Philadelphia Union: Defense Comes Up Big in Win over SKC

Under the lights of Talen Energy Stadium, the Philadelphia Union faithful were hopeful that their squad could produce against a technically gifted Kansas City team. With momentum on their side and a shining record at home, the boys in blue were not ready to disappoint their fans on this night that could see them stand alone in 3rd place in the conference standings.

On the heels of a resilient victory against Columbus Crew, the Philadelphia Union entered Saturday night’s match with momentum on their side and a true chip on their shoulder. Sporting Kansas City has proven to be a thorn in the side of Philly leading the all time head to head match-up including their dramatic victory Union in last year’s U.S. Open Cup Final. With KC battered by injuries to their already thin back line, Philadelphia was eager to capitalize on their ailed opponents in their efforts to maintain their position in the eastern conference playoff race.

Both Philadelphia and Kansas City have firepower at their disposal when it comes to their attack. Sporting KC’s Dom Dwyer has 12 goals this season; tied for 5th in Major League Soccer. Chris Pontius trails right behind him with 10 as the Union midfielder has regained his former all-star caliber form, sparking the Philadelphia offense that leads MLS with 45 goals scored on the year.

The first half saw chance after chance fail to produce a breakthrough despite good movement and creative execution from Philadelphia right from the start. As the game progressed Sporting KC did well to create turnovers in the middle of the field yet were squandered by the strong efforts of the Union back line. It wasn’t until early in the second half that the drama truly ensued in this heated and chippy match.

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Sporting KC’s Jimmy Medranda, already on a yellow card after bringing down Tranquillo Barnetta, produced a hard foul on Keegan Rosenberry that saw the defender sent off and put the Union at a man advantage for the remainder of the match. This allowed for Union head coach Jim Curtin to utilize his arsenal of depth in the midfield and bring on fresh legs in the form of Roland Alberg. Not two minutes later, he found space at the top of the box and struck a perfect curling ball into the back of the net to put Philadelphia up 1-0 in the 67th minute.

The opposition were given no choice but to come at the Union defense with numbers pushing up the field. The resound back line of Philadelphia along with valiant defensive efforts from the core midfielders made producing a viable scoring effort nearly impossible until the final ten minutes of the match.

Andre Blake stayed composed and focused between the posts for the Union and produced two big saves in the closing stages of the game. Another hard foul from Kansas City’s Roger Espinoza took the visitors down another player and with a two man advantage, Philadelphia was able to close out the opposition with a beautifully worked sequence of passing through the middle which ended in Tranquillo Barnetta putting a simple curling effort into the back of the net. The 2-0 victory is the first win over a western conference opponent this season and broke a franchise record for wins at home with eight breaking the previous mark of seven back in 2013.

Aug 27, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Union midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta (10) reacts after scoring against Sporting KC during the second half at Talen Energy Stadium. The Philadelphia Union won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

After the game, the Union goalkeeper praised the efforts of his young defenders Keegan Rosenberry and Joshua Yaro who at this stage in the season have transcended their first year status and have become essential pieces of this resilient Philadelphia squad. “They’re great players, they’re willing to listen and take instructions and that’s very important. So I don’t see them as rookies and I don’t think they see themselves as rookies.”

Blake also made it evident that despite the advantage in numbers on the field, there’s no room for becoming complacent and settling in due to the numerous weapons Sporting Kansas City possess on offense. “When a team goes down they’re going to come at you and try to get back a goal so I have to try to talk to my teammates to keep them in the game.”

The Philadelphia Union of past has seen numerous victories slip away from them despite having numbers on the field, yet this current squad is aware that there can be no sitting back in games of this magnitude where every point can make a difference in a tight eastern conference battle for a playoff berth. Now sitting just three points out of first place, the boys in blue will travel to Chicago next Saturday in hopes of continuing their good run of play and secure playoff soccer for the city of brotherly love for the first time in five years.

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And while this team may not be perfect or fully healthy, there’s no question that they possess the flare, resolve and passion of a team that is ready to not just make it into the postseason, but stay there and make a run at an elusive first MLS Cup in their franchise’s history.

What a time to be a Philadelphia Union fan, huh?

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