Philadelphia Union fell 3-1 to Atlanta United FC on Saturday afternoon which saw forward Agustin Anello scored his first goal for the Boys in Blue.
Atlanta opened the scoring in the 28th minute through Emmanuel Latte Lath to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. The hosts added to their advantage just after the restart with a 47th-minute goal from Tristan Jacob before Alexey Miranchuk scored in the 68th minute to make it 3-0. Anello found the back of the net late for the Union, but Philadelphia was unable to mount a comeback as Atlanta secured the 3-1 result.
Philadelphia Union continues its road trip as they head to Mexico for the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 series against Club América. Kick off is set for 9PM ET with coverage on FS1, TUDN and ConcacafGo.
How The Match Unfolded
Bradley Carnell sent out a fourth new lineup for Saturday’s matinee against Atlanta, testing another starting striker duo in Major League Soccer play. Bruno Damiani and Stas Korzeniowski opened the match up top in Carnell's 4-2-2-2, marking the 22-year-old SuperDraft pick’s first Major League Soccer start. They lined up front of Milan Iloski and Indiana Vassilev, with Danley Jean Jacques and Jovan Lukic the 6s. The back four featured Nathan Harriel and Olwethu Makhanya paired at centerback, plus Frankie Westfield and Phillipe Ndinga, who also made his first league start in Atlanta after an 81-minute debut in Concacaf Champions Cup on Tuesday.
Andre Blake started between the posts, while Andrew Rick backed him up on the bench, sitting alongside Geiner Martinez, Japhet Sery Larsen, Cavan Sullivan, Jesus Bueno, Alejandro Bedoya, Ben Bender, Ezekiel Alladoh, and Agustin Anello.Â
3’, Early chance for Damiani | Philly came out on the road looking to jump out to an early lead and were almost successful as a quick counter attack on the left flank produced the match’s first scoring chance. Iloski threaded the needle with a perfectly weighted pass to Vassilev that unlocked Atlanta’s defense. Vassilev delivered a cross into the box on his first touch to Bruno Damiani but the forward’s effort was wide of the post.
10’, Iloski has a go | The Boys in Blue continued to attack from the wide positions to generate some offense. Jovan Lukic battled to keep possession which allowed the ball to fall right to Iloski as he darted centerally. With an inch of space from 20 yards out, the Union’s No. 10 fired a curling shot that went just off the mark.
15’, Blake makes a reaction stop | With momentum on the side of the visitors, Atlanta nearly snatched it back in an instant with a low cross into the box for Emmanuel Latte Lath but Blake was ready to make the finger tip save.
17’, VAR check | After the Union sucessfully cleared a corner kick, the video assistant referee summoned the head referee to the monitor for a check of a possible foul in the box. After a lengthy check, it was determined no foul had been committed and play resumed.
28’, Atlanta goal | While the hosts didn’t score on their previous chance, it brought them into the match that soon turned into a 1-0 lead. After a defensive block from Elias Baez, Miguel Almirón shot a forward pass to the feet of Latte Lath for the counter attack which the Designated Forward deposited in the back of the net.
43’, Penalty awarded to the Union | In the waning moments of the first half, the Boys in Blue were presented with an opportunity to level the match after Elias Baez fouled Damiani in the box that netted the Union a penalty kick chance. After a lengthy stoppage that saw multiple yellow cards issued to the Five Stripes, Iloski’s attempt beat the keeper but crashed off the post.
45+’, End of the First Half | With a pair of lengthy stoppages, eight minutes were tacked onto the first half, which saw the Five Stripes earn another yellow card, this time to center back Stian Gregersen. Philly continued to keep the ball on the offensive third of the field but would go into the locker room trailing by a 1-0 margin.
47’, Atlanta goal | It was a dream start to the second half for the home side as they doubled their lead two minutes after the whistle. Almirón continued to be a hassle for the Union defense with the midfielder slicing a pass across goal for Tomas Jacob to put home at the back post.
57’, Union substitutions | Just before the hour mark, Head Coach Bradley Carnell made a trio of changes with Alejandro Bedoya replacing Indiana Vassilev, AgustÃn Anello on for Milan Iloski and Ezekiel Alladoh for Stas Korzeniowski.
68’, Atlanta goal | The Five Stripes made it 3-0 in the 68th minute as Almirón and Latte Lath combined to set a finish for Alexey Miranchuk.
76’, Westfield chance | Philly kept battling until the end with Jovan Lukic picking out a run into the box by homegrown Frankie Westfield on the right side. The defender battled a pair of Atlanta defenders which resulted him in hitting the right-footed shot high.
77’, Union substitution | The Union made another change shortly after the scoring chance with Japhet Sery entering in place of Ndinga. The move saw Nathan Harriel move from center back to outside back as a result as well.
80’, Another Westfield scoring chance | After seeing his first effort off the mark, Westfield wasn't shy to attempt another go on goal. Taking a pass from Lukic, he unleashed a blast that forced a save by the keeper.
81’, Union substitution | The final change of the afternoon for the Boys in Blue saw a swap in midfield with Jesus Bueno coming in for Danley Jean Jacques.
87’, Anello score his first Union goal | Despite the scoreline, the Boys in Blue were determined to find the back of the net and succeeded in stunning fashion. Alejandro Bedoya hit a pass out wide for Westfield. The homegrown crossed it into the box for the one time finish from Anello to make it 3-1 with three minutes left.
