The Red Bulls beat a ten man Union Sunday night 2-0, to take its first game over the Union in 2017. The Red Bulls looked a strong team, but didn’t seem likely to break down the Union backline until the very end when the Union defenders looked gassed.
The first chance of the game fell for Chris Pontius in the 22nd minute. A high ball in the box put Aaron Long under pressure, and Chris Pontius gave him just enough of a nudge to put Long off balance and give Pontius enough space to hit a snap-shot from 8 yards out. Luis Robles was up to the challenge, flying to his right to parry the ball out for a corner.
The Red Bulls first chance came in the 38th minute, with Blake denying Alex Muyl from close range. Muyl received a pass inside the box, and had the strength to hold off Ray Gaddis and hit a shot from 11 yards out. Blake stretched his legs, kicking the ball out for a corner kick.
The Union had a golden chance to score in stoppage time of the first half, but Chris Pontius misplaced his header, sending it wide. Ray Gaddis curled in a peach of a cross for Chris Pontius, who came in unmarked. Pontius failed to put his header from close range on target, and had he done so, would surely have taken the lead.
At the half the score was 0-0, with neither team registering many shots, but both having at least 1 or 2 great chances to take the lead. The Red Bulls looked stronger, but will need an extra spark to make a difference.
The Red Bulls came close to scoring in the 49th minute, but Jack Elliot cleared off the line. Bradley Wright-Phillips found space outside of Ray Gaddis, and Felipe played him in a 1v1 situation with Blake. The Jamaican keeper closed Wright-Phillips down, forcing the attacker into a chip, which then gave Jack Elliot plenty of time to get back and clear the ball away before it got near the goal.
The Red Bulls came close from a corner kick in the 53rd minute, but Damien Perrinelle couldn’t connect cleanly to his header, and sent it over the net.
Derrick Jones received a red card in the 54th minute, dropping the Union to 10 men in the heat.
Andre Blake got away with keeping a clean sheet in a series of plays around the 60th minute. First he parried a cross away, putting Wright-Phillips off balance and narrowly missing a tap-in. Then on the ensuing corner, Damien Perrinelle rose uncontested to head it off the inside of the left post, coming across the net, and once again just rolling past the wrong-footed Wright-Phillips.
The Union, despite down a man, found a terrific chance to take the lead from a set piece. The cross from Medunjanin flashed across Robles’ net, and just past the outstretched foot of Oguchi Onyewu. Had either Onyewu or Epps at the backpost connected, it surely would have been the go-ahead goal.
The Red Bulls found the opener in the 87th minute, finally breaking through the staunch Union defense. Kemar Lawrence found an obscene amount of space on the left side, and had plenty of time to get his head up and pick out his cross, as Wright-Phillips cut across Onyewu to tap past Blake.
The Red Bulls took advantage in the 92nd minute as the Union were stretched out. Sal Zizzo put the ball across the middle and Wright-Phillips had the easy job of sliding the ball into the net.
Philadelphia Union
