By Nick Fishman of the Philly Soccer Page (You can check out his original piece here).
Philadelphia Union travelled to Red Bull Arena Saturday night in search of their third consecutive victory. Their opponents, New York Red Bulls, were on the hunt for their fifth straight win.
Both streaks were snapped, however, as neither side could produce the winning goal in a 0-0 draw.
Union head coach Jim Curtin made no changes to the starting XI that thrashed Real Salt Lake 4-1 last week. For Union captain Alejandro Bedoya, it marked his 50th career MLS start.
Despite injury scares to left back Kemar Lawrence and midfielder Tyler Adams, Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch was also able to feature the same lineup which secured an impressive 3-1 victory on the road in Atlanta.
The Red Bulls were the more creative of the two teams during the early portion of the match.
Following a poor touch from center back Mark McKenzie in the 13th minute, Bradley Wright-Phillips collected the loose ball and cheekily left it for No. 10 Alejandro Romero Gammarra (better known as Kaku.) While the Argentine’s initial effort was blocked by center back Auston Trusty, his second found the outstretched arms of a diving Andre Blake.
Philadelphia struggled to create opportunities in the opening 20 minutes, but they nearly opened the scoring in the 18th minute. Midfielder Haris Medunjanin played a long ball in behind New York’s defense to winger Marcus Epps. He cut back in the box and curled a ball toward the net that beat goalkeeper Ryan Meara, but did not beat center back Tim Parker. The former Vancouver Whitecaps defender headed the ball off the line to keep the game scoreless.
It was again Epps who threatened to open the scoring in the 29th minute after Borek Dockal played a wonderful curled ball through New York’s back line. Alone with the keeper, Epps’ effort couldn’t beat the onrushing Meara.
Coming into the game Wright-Phillips had recorded a goal or assist in six consecutive games, the longest such streak in MLS this season. It appeared the Englishman extended it to seven games in the 32nd minute after deflecting a cross into the net, but the linesman correctly ruled offsides.
For forward C.J. Sapong, it’s been a season of missed opportunities. He missed a big one shortly after halftime.
Winger Fafa Picault danced by Red Bull right back Michael Murillo and sent a cross into the box. Epps struck a one-time volley that was blocked by a sliding Lawrence.
Fortunately for the Union, the referee determined it was blocked by an errant arm and pointed to the spot. Meara guessed the wrong way on the resulting penalty kick, but Sapong went with style over substance on the attempt. The striker opened his body and trickled the ball over the endline — missing the net entirely.
The rivalry came alive shortly after, with jarring tackles from both teams. This style suited the Union better. The outcome felt like it would be a coin flip, with neither team able to wrest control from the other.
Each manager attempted to dictate the final result with attacking substitutions, including the standard trio of Ilsinho, David Accam, and Cory Burke from Curtin, but neither side could create meaningful opportunities.
Neither side could argue they deserved more or less than a point when the final whistle was blown.
For the Union, it’s a solid result that builds on their recent success. They return home on Wednesday for a midweek clash against Chicago Fire, where anything less than three points will be disappointing. Kickoff at Talen Energy Stadium is at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.
Three points
- Shutting down the best: Trusty and McKenzie are the real deal. Entering the match, Wright-Phillips led MLS in goals while Kaku led in assists. Both had recorded a goal or assist in four or more consecutive matches. Both were kept off the scoresheet.
- The Battle of Midway: In the center of the pitch it was the Union’s veteran leaders against the Red Bulls’ homegrown talents. Neither could really dictate play, which goes a long way toward explaining the scoreless outcome.
- Making a point: Not all points are the same. The Union went on the road and secured a very good point against a very good opponent.
Lineups
Philadelphia Union
Andre Blake; Keegan Rosenberry, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, Raymon Gaddis; Haris Medunjanin, Alejandro Bedoya; Fafa Picault (David Accam 70′), Borek Dockal, Marcus Epps (Ilsinho 64′); C.J. Sapong (Cory Burke 82′)
Unused Subs: John McCarthy, Fabinho, Jack Elliott, Warren Creavalle
New York Red Bulls
Ryan Meara; Michael Murillo, Tim Parker, Aaron Long, Kemar Lawrence; Sean Davis, Tyler Adams; Florian Valot (Carlos Rivas 83rd), Alejandro Romero Gamarra (Vincent Bezecourt 90′), Daniel Royer (Alex Muyl 73′); Bradley Wright-Phillips
Unused Subs: Marc Rzatkowski, Vincent Bezecourt, Evan Louro, Aurélien Collin, Connor Lade
Scoring summary
Disciplinary summary
PHI: Mark McKenzie – 27′ (unsporting behavior)
NYRB: Bradley Wright-Phillips – 64′ (unsporting behavior)
PHI: Fafa Picault – 69′ (unsporting behavior)
PHI: Haris Medunjanin – 79′ (unsporting behavior
| New York Red Bulls | Philadelphia Union | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Shots | 10 |
| 4 | Shots on Target | 3 |
| 5 | Shots off Target | 3 |
| 3 | Blocked Shots | 4 |
| 6 | Corner Kicks | 4 |
| 15 | Crosses | 10 |
| 2 | Offsides | 1 |
| 7 | Fouls | 13 |
| 1 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 461 | Total Passes | 430 |
| 80% | Passing Accuracy | 80% |
| 52% | Possession | 48% |
| 59 | Duels Won | 55 |
| 54.1% | Duels Won % | 45.9% |
| 11 | Tackles Won | 16 |
| 2 | Saves | 4 |
| 12 | Clearances | 19 |
Philadelphia Union
