Back on top: Red Bull win a statement from the Union

After dropping two straight games, the Union came into Saturday night needing more than just a win. They needed a response.

In front of a packed crowd at Subaru Park, the Union put together a complete performance, beating the New York Red Bulls 2-0 to stop their losing streak and reclaim first place in the Eastern Conference.

“Tonight, we wanted to be a little bit more expressive in terms of who we are and what we are, show a bit of our signature and reignite a little bit of the all-out pressing phases,” head coach Bradley Carnell said in a post-game press conference. I think you saw that in abundance tonight, and I’m really proud of the boys with the application and the way they went about their business.” 

The Union looked sharper from the opening whistle. Indiana Vassilev opened the scoring in the 9th minute, rebounding a save off a corner from New York’s goalkeeper Carlos Coronel. 

The key to winning this game was maintaining constant pressure throughout. The Union won that battle, setting the tone for the rest of the match.

“When you have three big players, maybe they are not ‘athletic,’ but they’re really strong. If you press them, if you go hard on them, it’s tough for them,” Bruno Damiani said. “I think Tai [Baribo] and I did a really good job in the first half doing the pressure, but that was the key to getting the two goals early, and then we just tried to not concede any goals, and we won the game like that.” 

A significant contribution to this bounce back was the Union’s ability to move the ball quickly and cleanly. Last night, the Union showed that they are capable of making sharp passes, especially in transition. 

“We had to get a bit sharper this week in training,” Carnell said. “We emphasized a lot of those weak side connections because of a team that’s ball-oriented, connecting to the ball side and space on that little weak side spot. That total pocket of space works really well and fits Bruno in. We had a couple of those early on as well.”

The training seemed to have paid off in the 23rd minute, when a beautiful connection between Damiani, Tai Baribo, and Quinn Sullivan led to the second goal. Sullivan put in a nice through ball for Damiani, who tapped it past the keeper.

The Union shifted their focus to protecting the lead in the second half, and their defense delivered, allowing only one shot on goal from the Red Bulls and contributing many important stops. 

The Union defense was up against Eric Choupo-Moting and Emil Forsberg, two players who played in some of Europe’s top teams. Their experience wasn’t enough for the quality fight put up by Jakob Glesnes and Olwethu Makhanya.

“That’s what we are trained for every day,” Glesnes said. “So, to celebrate with Andre Blake and the rest of the team after the game for a clean sheet, that’s always fun, but that’s what we are playing for every day. 

After back-to-back losses had fans questioning the club’s momentum, Saturday’s win reminded everyone why the Union remain a top contender.

The Union will stay in Chester for their mid-week game on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. against bottom-of-the-table Montréal, hoping to maintain their place at the top of the Eastern Conference.