Philadelphia Union saw its July opener end in a heartbreak with a 101st minute penalty kick giving Nashville SC a 1-0 win on Saturday night.
15-year-old Cavan Sullivan made history at the opening whistle, with his first MLS start not only making him the youngest in Union history but the second youngest in league history. Separated by just two points in the table, neither side could generate many scoring chances with Andre Blake making an early save against Hany Mukhtar while Bruno Damiani saw a first-half effort cleared away by a Nashville defender. With nearly a half hour remaining, the Union went up a man with a red card challenge from Jonathan Perez but the game saw the Tennessee side bunker defensively.
The Eastern Conference clash seemed destined for a scoreless draw but a stoppage time penalty kick awarded to the hosts via a VAR check gave them life with Mukhtar converting for the three points.
The Boys in Blue return to Subaru Park for a doubleheader against rivals New York Red Bulls. The first battle kicks off on Wednesday night with a spot in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinals on the line that will see both sides push for a trophy. Tickets for the contest can be purchased online here by clicking here and kick off is set for 7PM ET.
How The Match Unfolded
Head Coach Bradley Carnell sent out another unique lineup in Nashville, this time adding in 15-year-old Cavan Sullivan, who became the second youngest player to start a match in Major League Soccer history behind only Freddy Adu.
Sullivan lined up alongside Jovan Lukic, Indiana Vassilev, and Danley Jean Jacques in the midfield, while Chris Donovan and Bruno Damiani were paired up top again.
After two weeks with a backline featuring players out of position, the group in front of Andre Blake in net featured Jakob Glesnes and Olwethu Makhanya paired at centerback, plus Olivier Mbaizo and Kai Wagner as outside backs.
For the first time since the end of May, Tai Baribo was back on the bench, sitting alongisde Andew Rick, Neil Pierre, Ben Bender, Jeremy Rafanello, David Vazquez, and Sal Olivas.
15', Brick wall Blake | Andre Blake made a massive stop in the 15th minute, squandering a powerful effort from Hany Muhktar before getting back to his feet in an attempt to block another shot that hit the post instead.
23', Damiani chance | Philadelphia Union found a promising shot in the 23rd minute after a string of passes ended with a Wagner service into the box that initially found the head of Nashville's Palacios, before Damiani tracked it for a volley shot that was ultimately saved by Joe Willis.
45', Scoreless at half | Neither team found the back of the net through the first 45, with Nashville SC outshooting Philadelphia 9-4 and maintaining 42% of possession during that span.
61', Baribo is back! | After another chance from Damiani, Carnell made his first changes of the match, sending in Tai Baribo to replace Chris Donovan. Ben Bender entered the match too, subbing in for Cavan Sullivan.
63', Nashville red card | Moments after joining the action, Baribo was taken down with a high boot from Jonathan Perez, drawing a red card and forcing Nashville to play down a man for the final 26 minutes.
72', Another Union change | Carnell opted to swap Indiana Vassilev for Alejandro Bedoya, adding in fresh legs and veteran experience for the final stretch of the end to end battle.
88', Wagner rings the post | After Damiani was taken down by Edvard Tagseth, Glesnes and Wagner stood together with a free kick opportunity from 35 yards out. In range for the Norwegian, he instead tapped it quickly to Wagner for a one-timer that beat everyone but was denied by the post.
90+', VAR awards Nashville PK | With the Boys in Blue looking to snatch a road victory, Nashville was given a late opportunity to find a winner and turned to their club legend Mukhtar for a half chance. The forward saw a ball drift into the box and battled Makhanya the full distance with the South African clearing out the chance with a tackle. After a few moments, the Video Assistant Referee summoned the referee to the monitor where a tripping offense awarded the homeside the chance to claim the victory. With typical PK taker Sam Surridge on the bench, Mukhtar stepped up and scored with a hard blast down the middle.
