Union return home with convincing win over Red Bulls at Subaru Park

The Philadelphia Union returned to Subaru Park after a fragmented few weeks filled with delays, and road matches and a game cancellation.

They were welcomed home by an energetic crowd eager to enjoy a warm summer night.

That energy sparked an early surge from the Union that stayed relentless throughout the first half. Indiana Vassilev opened the scoring in the 9th minute, tapping home a corner whipped in by Kai Wagner. The ball came in with tremendous pace and curl, forcing panic at the back. Vassilev was the first to react to the loose ball, giving the Union an early lead.

Thanks to the tireless work through the spine of the team, the Union were able to smother the New York Red Bulls. That domination through the middle led to Philly’s second goal. It came off a restart that the Red Bulls were slow to react to. Their sluggish effort to reposition themselves was punished by a quick combination between Quinn Sullivan and Bruno Damiani. The Union’s record signing peeled off the shoulder of the nearest defender and calmly slotted it past former Union keeper Carlos Coronel.

The first half was completely one-sided. Danely, Lukic, Baribo,  and Damiani formed a box in the heart of the pitch that made it treacherous for the Red Bulls to play through. They were either forced to cram the ball down the middle or play it wide. When they did go wide, the work rate from Sullivan and Vassilev made life even harder.

The second half started off differently. The Red Bulls began to bypass the Union press with ease, and that spark from the first half faded. Still, the defense stayed organized and gave almost nothing away. The slower tempo continued until the 73rd minute, when Philly turned to their bench. Damiani’s hold-up play was swapped for the pace of Sal Olivas, and the right side of the field was locked down with the return of Frankie Westfield.

Olivas made an instant impact and gave the Red Bulls center backs real problems. The bruising style of Baribo and Damiani had worn them down, and Olivas took full advantage.

He got his best chance in the 89th minute when substitute Alejandro Bedoya poked a loose ball through on goal. Olivas found himself one-on-one with Coronel but couldn’t convert what would’ve been the Union’s third of the night.

Philly’s dominant display was backed up by the stat sheet. They finished with 2.38 xG and missed multiple big chances, while the Red Bulls didn’t register a single one. Union’s tight defense held NYRB to just one shot on target. A common theme under former coach, Jim Curtin, that has continued under Bradley Carnell, is the ability to win games without always being sharp in possession. That showed again tonight. Despite just 74 percent pass accuracy, Philly carved out a ton of chances and were rewarded with 2 goals.

In their next match, the Union will look to keep their momentum rolling against bottom-of-the-table CF Montréal. Their last meeting was a grind, with Philly only pulling off a 2-1 win late. Dante Sealy and Prince Owusu caused problems in that match and will need to be closely watched this time around. With another match at Subaru Park, it is likely that the Union will handle business, but nothing is ever guaranteed.