Portland Timbers v Philadelphia Union (3-1): Second Half Comeback Earns Timbers a Deserved Three Points

Team News & Setup
     Similar to last season, manager John Spencer played his 4-4-2. Portland brought in Kris Boyd as a designated player to pair better with the style of Spencer than Kenny Cooper, who preferred to drift wide and play on the ground. Boyd arrives as the SPL’s all-time leading scorer. Diego Chara and Jack Jewsbury are the two engines in the center. In defense, the rookie from Uconn Andrew Jean-Baptiste started in the center alongside Brunner. Futty Danso, a 2011 mainstay and new signing Hanyer Mosquera were out with injury and a lack of a transfer certificate respectively. Palmer and Wallace, both attack minded fullbacks rounded out the back four.
     After coming over from a trade from Dallas, Eric Alexander started in left midfield and Alhassan started on the right. Up top Boyd started alongside Perlaza, a small quick forward who had decent success in 2011.
     Philadelphia was one of the surprises of 2011, advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals. However, they lost two experienced players Veljko Paunovic and Faryd Mondragon back to their home countries. Also, they shipped out their best attacking threat in Sebastian LeToux. According to ESPN, the Union only have four players over the age of 27. To fill in for LeToux, Freddy Adu and Danny Mwanga will have to up their level of play. Goalkeeper Zac MacMath is a budding young star. The Union were able to sign 26 year old Costa Rican left back Porfirio Lopez to pair alongside reliable defenders Califf, Valdes and Williams. In midfield, Phily started veteran Brian Caroll alongside newcomer Garbiel Gomez in the center, with Freddy Adu and Michael Farfan out wide. Gomez is 27 and played for Panama at the 2011 Gold Cup and came from the second division in Mexico.
     The Union paired two newcomers up top. Lionard Pajoy, a 30 year old from the Colombian league and 21 year old Josué Martinez from Saprissa and also a Costa Rican international. Pajoy scored 13 goals in 27 games last season. Union head scout Diego Gutierrez said “He’s a very physical player. He’s a guy that’s 6-1, a wide body, and a guy that’s got a lot of speed. He’s not your typical target player, though he does play with his back to the goal quite well. He also has a lot of skill on the ball, so he’s able to do a lot of things” (philadelphiaunion.com). Kenneth Hernández, soccer writer for Costa Rican daily Al Día, describes Martinez, “He’s a fast player. His main problem area is that he makes mistakes in converting. He misses chances and the [Saprissa] fans have not been so kind with him. It has cost him to establish himself as a consistent player” (mlssoccer.com).

First Half
     The opening minutes were cagey and defensive in the wet and noisy Jeld-Wen Field. In the ninth minute, Eric Alexander cut in from the left onto his right foot and had a curling shot blocked by MacMath that almost slid into the bottom corner. One minute later, Perlaza had a penalty shout after being brought down by Califf and then Perlaza had space on a counter down the left but misplaced his squared pass to Alhassan.
     Twenty one minutes in, Boyd nearly opened his account after a dummy and a return header from Perlaza but MacMath was off his line quickly. The Union countered down the right with Adu and Martinez but Adu’s chipped ball could not be found by Pajoy.
     Portland controlled possession early. The home field advantage provided by the Timbers Army and also by the Union being unaccustomed to playing on the smallest MLS pitch. Philadelphia struggled to control possession; often misplacing passes or playing long balls that skipped away on the slick turf. Adu was most involved when he tucked inside from the right and Martinez drifted wide.
     The Timbers were most effective when they switched play from touchline to touchline and allowed Wallace and Palmer to get forward and overlap. The strikers for both side, Pajoy, Martinez and Boyd were starved for service.

Second Half
     The match came to life after an offensively challenged first half. Portland came out with ambition. Alexander played a dangerous cross that was met by Alhassan but was headed off the line by Valdes. The Union struck first from a free kick in the 51st minute. Gomez drove the ball into the back post that was touched by Jean-Baptiste and landed in the corner.
     The Timbers rallied immediately after going behind. MacMath did well to punch away a cross but in the 54th minute he fumbled a Jean-Baptiste header from a free kick into the back of the net. Three minutes later, Wallace got forward and played a ground cross that was saved by MacMath as well as the rebound by Perlaza. Portland slightly adjusted tactics and resorted to playing long balls to the head of Boyd and did a better job of finding the fullbacks to get crosses in. Jewsbury was the engine that got the ball out wide early, when they had the most space.
     Sixty-five minutes in, Jewsbury sprayed a pass wide right to Alhassan. He cut back to his left and swung the ball into the near post for Boyd to flick onto the back post. Califf was a half-step slow to react to Boyd’s run and he paid for it. Timbers supporters hope that Kris Boyd will be a lethal finisher inside the box, an element missing from their side last season. Eight minutes later, Boyd got free off a corner kick and forced Adu to clear his header off the line.
     In the seventy sixth minute, Jewsbury played a set piece short to Alhassan who beat two Union defenders on the right side and chipped a cross into the back post that landed in the backside corner to seal the three points.
     Of the substitutes, Mwanga engaged in physical battles with Jean-Baptiste and the rookie did well to hold his ground. Other than that, Mwanga was hardly involved. Darlington Nagbe came on for Alexander and was aggressively pushing for a fourth goal, which looked more likely than a Union second.
Conclusion
     It was no surprise that the Timbers scored from a set piece. Last season Jewsbury was one of the best in the MLS at providing dangerous free kicks and corners. Boyd will continue to flourish if Portland maintains its style of getting the ball wide to cross. However, Perlaza was lost at times and would prefer a ball behind the defense to use his pace. It is early days, but the partnership looks promising.
     The Union have new players in key areas; central midfield, goalkeeper and striker and will have to gel quickly if they are to make the playoffs this season. The away side seemed to rattle after Portland was able to equalize quickly.

     The match was entertaining but not tactically fascinating. However, join the discussion by tweeting us @kpngacleansheet or on Facebook at Keeping a Clean Sheet. Also, feel free to leave a comment. We will be writing about MLS all season.

Crew Hold Off 2nd Place Philadelphia at Home 2-1

Philadelphia Setup:

     The Union set up in their accustomed 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield. Miglioranzi played in the holding midfield spot with Carroll out injured. Daniel played wide left and Mapp played wide right. Paunovic played in the center behind the two strikers. Le Toux and Mwanga were the two strikers. Le Toux enjoyed his usual freedom to roam and played a little behind Mwanga in order to do so. Because of this freedom he could be found on either wing, and when he did this Paunovic moved further up the field to partner with Mwanga and the wings would move more into the middle so that they could keep their attacking shape. Williams played at right back and Farfan played left back. Califf and Valdes partnered as the two center backs.

Columbus Setup:

     The Crew set up in a different formation as they partnered Mendoza and Renteria up top, which they had stated pre-season that this was their intention but they had been unable to do so as both have battled injuries all season. Mendoza played behind Renteria some and did a pretty good job distributing the ball wide, especially to Rodgers, whose cross to Renteria set up the Crew’s first goal. Rodgers played out wide to the left and the rookie Meram played out wide to he right. Burns and Ekpo partnered in the central midfield in front of the back four, and Ekpo was given more freedom than Burns to push up the field. James and Marshall were solid at center back, and may be the best tandem in the entire league. Miranda played right back and Gardener played left back. Both got up the field frequently to provide service.

Thoughts On The Match:

      It was surprising that Adu did not start for the Union, especially after starting last week just days after his transfer was completed. With that being said, Philadelphia should be happy with their performance Saturday night, as they appeared to be the more dangerous team and were unlucky not to win the game. They created many more scoring chances than Columbus, and if not for some excellent saves by Hesmer they may have had a few more goals. They created many dangerous crosses down the wings from Mapp and Daniel, and Daniel is much more effective in his new position than he was at left back, were he played some earlier this season. Paunovic was very involved in the match and played one of his best games of the season, and was the best Union player on the field. He troubled the Crews’ Burns especially all night. He distributed many dangerous passes to his teammates, scored a goal, and had a few more shots, one of which he should’ve scored towards the end of the match that would have given the Union the tie. When Nowak finds a way to get Adu into the side, Philadelphia will be very dangerous come playoff time.

      Columbus, even though they were outplayed, showed why they are in first place, Defense. The Columbus back four and goalkeeper are among the best in the league. James and Marshall partner very effectively with one another and continue to pile up good performances game after game. It was obvious that the Crew miss Gaven’s presence in the lineup as they lacked the dangerous passes and runs that he provides. Rodgers continues to impress and was very dangerous for the Crew all evening, creating both of their goals. It was interesting to see Mendoza and Renteria partnered up top, with Mendoza sitting a little deeper. Even though Mendoza made some nice passes, he looked out of position and the Crew would have been better off had they let him play all the way up top with Renteria and moved Ekpo up to play behind the two strikers, forming a diamond midfield. It would have given them a more attacking edge that they lacked Saturday night.

Conclusion:

     The Union should feel good about their performance, as they are still in second place and are not at full strength as they are still trying to integrate Adu into their team. It looks as though Nowak will look to play Adu wide, as that is where he finished lat weeks match and that is where he played vs. Columbus on Saturday after being substituted in. I would look for him to replace Daniel and witch sides with Mapp so he can play wide right, in a similar position to the where he played for the USA in the Gold Cup final against Mexico in Bob Bradley’s 4-4-2. Union fans should be feeling good with the team that they have, as they will be the favorite to come out of the East.

      The Crew have to feel good to get the three points and increase their lead to 6 points over the Union. They tried a new look up top with Mendoza and Renteria, and they may tinker with it as they get more games together under their belt. As Gaven returns they will be even more dangerous, and with their stalwart back line, they could make a run in the playoffs if they can find goals as they did Saturday.  

Thoughts on the match? The Crew in 1st place? Freddy Adu's best position?

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Philadelphia Union v FC Dallas (2-2) - Dallas Throws Away Two Points in Adu’s Debut

Union formation after 22nd minute

Philadelphia's Strategy
    Peter Nowak gave Freddy Adu the start even though he had only been with the club for one training session. The Union started out in a 4-4-1-1 with Adu as the playmaker. In midfield was LeToux, Paunovic, Carroll and Mapp, while McInerney began as the lone striker.
    However, Nowak scrapped this formation a mere twenty minutes into the match. After having a word with Adu five minutes earlier, Nowak called his players to the touchline when a Dallas player was down. He switched his sides shape to a 4-4-2, with LeToux and McInerney up top and Adu and Mapp on the wings.

Dallas Strategy
    Schellas Hyndman tweeked his tactics, changing from a 4-5-1 to a 4-2-3-1. Villar played in front of Hernandez and Guarda and had the freedom to move from touchline to touchline to try and interchange with Shea and Chavez and to support Maicon Santos. The movement from Villar and Santos kept the center backs concerned with the middle of the pitch. This isolated the fullbacks on Shea and Chavez, and the two wingers gave them fits all night.

     For large stretches of the match, Dallas passed the ball around swiftly and with great precision. This kept the Union on their heels and Dallas had room to switch the ball across the pitch to Shea or Chavez. When they lost the ball, Dallas pressured the first Union player who had possession. This pressure bothered the Union and prevented them from settling into the match.

Gaffe Gifts Dallas Lead
    Dallas threw a seemingly harmless ball long from the right side that looked to be an easy one for Carlos Valdes to clear in the 16th minute. Inexplicably, the Colombian center back hesitated and then whiffed on his clearance attempt. The ball was collected by a hard charging Maicon Santos who floated it over Mondragon and into the back of the net. After such a strong start to the season, Valdes has hit a rough patch of form recently, having a similar howler against Colorado.
    Dallas was in control of the run of play throughout the first half and looked comfortable up a goal. However, Ugo Ihemelu was in a gift giving mood and presented the Union a penalty in the 33rd minute. McInerney chipped a ball down the right touchline perfectly for Mapp who had room to run into the box. Ihemelu was able to recover though and close Mapp down. But, the experienced midfielder baited Ihemelu to make a challenge and brought him down, with referee Geoff Gamble pointing to the spot. It was a clear penalty and a foolish one to concede as Mapp was not in a dangerous area. Sebastian LeToux stepped up and sent to penalty into the lower left hand corner, leveling the match, and tallying his first goal since April 20 (stat via @thegoalkeeper).
    Minutes before halftime Dallas was able to reclaim the lead on a swift counter attack. Santos played a lovely ball to Chavez whose pace had gotten him room and he was able to shoot from inside the box. His effort was partially stopped by Mondragon but the ball deflected off the right post. Brek Shea was at the doorstep after a superb hustling effort to bury the rebound and give Dallas the 2-1 lead at the break.

Adu’s Performance

     Considering Adu just joined the side, it was no surprise the Unionb attack looked out of sorts. He said after the match, "But I've got to get on the same page obviously." He played the first 20 minutes in the playmaker role and was ineffective. However, this was not completely his fault as he received little service. The Union were playing direct with too many long balls instead of controlling possession.

     Upon moving to left wing, Adu remained ineffective for the rest of the first half. His best spell came in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Freddy saw plenty of the ball on the left side and was able to get in crosses. He played a through ball to Paunovic in the 56^th minute which was put into the back of the net, but the midfielder was carelessly offside. He exited in the 62^nd minute for Danny Mwanga and his return to the MLS was fairly successful, considering the circumstances.

Frantic Finish as the Union Equalize                          

     Down a goal, Nowak went to the bench and brought on Roger Torres in the 73^rd and Keon Daniel in the 79^th minute to try and rescue a draw. Dallas was looking comfortable and appeared more likely to add a third then the Union was scoring a second. Villar had two clear cut chances in the 78^th and 79^th minute but was unable to finish either of them.

     The dynamics of the match changed in the 81^st minute. After picking up a yellow in the first half for unnecessarily shouldering LeToux, George John made his second mistake by slide tackling Mwanga on the edge of the 18. The challenge was needless as Mwanga was swarmed by Dallas defenders and Geoff Gamble had to book John for the second time.

     A third critical mistake was made by Dallas three minutes later. Farfan found space past Jackson on the left side and carried the ball into the box. Jackson took down the left back and the referee awarded another penalty. LeToux stepped up and put his second penalty of the night in the same spot as the first.

     Philadelphia nearly stole the win in the 90^th minute. Roger Torres delicately chipped a ball over the top for Mwanga whose shot from seven yards was well saved by Hartman. Hartman then made a great save on the ensuing corner as Keon Daniel’s header was deflected but Hartman adjusted his body to make the save. The veteran keeper did well to preserve the draw and in the process earned his 373^rd start of his MLS career, which set the record for most starts in league history.

Outlook for New Look Union
     Peter Nowak now has a decision on what tactical shape he will set his side out in and what positions his players will take up.

     I would like to see the Union start Adu, Mwanga, LeToux as a front three with Carroll, Mapp and Torres in midfield. This would no doubt be an attacking and unrealistic lineup but a 4-3-3 with all six attacking players comfortable in possession would be a joy to watch.
    Most likely, Nowak will use the 4-4-2 he employed from the 22nd minute on. Mapp and Adu would play wide with LeToux and McInerney up top.
     Interestingly, on Sunday Mondragon tweeted, “What a dream come true will be to have my "brother" @JUANPABLOANGEL to play for the Philadelphia Union, he will fit perfectly in our team!” Then quickly responded with, “Its just a personal wish, just saying, you never know!!! DOOP!!!”

     To me, the second tweet seems like the Union PR Department got ahold of Mr. Mondragon and told him to fix his message. The possible addition of Angel, on DP money, would be foolish. I know he will feel at home playing with fellow Colombians Mondragon, Torres and Valdes, but Angel has looked washed up for LA, which is why they are acquiring Robbie Keane.

Dallas Outlook
    The Hoops will be devastated not only for dropping two points, but if the possible knock to Daniel Hernandez turns out to be serious. The club's depth will be severely tested with midweek Champions League matches and weekend MLS fixtures. Schellas Hyndman will have to make changes and rest players while also picking up results in both competitions. In an interview with World Football Daily, the manager said he had a plan for how many minutes each player would play in August to try and keep everyone fresh for the remainder of the season.

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DeRosario and DC United Tie Philadelphia 2-2

Philadelphia Union at DC United

Saturday night’s contest was an exciting one, at least on paper leading up to the match, as it put the Eastern Conference leading Philadelphia Union on the road at DC United, who were excited to show off their new acquisition, MLS All-Star Dwayne DeRosario.

DC United Setup:

     Coach Ben Olsen had to be excited when DC made the trade to acquire Dwayne DeRosario from the Red Bulls in exchange for Dax McCarty. He featured him prominently in his first game for DC as they set up in a 4-4-2 with DeRosario playing the playmaker role behind the duo of Davies and Wolff. DeRosario was the link between the defense and the attack. Simms, who set up in the holding midfield position just in front of the back line would gather the ball from the defense and look for DeRosario, either long or short. Once DeRosario received the ball form Simms he looked to distribute anywhere and everywhere. He completed 43 of his 57 attempted passes (according to mlssoccer.com) with many of them long arcing balls down the flanks to either of the two strikers, or Pontius. Najar played wide right but was usually not as far forward as Pontius was on the left.

     It was obvious DC was working on integrating a new key player into their side, and were still working out the kinks. Their build up and passing was not very fluid and at times they seemed almost too concerned with making sure DeRosario received the ball. This led to their two strikers going long stretches of the game without being involved very much, as evidenced by their two combined shots.

Philadelphia Union Setup:

     The Union started out in a 4-4-2 just as they did last week. Much to the delight of the members of Keeping a Clean Sheet, Danny Mwanga was rewarded for his excellent second half performance last Saturday against Chivas USA. Carroll sat in the holding midfield position just in front of the back four and put in an excellent performance, much improved from last weeks’ game. He broke up many of DC’s attempted attacks and was useful in distribution as well, especially to Paunovic, who sat much more forward this game behind Ruiz and Mwanga. Paunovic had some nice passes but was not into the game a ton as DC had much more possession then Philadelphia did.

     Le Toux and Mapp played much more narrow than last week. Le Toux would often get in just behind the strikers, and even sometimes be up top in a forward position. When he did this the striker on his side would get wide almost all the way to the sideline to balance the attacking third. This was a different approach for the Union but because they lacked the ball so much throughout the game their attacking players did not have the necessary opportunities to create more goal scoring chances.

     Le Toux has still not shown the attacking prowess that he did last season. He had a few chances to put a goal to his name, most noteably in the 36’ minute when Carroll and Paunovic linked up. Then Paunovic found Ruiz who, with his back to goal, put a through ball to Le Toux down the right wing. Le Toux then missed the goal going for the far post. It was a noticeable opportunity in the sense that one would expect a Sebastian Le Toux in 2010 form to bury that chance.

1^st Half:

     DC dominated possession but didn’t have as much to show for it as they should have, as they lacked the cohesion to put together that final dangerous pass to lead to a goal scoring opportunity for most of the half, with the exception being in the final minutes. Najar played a through ball to DeRosario (one of his many outstanding off ball runs on the night that one has come to expect from him) who then beat Carroll like a drum with some nifty dribbling and was able to blast a cross across the face of goal that Wolff was able to deflect in for a 1-0 DC lead 

     It was clear that Philadelphia were content to sit on the counter in the first half. They let DC control the ball and looked to spring a counter attack after obtaining possession in their own third from DC. Mwanga and Ruiz were hardly involved as a result. Mapp and Le Toux had a few nice combinations but besides the Le Toux miss in the 36’ minute, it was a rather mundane half from the Union.

2^nd Half:

     The second half was a much more up and down affair than the first, and saw three of the game’s four goals. In the 49’ minute Pontius tried an ill-advised maneuver of chesting the ball down to DeRosario despite the fact that Paunovic was practically standing between them. Then he floated a cross that was at an awkward height for rookie right back Perry Kitchen who kicked the ball with his right foot into the goal to tie the score at 1. Kitchen was caught in between in terms of deciding which foot to use and maybe with some confidence lacking in his left foot was charged with an own goal.

     Just about 10 minutes later, Andy Najar dribbled the ball up field and with no one challenging him he unleashed a rocket that beat Mondragon. Carroll was too deep to come up field and challenge him and neither center back stepped up. This was also a problem for Philadelphia last week against Chivas, they need to close down the space and it has to start with Carroll.

     For the rest of the game DC was looking very comfortable and it seemed as though they would have enough to hold on to win. But, in the 84’ minute Le Toux, who had drifted inside right played a through ball to the right back Williams, who had toasted Pontius. Williams put a cross to Ruiz in who tied the game at 2 with a nifty finish. Philadelphia had to feel pretty good about getting a point, after an own goal and one defensive slip up from DC.

     

Conclusion:

     The Union were able to earn a point in a difficult environment against a tough team boasting their new star player. They showed why they are currently the class of the Eastern Conference with their performance. For next game it would seem as though they really need to get Mwanga and Ruiz more involved. Despite Ruiz’s limited supply of balls he was still able to net the game-tying goal.

     DC had to feel sick to their stomachs at the conclusion of the game. They let two points slip away and had only a draw to show for their performance despite dominating the ball for the majority of the game. On the positive side they look to be an improved side with the addition of DeRosario and he might give them the necessary boost to help them secure a playoff birth.

  

Chivas USA at Philadelphia Union (2-3) - Second Half Spark from Mwanga Leads Union to Win

Chivas USA entered Saturday’s away clash with the Philadelphia Union coming off of a thrilling finish in a close loss to FC Dallas AT THE home Depot Center. The Union were trying to get back on track after falling at Vancouver last weekend and drawing with Sporting KC at home midweek.

Chivas USA Setup:

     Chivas USA set up in a 4-4-2. At center back they started with Pearce and the Costa Rican Umana. Umana struggled mightily in the first half and was subbed out at halftime in favor of Boyens, who did not fare much better in the second half. The struggled to employ the offside trap that Chivas used, mostly with a ton of success in this game, and much to the dismay of Carlos Ruiz (more on that later).  Pearce was the calming influence on the back four, as at right back the promising rookie Valentin started. He got forward in the first half and was able to feed the ball to the two strikers with some success. He also had the tough match up of defending both Mapp and Le Toux and did an extremely admirable job in doing so. At left back Jazic started and was not much of a factor.

     Chivas employed two central midfielders, Labrocca and Nagamura. They held firm the center of the pitch well for Chivas, as the majority of the dangerous Union attacks were from wide positions. Labrocca showed some nifty skill with the ball and Nagamura played a very effective game with his aggressive interceptions being turning points to lead the Chivas counter attacks. Wide to the right Zemanski played, and he seemed somewhat out of position as he frequently drifted inside. It was evident that that was where he was more comfortable. Flores played wide to the left and made quite a few nice through balls to the two strikers, especially Braun. 

     Up top promising young USA International Justin Braun partnered with Mondaini. Braun showed off his impressive physical gifts often in this match, however he still needs to continue to develop his foot skills and vision as he too often tried to take on several defenders by himself instead of looking to pass. However, his second half goal showed off his class, as it was an impressive finish that tied the game for Chivas.

Philadelphia Union Setup:

     The Union started out in a 4-4-2 as well. The back four played a very efficient game. Valdes and Califf held down the center of defense. Valdes showed off his nose for the ball and was even willing to bring the ball forward on a few occasions. At right back Williams got up the field into the final third regularly and provided service for Ruiz and Mwanga. At left back Harvey was substituted out at halftime in favor of Daniel, who provided much more energy running up and down the left flank.

     Carroll and Paunovic patrolled the middle of midfield for Philadelphia. Their positioning was open to question as they were often too far forward to provide adequate cover for the back four, and yet they also failed to support the attack on numerous occasions as well. Despite that, they did spray a few wide balls to the two wingers Le Toux and Mapp. They switched sides early in the game and were by far the two most dangerous players in attack for the Union. Well, at least in the first half before Mwanga came on. Mapp especially put in a rather impressive performance and may have been the man of the match, even despite missing an absolute sitter in the second half.

     Carlos Ruiz started up top for the Union with Mcinerney. Danny Mwanga came on at halftime for Mcinerney and proved to be much more impactful on the match. It has to be said that Ruiz put in one of the most frustrating games in recent memory in terms of his positioning. He was offside so many times it was impossible to count. The stats do not truly capture the number either as he was so frequently offside that his teammates were not able to pass him the ball numerous times. Even when they did he was not even able to track it down because the play would have been blown dead for his being in an offside position. With that out of the way Mwanga’s second half entrance into the team was one of the main reasons for the Union’s victory.  His supreme effort and hustle was undeniable, as was his attacking prowess. His goal in the 82’ minute was the game winner. It would have been wonderful to see him start the match, as Philadelphia may have put the game out of reach earlier.

28’ Minute:

     Chivas put in a corner and it appeared as though Mondragon should’ve punched the ball out, but he failed to and Chivas was able to keep the ball alive with three successive headers, with the third one putting the ball into the net to give them a 1-0 lead. The game was very up and down, at a slightly frenetic pace, but seemed to slow down some after this goal until half time. Philadelphia brought on Mwanga and Daniel at halftime, which spiced up their attack dramatically. 

2^nd Half:

     Right out of the gate to start the second half Philadelphia was aggressive and was rewarded in just the 48’ minute when Le Toux was able to switch the field from left to right to an unmarked Mapp who played a cross in to Paunovic. He chested the ball down and delivered a low shot that beat Kennedy. The aggressive start to the second half was rewarded early and sent Chivas on their heels some as the game was now nodded at 1.

     Play began to get frenetic again not too muchg after the Union goal. Both teams were able to get up and down and take advantage of the space between the central midfielders and the back four. This made for an extremely exciting final 35 minutes to the match that featured three goals. Philadelphia may have scored even more had the Chivas offside trap not been as effective as it was in denying Carlos Ruiz many of his usual dangerous runs.

     Finally Ruiz’s patience, or lack thereof was rewarded in the 69’ minute when he was played a long ball by Paunovic that he was able to control with his chest and fire past Kennedy. Based on the way the game had been going to this point it seemed as though the Union would take control of the game here and settle it, but they were not able to hold off the Chivas attack.

     In the 77’ minute Braun, who had not been involved as much as he has been in the first half, was given a wonderful chip pass by Flores that he was able to just flick by the charging Mondragon to tie the match at 2.

     Up until this time, Philadelphia was the more dangerous team in attack and it seemed like only a matter of time before they would score the go ahead goal. Despite their wonderful team build up play that they had been displaying the entire match, the game winner came in the 82’ minute in the form of a ridiculously impressive show of individual skill from the 2010 #1 overall pick Danny Mwanga. He turned hard into his right foot after receiving a pass and violently struck the ball into the left side of the goal past Kennedy that sent the Sons of Ben into an absolute frenzy and gave the Union the match.

     

Conclusion:

     The Union were able to keep their unbeaten streak at home alive in rather dramatic fashion and keep their place atop the Eastern Conference ahead of New York. The Union were also able to finally put some goals on the score sheet, as coming into Saturday night they had been struggling to put up goals on the scoreboard. It would seem that the obvious solution to this problem would be to play Danny Mwanga from the start, but we will have top see what Peter Nowak decides to do going forward.

     Despite the loss, Chivas played a fluid game that showed good positioning and off the ball runs. Here at Keeping a Clean Sheet, we would like to see Zemanksi move into the middle and Gavin start on the right now that he has returned from his injury. It would give Chivas a little more defensive minded central midfielder to pair with Labrocca or Nagamura and give them more speed on the wing in Gavin. It would make them more dangerous and less predictable going forward. 

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