Sullivan shines, Stas strikes twice as Union advance in Champions Cup

The Philadelphia Union handled business in the second leg of their tie in the Concacaf Champions Cup against Defence Force, winning the second leg 7-0, good for an 12-0 aggregate victory.

Young star Cavan Sullivan was the focal point of the match, claiming his first goal for the Union and tallying four total goal contributions. First half goals from Geiner Martinez, Jovan Lukic, and Stas Korzeniowski were followed by goals from Sullivan and Ben Bender to secure the win for the Union.

The Union started out on the front foot, dominating possession for much of the first half. The Union started off the scoring in the 7th minute, earning a corner kick and playing it to Jovan Lukic at the edge of the box. Lukic took a shot that deflected to the right, and center back Geiner Martinez fired to the far post, finishing on his weaker left foot. On his first Union start, the young center back claimed his first Union goal.

Only minutes after the opener, Jeremy Rafanello was taken down in the box, and the referee awarded the Union a penalty. Jovan Lukic, making a return to the squad, took the penalty kick, which snuck past the goalkeeper to give the Union a two-goal lead.

Just two minutes after the penalty, the Union continued to apply pressure on Defence Force. Alejandro Bedoya picked up the ball on the right side, finding Cavan Sullivan in the half-space. Sullivan pulled off a back-heeled flick, which ran through straight into the path of Korzeniowski. The big striker powered a low shot into the bottom left corner, kissing the post and going in for his first Union goal. When the dust settled, the Union had a three-goal lead after only twelve
minutes, good for an 8-0 aggregate lead.

The Union shook up the lineup at halftime, bringing in the young Sal Olivas for Jovan Lukic and replacing Olwethu Makhanya with Ben Bender. Bender slotted in at left back, outside of his natural position but filling in where he was deployed in preseason. Olivas, typically a forward who plays on the shoulder, played as an attacking midfielder.

The Union started the second half the same way they began the first. Giovanny Sequera, who shifted to right back at halftime, played a hopeful cross into the box. After initially being dealt with by Defence Force, Alladoh picked up the loose ball and squared to Korzeniowski, who finished confidently for his second goal, increasing the lead to 4-0. The fifth came in the 53rd minute, when Alladoh was involved again. He picked up the ball with his back to goal finding
Sullivan at the edge of the box. Sullivan lofted a wide ball to Bender, who took it down excellently before finishing on his left foot.

With the match now far out of reach for Defence Force, the highly touted Malik Jakupovic made his Union debut in the 59th minute, replacing Korzeniowski.

Soon after, a long-awaited moment for many Union fans finally arrived. Ezekiel Alladoh pounced on another loose ball, and Cavan Sullivan picked it up and drove at the defense. After beating his defender, the young Sullivan took the ball around the goalkeeper before finishing the Union’s 6th goal of the night, and more importantly, Sullivan’s first ever senior goal. The stadium erupted in cheers as Sullivan celebrated in the corner. Sullivan added to his tally in the 88th minute, finishing a brilliant Union counterattack that was assisted by Olivas, good for Olivas’ first Union goal contribution. Sullivan ended the night with 2 goals and 2 assists.

Next, the Union advance to the Concacaf Champions Cup where they will face Club América in a two-legged tie from March 11-19. The Union faced América in the 2021 edition of the tournament, where they fell in the tournament semifinals by an aggregate scoreline of 4-0.

The Union are in action next for their MLS home opener on Sunday, March 1 at 4:30 p.m. where they will face New York City FC. The matchup will bring forward emotion for the Union team, who won the Supporters’ Shield against NYCFC at home last season before falling to the same NYCFC team weeks later in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Union Lineup
Rick; Mbaizo, Martinez, Makhanya, Sequera; Lukic, Rafanello, Sullivan, Bedoya; Alladoh, Korzeniowski

Subs: Blake, Marks, Harriel, Sery Larsen, Bender, Jean Jacques, Vassilev, Bueno, Iloski,
Damiani, Olivas, Jakupovic

Coach: Bradley Carnell

Defence Force FC Lineup
Isaiah Williams; Isaiah Garcia, Shirwin Noel, Jelani Felix; Russell Francois, Rivaldo Coryat,
Joshua Araujo-Wilson, Adriel George; Christian Bailey, Kathon St. Hillaire, Tyrese Bailey

Subs: Jabari St. Hillaire, Triston Hodge, Curtis Gonzales, Sheldon Bateau, Keston Julien, Jamali
Garcia, Philip Tinto, Justin Sadoo, Nicholas Dillon, Darius Ollivierra

Coach: Devorn Jorsling

Evan Konigsberg

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