Union stumble in return to MLS action, outclassed by Crew at home

The Philadelphia Union failed to score in their return to MLS play Wednesday night, falling 1-0 to the defending MLS Cup Champions, which marks a second consecutive defeat against the Crew following last week’s Leagues Cup loss.

Both clubs were strained, with two days rest following their Leagues Cup tilts Sunday. Crew Head Coach Wilfred Nancy decided to heavily rotate his squad which featured several changes and almost all of Columbus’ high-impact players on the bench. Big names like Darlington Nagbe, Diego Rossi, and Cucho Hernandez were not featured in Nancy’s starting lineup.

Union Head Coach Jim Curtin made a few changes as well in hopes of shaking off their disappointing finish in Leagues Cup action.

Daniel Gazdag started up top alongside Tai Baribo. Danley Jean Jaques, sporting just ‘Danley’ on the back of his number 21 jersey, earned his first MLS start. Nate Harriel was on in place of Olivier Mbaizo to start the match.

Unfortunately for Harriel, a non-contact injury to his lower back ended his shift early. Mbaizo came on as an early unplanned sub in the 22nd minute.

A slight change in formation was also at play with Curtin deciding to go with a 4-4-2 flat look instead of the typical diamond. And it was successful early on.

Philadelphia racked up five corner kick opportunities and a free kick in the offensive half in the first five minutes of the match. Harriel, Jack Elliott, and Danley missed headed chances.

Baribo, likely eager to continue his scoring ways fresh off becoming the top scorer in the 2024 Leagues Cup, came even closer to snagging the opening goal. His near post effort clanged off the post and was hastily cleared away by Columbus.

Baribo was not the only one to hit the woodwork early on. Quinn Sullivan, who looked dangerous at times in the first half along the right side of the pitch, ripped a shot from close range in the 38th minute. Crew keeper Patrick Schulte managed to get a fingertip on the effort which redirected it a bit high and it smashed off the crossbar.

At halftime, Philadelphia rang in at 1.8 on the expected goals chart compared to Columbus at just 0.4 despite forcing Andre Blake to make two saves during the half.

Philadelphia began the second half on the front foot thanks to Sullivan along with solid team pressing.

Sullivan went 1v2 along the right wing in the final third to force an early free kick chance. The chance ultimately ended with a close range effort from Baribo. But Schulte was up to the task once again standing tall to make the reaction save.

Columbus decided to make a trio of substitutions just pass the hour mark.

Rossi entered for Jason Russel Rowe. Yaw Yeboah replaced MLS debutant Andres Herrera. And Max Arsten spelled Dejaun Jones.

Yeboah wasted no time in making an impact. The winger from Ghana beat Mbaizo on a run into the box and made a diving effort on goal. Luckily, Blake was ready and denied the chance in the 64th minute.

Just four minutes later, Blake was needed once again. This time, the Jamaican denied Rossi after some tic-tac-toe passing from Columbus left Philadelphia’s backline in disarray.

Following the 70th minute hydration break, Nancy deployed Cucho and Nagbe as the final two subs. Aziel Jackson and Alexandru Matan exited.

Curtin swapped Mikael Uhre for Ale Bedoya and shifted formations back to the standard midfield diamond. Jack McGlynn entered for Danley after a seemingly steady first start for the newest Union midfielder.

Columbus finally broke Philadelphia down in the 75th minute thanks to Yeboah after some highly effective transition offense from Columbus. Crew’s subs made immediate impacts.

McGlynn almost snagged an equalizer in the 78th minute on a free kick chance. A hard hit shot from outside the box forced a save from Schulte.

But Philadelphia were not able to create much following that long range effort.

After failing to convert their chances early on, a sense of worry immediately began to creep in at the halftime whistle. Would those missed chances against a heavily rotated Columbus team ultimately come back to haunt them? The answer was yes, they sure would.

Following the departure of club legend Jose Martinez and a vital defensive depth piece in Damion Lowe, the Union were relying on a bounce-back win to start their late season playoff push. Instead, they ended the night without a point being blanked at home.

They now have just eight regular season matches left as they continue to tow the playoff line with  just 27 points and only 6 wins. As of now, they sit in 10th place, just outside the playoff picture. They’ll look to go again Saturday in north Jersey versus 4th place rivals New York Red Bulls.