Philadelphia Union cruise to victory over Harrisburg in US Open Cup

While the U.S. Open Cup is no longer a major priority for a competitive MLS team like the Philadelphia Union, a win can only do good for a squad looking to take that next step.

With an important rivalry match on the horizon, the Philadelphia Union were mindful to keep the core of their first team rested for Wednesday night’s U.S. Open Cup match versus Harrisburg City Islanders. The only consistent starters in the XI for Philly were C.J. Sapong, Haris Mendunjanin, and Jack Elliott while John McCarthy, Marcus Epps, and Joshua Yaro all made their 2017 starting debuts for the first team.

The most influential of the three from the early stages of the game was rookie winger Marcus Epps. His vision across the midfield and quick feet made for a few game changing opportunities including multiple fouls drawn within 25 yards of the goal.

Philadelphia dictated possession for most of the half and eventually found their breakthrough in the form of their young, homegrown midfielder Derrick Jones. Lurking on the edge of the box, he received a back pass from Jay Simpson which put him in a perfect situation to fire from outside the box and curl it into the bottom corner in the 19th minute.

Chances came in waves for Harrisburg but none were capitalized on before C.J. Sapong found himself one-on-one in the box and put a curling effort past the Islanders’ keeper. 2-0 for the Union proved to put them at a level of comfort as Philly began to absorb more pressure from the visiting side. Four minutes later, defender Jack Elliott was beaten by Paul Wilson and found a wide open Jonathan Mendoza who buried his shot past the outstretched hands of McCarthy.

Tensions were raised but never past the point of panic as Philadelphia regrouped at the intermission and came out in the 2nd half ready to assert themselves onto the match. Three minutes in, Mendunjanin played a long ball down the right to Marcus Epps who avoided the oncoming tackle, kept the ball at his feet, and calmly poked his shot past the Harrisburg keeper. His time playing for Philadelphia’s USL affiliate Bethlehem Steel F.C. has clearly worked wonders for the young winger and his confident play paid off in the form of his first professional goal for the first team.

The second half proved to be a much more back and forth affair as Harrisburg came close on multiple occasions to cutting into the Union lead but were denied by both John McCarthy and the post on clear goal scoring opportunities.

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Philadelphia frustrated the Islanders’ side with lengthy passing spells, fresh legs in the form of Chris Pontius and Fafa Picault, and the composure to see out a game in which they truly had the upper hand in from the beginning.

Philadelphia remained compact til the very end and held on for a 3-1 victory which puts them through to the 5th round of the United States’ biggest professional soccer tournament.

While it’s hardly unfamiliar territory for a team that featured in back to back finals in 2014/2015, there’s no doubt that very few fans will have anything to complain about in regards to more soccer in Philadelphia.

Jun 14, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Union midfielder Roland Alberg (10) controls the ball as Harrisburg City Islanders Lee Nishanian (15) defends during the second half at Talen Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

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Next up for the Philadelphia Union is a Father’s Day showdown at home with bitter rivals New York Red Bull’s in a critical eastern conference match-up. Kickoff is for 7:30pm.

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