Philadelphia Union
Raining Goals: Philadelphia Union on wrong side of 10-goal thriller in Miami
Milan Iloski put the Philadelphia Union up by two goals in the first 10 minutes and had a hat trick by half time but the makeshift back line did not hold up in a two-goal loss in a 10-goal thriller with Inter Miami on a rainy Sunday night at Nu Stadium.
The Union were already going to head into the World Cup break in dead last place in the league but a result against Lionel Messi and company would’ve been a much needed momentum boost. What they got instead was a participation trophy in a match that featured the most first half goals (8) in MLS history and the second most goals in a game in league history (10). You’ll definitely never sing that.
With Olwethu Makhanya suspended and Japhet Sery Larsen still hurt, the Philadelphia Union knew they were going to have a tough task keeping Inter Miami off the board but they came out the way they needed to against Miami, putting them on the back heel and keeping the ball out of Messi’s feet. The early ascent was rewarded in the 4th minute with a great team goal from Iloski off a flick from Frankie Westfield. A penalty by goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair taking out Iloski in the box six minutes later led to an Iloski penalty kick and a 2-0 lead.
Messi, however, quickly reminded everyone he will soon be defending a World Cup title with Argentina, setting up Germán Berterame for a finish in the box in the 13th minute to make it 2-1. Westfield was again involved in a goal with a Union answer when he was set up in the box by Miami native Augustin Anello and uncorked a low shot that hit off the hand of St. Clair right into the path of Bruno Damiani. Needing a goal in the worst way, Damiani was able to calmly finish with his first of the season to re-establish the two-goal lead at 3-1.
Suarez brought the hosts back again when Ian Fray lofted a pass to him open near the six and the Uruguayan chested it down to his right foot and volleyed it past a diving Andre Blake. Berterame equalized three minutes later when a 50-50 ball at the top of the box that Messi and Cavan Sullivan both were attacking ended up at Berterame’s feet for a finish in front of Blake to make it 3-3.
Two minutes later Miami took their first lead when De Paul took a shot from the corner of the box after an advantage play on a foul on Messi and Suarez was there to finish at the back post off a Blake save. Nine minutes of stoppage time was plenty of time for additional chances on both ends of the field and it was in the fourth minute of stoppage time that a play more or less summarized the game. On one end of the field a shout for a handball on a flicked ball by Sullivan in the box off the arm of the defender followed by a Suarez goal called offside on the other end on De Paul. De Paul may have been onside on the play but it ultimately didn’t matter because referee Rosendo Mendoza went to the monitor to review the possible handball and awarded the penalty to the Union. Instead of a 5-3 deficit at halftime it was even at 4-4 when Iloski converted the penalty and completed his hat trick.
The hat trick was the 13th in club history but unfortunately the first to be scored in a losing effort after Miami found a pair of goals in an uneventful (by comparison) half. Messi taking himself out of the game in the 72nd minute preceded Suarez’s winner in the 81st minute, which was set up by a quick outlet throw by St. Clair into space that was helped along by Suarez to Mateo Silvetti who played the ball across the field to Berterame. Berterame’s hat trick attempt was blocked by Blake but unfortunately for the Union fell back to Berterame, who fed an onrushing Suarez for the finish of his hat trick instead.
The Union still had plenty of time – 9 minutes plus another 8 minutes of stoppage time – to find an equalizer but it was a De Paul goal in the third minute of stoppage following a poor clearance attempt from Jovan Lukic near midfield that sealed the match for the Loons and sent the Union back home to Chester with two months to try to figure out how to recover from a 15-match stretch where they have just 1 win and 7 points. Their decline from Supporters’ Shield winners to Wooden Spoon leaders has been so bleak that they now find themselves in a position where they could win all 19 of their remaining games and still finish with fewer points than they did last season.
What the break will do is give them time to get healthy and perhaps get some resolution around the Ernst Tanner saga, make a move or two in the summer window and regroup. As bad as it looks from the bottom they are still just 11 points out of a playoff spot with three home games right out of the gate from the break starting with New York Red Bulls on July 22.
