Union fall to Flamengo in the 2024 FC Series

After 57 days, the Philadelphia Union returned to play against Brazilian powerhouse Flamengo. The matchup was the first of five preseason games before facing Saprissa on February 22 in the Champions Cup.

The Union applied pressure to Flamengo directly off the opening whistle at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, creating multiple chances through Chris Donovan, Joaquin Torres, Quinn Sullivan, and Christopher Olney. As expected, the squad was heavily rotated, giving youngsters such as Jeremy Rafanello, Jamir Berdecio and Olwethu Makhanya opportunities to get minutes with the first team.

In the 12th minute, Flamengo’s Everton was taken down by Andre Blake for a penalty, which Pedro would then convert to give the opposing side an early lead. Later in the half, Everton caused problems again for the Boys in Blue, clinically curling a shot into the opposite corner of the net to double the lead for the Brazilian side.

The second half proved less eventful but had various substitutions for the Union. However, the scoreline remained the same in the end, and Flamengo took a 2-0 victory over the U.

While the stat sheet did not look promising for Philly, fans should keep their hands miles away from the panic button. The lineup brought forward a handful of new and (extremely) young faces for the Boys in Blue, most of whom will likely spend much of the 2024 season on the Union II.

The Union held their own the only way they knew how. Packing in defensively (with only a handful of defensive breakdowns with a mixed back four), reliance on goalkeeping (Blake did not play his best, but it was nice to see some quality minutes and stops from Holden Trent), and breaking quickly up the pitch (Joaquin Torres showed great promise. It will be interesting to see him work and gel with more first-team players in his battle for minutes).

Other important notes are the development of Quinn Sullivan, who continues to impress since becoming a weapon from the reserves toward the end of the 2023 season, and the absences of Jack McGlynn (international duty), Nate Harriel (international duty), Daniel Gazdag (green card), Julian Carranza (injury), Mikael Uhre (green card), and Tai Baribo (injury) from the lineup.

With a satisfactory defensive showing, the remainder of the preseason will fixate on offensive development, something that the return of the front three and their supporting cast should complement nicely.