. Despite masterclass substitute performances and late-game heroics, when the referee’s whistle blew for full time, Union II had fallen to New England Revolution II again. This time, by a score of 3-2. 

And so, another Union II season comes to an end. But before we close the curtain on the 2023 edition of Union II, we have to acknowledge the journey that Marlon LeBlanc’s team went on from March until now. A team that lost their first three matches of the season by wide margins and looked to be in freefall turned their season around, made the postseason and gave the number two seed everything they could handle on the road. And, in the end, it was a fitting way for this season to end: passion, fight and heart in the face of adversity. That’s what LeBlanc instilled in his players, and that’s what they gave supporters tonight. The “Baby Snakes” have nothing to be ashamed of, and supporters should be excited to see these young players continue to grow under LeBlanc and cement themselves in Philadelphia soccer lore.