Philadelphia Union
Union defeat Necaxa in Carranza’s return
The Philadelphia Union defeated Julian Carranza’s Necaxa 3-1 on Sunday night, rebounding from a loss in their Leagues Cup opener.
Early goals from Nate Harriel and Bruno Damiani set the tone before Cavan Sullivan’s second half strike to extend the lead to three. Necaxa scored a consolation via Matías Espíndola, but the Union saw the match out from there.
Both the Union and Necaxa entered the night with little to play for. Since both teams lost their
Leagues Cup opener, qualification for the next phase of the tournament was a longshot. Still, the match was an opportunity for Ryan Richter to tinker with his lineup, and for fans to see the
return of former Union striker Julian Carranza. After an up-and-down stint in Europe with
Feyenoord and Leicester City, Carranza returned to North America last year with Necaxa of Liga MX. After a year-long battle with compartment syndrome, Carranza returned to the field to start Necaxa’s season in July, scoring three times in three matches to start the season.
After conceding early against Cruz Azul, the Union came flying out of the gates on Sunday,
scoring in the first three minutes via a quick transition through the midfield. Indiana Vassilev
found Cavan Sullivan up the field, who drove at his defender. Sullivan laid the ball off to Nate
Harriel on the overlap, who fired a first-time shot into the bottom left corner to give the Union a
1-0 lead. Necaxa goalkeeper Luis Jiménez may have been able to do better, but it was a precise
effort from a tight angle for Harriel’s second of the season.
The Union doubled the lead only minutes later. The goal started with Jovan Lukic, who played a
long through ball down the right that sat up perfectly for Harriel. The Union’s right back crossed with his first touch, a perfect ball that found Bruno Damiani at the back post for the finish. Damiani’s fourth of the season doubled the Union’s lead, but Harriel, while wearing the captain’s armband, provided the energy and quality that the Union needed to get going. The Union took their two-goal lead into the halftime break.
The Union continued the second half the way they started the first, scoring within the first ten
minutes of the half again. This time, it was Cavan Sullivan who got on the scoresheet. Indiana
Vassilev chipped a cross to the back post that Sullivan controlled before firing in for his second
goal contribution of the day, giving the Union a 3-0 lead. Necaxa scored a consolation in the 79th minute when a long ball by Carlos Vargas went over the heads of Neil Pierre and Japhet Sery Larsen. Matías Espíndola latched on to it, firing a powerful strike past Andrew Rick to make the score 3-1.
The Union will play their final Leagues Cup match on Thursday at Subaru Park against Santos
Laguna. With 3 points from 2 matches, their chances of qualification for the next round are minimal, but as it stands, a decisive win could potentially be enough for the Union to advance if
other results go their way.
Union Lineup
Andrew Rick; Kai Wagner, Japhet Sery Larsen, Neil Pierre, Nate Harriel; Jovan Lukic, Danley
Jean Jacques, Indiana Vassilev, Cavan Sullivan; Bruno Damiani, Ezekiel Alladoh
Substitutes
Geiner Martinez, Jesus Bueno, Milan Iloski, Alejandro Bedoya, Jeremy Rafanello, Ben Bender,
Andre Blake, Agustin Anello, George Marks, Quinn Sullivan, Frankie Westfield, Malik
Jakupovic
Necaxa Lineup
Luis Jiménez; Raúl Martinez, Alexis Peña, Francisco Méndez; Miguel Rodríguez, Pedro
Pedraza, Danny Leyva, Carlos Vargas; Matías Espíndola, Javier Ruíz, Julián Carranza
Substitutes
Christopher Andrade, Emilio Martinez, Agustín Oliveros, Kaiky Marques, Lorenzo Faravelli,
Juan Torres, Owen González, Rogelio Cortéz, Ricardo Monreal, Juan Valencia, Javier Orantes,
Omar Dominguez
