Philadelphia Union plagued by closing out games in draw versus Atlanta

The Philadelphia Union failed to pull away from Atlanta, but end up with a draw.

Both sides were able to apply pressure early on in the match but the Philadelphia Union looked all the more keen on making their presence known. Build up came primarily from the right side as Keegan Rosenberry and Chris Pontius worked well to pick out the spaces of the Atlanta midfield.

The Union would get their opening breakthrough in the 18th minute when a cleared corner found the foot of Giliano Wijnaldum who played Roland Alberg over the top in the box and found the back of the net.

The collective relief of their hard work added an extra spark of confidence to both the team and the supporters as Talen Energy Stadium began to electrify. Not five minutes later, a Jack Elliott corner kick was played on by Alberg and in spectacular fashion was finished off by captain Alejandro Bedoya for his first goal of the 2017 season. The visiting United players were left shocked by the attacking onslaught early on but kept their composure in their plan going forward.

The 2-0 lead was short lived as Atlanta’s Yamil Asad found himself unmarked in the box off an ensuing corner and blasted it past goalkeeper Andre Blake in the 26th minute. While it certainly put a damper on the mood, Philadelphia remained calm in their approach and continued to push for another goal while managing the highly talented United attackers. The game began to get chippy but the Union remained composed and frustration set into the minds of Atlanta who fought desperately to break them down.

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Another unfortunate yet important aspect of the match were the number of calls made against Philadelphia in the first half that seemed either soft in nature or unsuitable to call against anyone given the nature of the play. While situations like those are difficult to deal with from a professional perspective, the Union remained resolved in their game plan and made it into the locker room at halftime holding a 2-1 lead.

But a common theme of this season has been the rebutting theme of “a tale of two halves” and Saturday night was no different. Just eight minutes into the 2nd half, Josef Martinez was taken down by Joshua Yaro on the edge of the box and the Philadelphia defender was shown a straight red card for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity. Reduced to 10 men and looking to see the game out, Jim Curtin subbed off Roland Alberg for out-of-favor defender RIchie Marquez and the match continued to play on.

The Philadelphia Union fought admirably defensively; throwing almost all 11 guys behind the ball when Atlanta pressed forward. The United attack became impatient during the course of the half and began firing from distances that rarely test the ability of Andre Blake in net.

However, the rigorous Atlanta pressure became an overwhelming issue for the Philadelphia back line and in the dying breaths of the game, Tyrone Mears delivered a rising header that floated above an out of place Blake and into the back of the net.

A worrying trend that continues to plague the Philadelphia Union once again reared its ugly head and the valiant efforts put forward resulted in only a single point for the boys in blue. Their inability to close out matches has resulted in the loss of numerous, crucial points at home that could very well easily have put them in playoff contention by now.

Next: Union Look to Turn Tide against powerhouse Atlanta United

But alas, the dark cloud floating over this team continues to cover Chester and despite the tough opposition that a draw was earned against, no one will be happy until this team starts winning. Their next match comes on the road September 9th against the other MLS expansion team, Minnesota United.

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