Union fall to New England in regular season finale

On a rainy night in Foxborough, the Philadelphia Union rounded out their regular season campaign against the New England Revolution with a 2-1 loss. While the performance was not appealing for a concerned Union faithful, the Boys in Blue retained the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference, giving them home-field advantage through the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

QUICK NOTABLES

• The Union lined up in their alternative 5-3-2 in the absence of Jose Martinez, who served his yellow card suspension in the season’s final match.
• Julian Carranza matches his goal count from last year in his final match of the season with an early goal for the U.
• New England answered quickly, drawing a handball in the box from defender Damion Lowe to level the match in the 25th
• Just before the half, Carles Gil sent a ball through to Gustavo Bou to grab his second goal of the match, giving the Revs a one-goal lead going into the half.
• Failing to grab any points and a win from the Columbus Crew drop the Union to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings, where they will face the New England Revolution again in the first round of the playoffs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Early pressure from New England put the Boys in Blue on their heels early, with a few critical blocks from the U backline and some shots sailing over the bar.
• The Union stuck to their roots in the 16th minute, sending a long ball over the top to the front two, and with a little miscommunication between New England’s back line, Julian Carranza found the back of the net for his 14th goal of the season.
• Gustavo Bou scored his 6th goal of the season from the spot, converting a penalty after a handball by Damion Lowe in Philadelphia’s 18.
• Bou struck again in the 41st, beating Blake on the near post to give New England the lead at halftime.
• The first 15 minutes of the second half saw much of the same from the Union, sticking with the back five and remaining offensively stagnant to try to hold home-field advantage through the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
• Leon Flach returned to the Union lineup in the 75th minute, replacing Jack McGlynn to match coach Jim Curtin’s more defensive second-half tactics.
• A late set piece for the Union saw Nate Harriel net a goal, but an offside call on Julian Carranza on the initial service prevented the Boys in Blue from leveling the match.
• A difficult result continues the winless struggles for the Union, who have not claimed all three points since October 4.

UP NEXT

• Bring on the MLS Cup Playoffs! With tonight’s result, the Philadelphia Union will face the Revs again in the first round. The U will have home-field advantage for the matchup, hosting games one and three within the series.

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