Fifth Draw of the Year for Philadelphia – This Time Against Red Bulls, 1-1

April 14, 2022

Chester, PA

Saturday was an overcast night that threatened rain but did not deliver.  The evening’s much-touted match featured the Philadelphia Union – then first in the MLS East – against the New York Red Bulls – then in second place.  But like the weather, neither team could quite deliver.

The first half saw each team get a feel for the other, with no scoring by the end of the half.  Just as play resumed in the second half, at the 47th minute, Sergio Santos and Dániel Gazdag had a give and go through the New York defense and Gazdag scored on a delightful shot to the upper right of goal.  With the lead in hand, the outlook further brightened for Philadelphia at the 55th minute when the Red Bulls’s Dylan Nealis was shown a second yellow and was ejected from the game.

Down a man, the Red Bulls managed to even-up the score at the 66th minute when Luquinhas shot to the top left corner, assisted by Cameron Harper.

Philadelphia was unable to leverage the man advantage caused by Nealis’s departure.  The fans remained hopeful when, at the 80th minute, off a rebound from a Cory Burke shot, Julián Carranza snuck a header past New York’s keeper, Carlos Coronel, but VAR review upended the goal as Carranza was offside.  The game ended at 1-1.

Photographs of the game appear below:

 

 

Technically the team name is plural, but Philadelphia fans absolutely concurred with the sentiment.

Philadelphia’s José Martínez preventing the shot from New York’s Patrick Klimala.

Kai Wagner defending the pass to New York’s Tom Barlow.

This Kimala shot landed with a loud thud from a block by Jakob Glesnes’s back.

This is Gazdag’s shot that scored after the give and go with Sergio Santos.

The Red Bulls’s Dylan Nealis leaves the match after being shown red.

Jack Elliott must have been asked to leave a body on Colonel, as Elliott repeatedly did so throughout the game.

Carranza’s header was timely, but also offside, and goal was called back.

Philadelphia’s Alejandro Bedoya bringing the ball toward goal in the late stages of the game.