Philadelphia Union
Two second half goals lift Union to win over Montreal
Two second half goals lifted the Philadelphia Union to another victory and into playoff position in the Eastern Conference on Saturday night.
The match against last place CF Montreal had a less than stellar beginning with the visitors finding the back of the net through striker Prince Owusu. The sellout crowd breathed a side of relief when the goal was taken off the board after video review due to an offside on Fabian Herbers.
While Owusu was the danger man for Montreal, two big chances for Union forward Bruno Damiani highlighted a frustrating first 45 for the Boys in Blue. The first came in the 13th minute off a Cavan Sullivan shot spilled right into Damiani’s path in front of goal by Montreal keeper Sebastian Breza. The second was just before the break when Frankie Westfield slipped a pass to Damiani in front of goal but the Uruguayan scuffed his shot wide. Owosu had a second chance to open the scoring for Montreal when he got free in the box on a corner but his header went over the bar.
The Union found their breakthrough at last in the 57th minute off a set piece from Kai Wagner that was headed by Nathan Harriel to Damiani before falling to Danley Jean Jacques in front of goal. The Haitian international’s first strike at the ball was deflected but like his goal off a Wagner free kick in the Bronx, his second crack at the ball was fruitful and his goal set off a lively celebration in the packed River End.
Owusu had yet another chance to put his team on the board with a penalty kick in the 64th minute after Neil Pierre was whistled for a push in the box on Hennadii Synchuk. The penalty was soft but Owusu’s attempt was even softer and right at Andre Blake, who barely had to move to make the easy save.
The penalty miss ignited the crowd and seemed to take the air of Montreal’s attack. Recent arrival Alexi Sanchez was mostly ineffective in his first start for Montreal but the introduction of fresh legs did little to put the Union’s clean sheet in danger.
Damiani, meanwhile, continued to redeem himself in the second half for his earlier missed opportunities. He was instrumental in the build-up to the second Union goal, playing Milan Iloski in with a clever flick in the 75th minute. Breza did well coming off his line to deny Iloski the chance but was unable to win possession of the ball and instead watched as Cavan Sullivan finished on the open net. It was Cavan’s third straight game with a goal and fourth in MLS play of the season.
A generous helping of stoppage time – 7 minutes – did little to add any unease to the proceedings. Even when Montreal was able to break lines the Union midfield did well to limit chances getting past midfield. Substitute Quinn Sullivan had a couple looks to try and add on to the lead and substitute Malik Jakupovic had a penalty shout but the final minutes were otherwise uneventful for a team that continues to ride the hot hand under interim head coach Ryan Richter, who has yet to lose a match and has dropped points just twice through 8 games since the World Cup break.
The Union have gone from 1 win in their first 15 matches to 6 wins in their last 8 and have climbed the standings all the way to 9th place in the Eastern Conference in the process. They’ll get a chance to continue that climb with FC Cincinnati coming to town on Wednesday evening.
