Philadelphia Union rallied from a halftime deficit behind Neil Pierre's second-half equalizer to earn a 2-2 draw against Inter Miami CF on Wednesday night at Subaru Park.
Philadelphia opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a well-worked move down the right side. Frankie Westfield delivered a cross into the heart of the box for Indiana Vassilev, who finished first time to put the Union ahead.
Miami answered with two goals in a five-minute span with Dániel Pintér finding the equalizer in the 21st minute before Lionel Messi struck in the 26th to send the visitors into halftime with a 2-1 advantage.
The Boys in Blue came out searching for a response after the break and found it in the 58th minute. Milan Iloski delivered a dangerous ball into the area off a free kick where homegrown Pierre struck it cleanly with a diving effort to send Subaru Park into a frenzy.
Philadelphia appeared to complete the comeback just three minutes later when Iloski found the back of the net, but the goal was overturned following a VAR review for offside in the buildup.
The result came on a memorable night on the banks of the Delaware as Philadelphia took the field for the first time in The Philly Kit, the club's new third jersey inspired by the city's iconic sports culture.
The Boys in Blue continue conclude a busy week of matches with a trip to the Lonestar State to battle Austin FC on Saturday night. Kick off from Austin is set for 8:30PM ET with coverage on Apple TV.
How The Match Unfolded
LINEUP NOTES
Head Coach Ryan Richter made one change to the starting XI used in Sunday's win, adding in Jesus Bueno to replace Jovan Lukic as the Serbian defensive midfielder was suspended for the match to due yellow card accumulation.
Three-time MLS Goalkeeper of the YearA ndre Blake, wearing the captain's armband, kept his role between the posts, protected by a backline featuring Kai Wagner on the left, Frankie Westfield on the right, plus Nathan Harriel and Neil Pierre paired at centerback.
Bueno, Danley Jean Jacques, Indiana Vassilev, and Cavan Sullivan made up the midfield, while Bruno Damiani and Milan Iloski were Richter's starting attacking duo.Â
Andrew Rick backed up Blake on the bench, sitting alongside Japhet Sery Larsen, Alejandro Bedoya, Ben Bender, Jeremy Rafanello, Quinn Sullivan, Ezekiel Alladoh, Agustin Anello, and Malik Jakupovic.Â
Philly entered the marquee midweek matchup with a four win streak, just three days removed from a second straight 3-2 comeback win on the road against NYFCFC.Â
Meanwhile Miami made the trip to Subaru Park after a 4-1 road loss to Nashville SC at Geodis Park. They came to town missing six players -- Tadeo Allende, German Berterame, Micael, Santi Morales, and Mateo Silvetti were all listed out with injuries, while Rodrigo de Paul was unavailable due to yellow card accumulation.Â
Pregame | Philadelphia Union debuted their newly dropped Philly kits for the occasion, sporting the cream top and shorts with accent colors representing other sports teams in town. The new digs were received well -- fans in the River End showed off a complementary tifo before first kick, and some attendees even had the new top on.
11', Union goal! | Philadelphia Union opened scoring with a team goal finished by Vassilev in the 11th minute, injecting energy into the stadium early. Danley passed up the right sideline to Sullivan, who passed forward to Westfield, keeping the ball in play in stride. The Homegrown outside back passed into the box toward Damiani, who jumped for a header but left it for an open Vassilev who powered it one-touch past Miami keeper Dayne St. Clair, who hadn't started match for the Herons since they hosted Philly on May 24th.
11', Union goal! | Philadelphia Union opened scoring with a team goal finished by Vassilev in the 11th minute, injecting energy into the stadium early. Danley passed up the right sideline to Sullivan, who passed forward to Westfield, keeping the ball in play in stride. The Homegrown outside back passed into the box toward Damiani, who jumped for a header but left it for an open Vassilev who powered it one-touch past Miami keeper Dayne St. Clair, who hadn't started match for the Herons since they hosted Philly on May 24th.Â
21', Miami goal | After four saved shots taken by the Union and a header stop from Blake on the other end of the field, the visitors were able to garner some momentum of their own, equalizing in the 21st minute when Messi passed to Suarez, heading an assit to 19-year-old Daniel Pinter for his first Inter Miami goal.Â
26', Messi magic |Â Messi made it 2-1 for the Miami five minutes later, masterfully moving through traffic in the box to find and place his shot past Blake.Â
32', Corner opportunity | The Union found a promising opportunity to equalize in the 32nd minute with a corner from the right executed by Wagner -- Westfield got his head on the left back's pinpoint pass to divert the ball toward the bottom left corner, but it was just barely blocked by Sergio Reguilón.Â
43', Union yellow, Miami free kick | When a Westfield throw-in error unfolded into a Messi run, Wagner took down the Argentine superstar for a yellow card. Messi took a free kick, but the Union's wall blocked his attempt, keeping the match 2-1.Â
45', Halftime | Philadelphia Union retreated to the locker room for halftime down 2-1.
48', Bright takes down Blake | Yannick Bright took down Blake in the 48th minute, leaving Philly's keeper down for a brief period. Blake was able to continue, winning a free kick.
50', Miami yellow | Reguilón was shown a yellow card in the 50th minute for a foul on Cavan Sullivan.Â
52', Free kick | The following set piece opportunity was a blast from Wagner, who's powerful launched it with left foot but just right.
55', Miami yellow card | Miami's Ian Fray was shown a yellow card for a foul on Kai Wagner.Â
58', Union equalizer | The following free kick was executed by Iloski and finished off by Neil Pierre with a diving header finish.
61', Offside call |Â A momentous effort between Wagner, Pierre, and Iloski appeared to have earned Philly the lead, but after celebrations, the goal was reviewd and Pierre was caught offisdes.Â
68', Union sub | Ryan Richter made his first change of the night in the 66th minute, sending on Quinn Sullivan for Vassilev.
70', Blake save! | Blake stopped a shot from Pinter in the 69th minute tokeep it level.
78', Chance for the Union | Philly kept pushing for the go-ahead goal with Iloski sparking a counter attack. With a defender at his hip, he laid it off for Cavan Sullivan for a one-timer that went wide.
82', Union subs | Richter made a double change with less than 10 minutes remaining sending in Ezekiel Alladoh and Alejandro Bedoya in place of Damiani and Bueno.
90+', Added time | With a pair of lengthy stoppages during the second half, the two sides were given nine minutes to find a winner. The physicality of the match continued well into the match with Cavan Sullivan and Yannick Bright being sent off.
