Philadelphia Union: A look back at CJ Sapong’s first career hat-trick

Sometimes, a little luck can cure all ills. Saturday luck broke in the Philadelphia Union’s favor.

Behind a 10-minute hat-trick from the prince of Chest-air, CJ Sapong, the Philadelphia Union were able to down the New York Red Bulls 3-0.

It was a much-deserved win that halted the winless streak at 15. In his post game presser, Sapong summed the mood up well saying,

"You can’t really put it into words, man. It’s been a long, long hard-working road for us to get this first win. There’s something that I felt for my teammates on the field tonight. It’s really a testament to how much we’ve gone through and how we’ve stuck together. It’s a beautiful thing, beautiful thing to be a part of. Very, very happy; we’re going to let this marinate and get back to work because we have a lot of climbing to do."

This hat-trick was Sapong’s first of his career and the third in Philadelphia Union history. The others belong to Roland Alberg and Sebastian LeToux. Sapong also moved up the Golden Boot leader boards to tie Cubo Torres with seven goals. This may be the season that Sapong breaks the double-digit goal barrier. While Sapong had a great day, the entire team stepped up, but let’s take a look back at the sweet, sweet goals.

Goal number one:

After a nice bit of dribbling, Sapong fired a low shot that deflected off of a Red Bulls defender past a diving Luis Robles. While it was a somewhat lucky finish as Robles would have saved it without the deflection, it was a deserved goal given the Philadelphia Union’s performance up to that point.

Dos, dos golazos:

The second goal was started by a cross from impact substitute Fabian Herbers. He lofted a cross that found the head of Chris Pontius. After hitting Pontius’ head, the ball falls to Sapong who heads it into the net. The best way to sum this one up is by saying, “Chaos in the box leads to a goal.”

Welcome to the show hat-trick rick:

After a handball in the box from Damien Perrinelle, it was clear that CJ Sapong would be stepping up to take the chance. He took it with confidence slotting it home to complete the hat-trick.

Next: Union face off with NYRB at home

After a game like this, it is important to see how the team will respond in their next outing. Traveling to DC on May 13 is no easy task but if the Philadelphia Union can begin to string wins together, their road out of the cellar of the Eastern Conference may look a little brighter. With Sapong in the form of his career to begin the season, we already know where the goals will come from.