Philadelphia Union
Cavan and Frankie shine in mid-season scrimmage against Houston Dynamo
The Philadelphia Union faced off against Houston Dynamo on Saturday morning in a friendly exclusive to season ticket holders and media. The match ended 2-2, with Union goals coming from Cavan Sullivan and Frankie Westfield.
A decent crowd gathered at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex for the match. After a strange and disappointing first half of the season, Saturday’s scrimmage was the first look at the next chapter for the Union. During the extended MLS break for the World Cup, the Union moved on from Head Coach Bradley Carnell.
The friendly against Houston presented fans with their first look at the team under Interim Head Coach Ryan Richter. The team also welcomed Neil Pierre back into the starting lineup after a loan spell at Lyngby. Quinn Sullivan was training off to the side on a
field next to the match. Working on his torn ACL recovery, Sullivan is making progress but is not quite ready for game action. Jesús Bueno made his full return from injury, and was included in the starting lineup.
The Union started the match on the front foot, controlling the flow of the match throughout the first half. There were no major tactical changes from Richter, who set up his team in the same 4-2-2-2 formation the Union used under Carnell. The Union found success down the right side, creating multiple early chances through Cavan Sullivan and Frankie Westfield. Sullivan opened the scoring in the 17 th minute, cutting inside on his left foot and firing a low shot from 25 yards past Dynamo goalkeeper Jonathan Bond to give the Union a 1-0 lead.
The Union doubled the lead minutes later. In the 30 th minute, Neil Pierre lofted a through ball over the top to Frankie Westfield, who lobbed Bond for a brilliant second goal. Sullivan had another chance from a Milan Iloski pass in the 40th minute, but was denied by a great save from Bond. The Union went into halftime up 2-0.
After a successful first half from the Union’s starters, Richter rotated most of the team out for the second half. The rotated second shift included Geiner Martinez, Philippe Ndinga, Eddy Davis, and Malik Jakupovic. Houston removed most of their starters at the half as well.
Houston got a goal back in the 55 th minute. Ibrahim Aliyu received the ball in space down the left before beating Martinez on the dribble. After getting to the end line, he squared the ball back to 15-year-old Matthew Arana, who tapped into the gaping net to half the deficit. George Marks kept the Union ahead in the second half, saving a one-on-one attempt from Ezequiel Ponce with his face. Marks was briefly evaluated, but was okay to continue.
Two minutes into second half stoppage time, the Dynamo were awarded a corner kick. Hector Herrera crossed low into the box, and Ponce latched on to it, turning the ball off the post and in to level the score at 2-2. The referee blew the whistle for full time, and the match ended as a draw.
While the Union start to ramp up training after the World Cup break, they are still quite far away from MLS action. The Union return to Subaru Park on July 22 at home against New York Red Bulls. Currently 11 points off a playoff spot, the Union have 19 matches remaining to get their season back on track.
Union Starting XI [4-2-2-2]:
Andre Blake; Frankie Westfield, Neil Pierre, Japhet Sery Larsen, Nathan Harriel; Jovan Lukic, Jesús Bueno; Indiana Vassilev, Cavan Sullivan; Bruno Damiani, Milan Iloski
Subs:
George Marks (45’); Geiner Martinez (45’), Philippe Ndinga (45’), Ben Bender (45’), Eddy Davis (45’), Malik Jakupovic (45’), Giovanny Sequera (64’), Rafael Uzcátegui (64’), Ezekiel Alladoh (64’), Kellan LeBlanc (64’), Jordan Griffin (64’)
Houston Dynamo Starting XI [4-5-1]:
Jonathan Bond; Duane Holmes, Antonio Carlos, Lucas Halter, Lawrence Ennali; Jack McGlynn, Artur, Guilherme, Agustín Bouzat, Mateusz Bogusz; Ondrej Lingr
Subs:
Agustin Resch (30’), Jimmy Maurer (45’), Felipe Andrade (45’), Erik Sviatchenko (45’), Franco Negri (45’), Ibrahim Aliyu (45’), Hector Herrera (45’), Diadié Samassékou (45’), Matthew Arana (45’), Sebastiao Nzita (45’), Ezequiel Ponce (45’), Sam Vines (74’), Exon Arzú (74’)
