Philadelphia Union wrapped up April with a 2-0 road setback to the Columbus Crew on Saturday night.
Playing their third match in seven days, the Union found itself behind four minutes after the opening whistle as Max Arfsten capitalized on a a breakaway opportunity. The Crew nearly doubled their lead minutes later but Philly captain Andre Blake recorded the first of X saves to keep the scoreline unchanged.
Columbus ultimately doubled their lead just before the break with a hard cross into the box crashing off a Union defender and into the back of the net.
Philadelphia Union kicks off May in front of the Union faithful next weekend as they host Nashville SC for Star Wars Night. Kick off from Subaru Park is set for 7:30PM for the May 2nd contest with tickets on a sale by clicking here.
How The Match Unfolded
LINEUP NOTES
Head Coach Bradley Carnell relied heavily on rotation for Saturday’s matchup against Columbus Crew, calling on team depth when crafting his starting XI.
Andre Blake started in net as usual, but in front of him, new signing Phillipe Ndinga featured in the backline alongside Japhet Sery Larsen, Olwethu Makhanya, and Nathan Harriel. With the start, Harriel earned his 100th in MLS play, becoming the first Homegrown in club history to reach that milestone.
Jeremy Rafanello earned his first start of the season, paired with Danely as the sixed. Jesus Bueno returned to the opening group for a fourth straight match, filling out the XI with Cavan Sullivan, Milan Iloski, and Bruno Damiani.Â
Frankie Westfield was left off the matchday roster after light knock in training on Friday, while Agustin Anello joined the group for the first time since suffering an injury against Atlanta United mid-march. Alongside him, Andrew Rick, Alejandro Bedoya, Ben Bender, Jovan Lukic, Indiana Vassilev, Ezekiel Alladoh, and Malik Jakupovic sat on the bench.Â
5', Crew claim early lead | The hosts open scoring in the 5th minute when Max Arfsten beat Phillipe Ndinga on the right to find a shot in the penalty area past Andre Blake.Â
6', Close Columbus chance | The USMNT defender found another 1v1 opportunity a minute later, but a diving tip from Blake diverted his just shot right of the net.
9', Philly tackle | Sery Larsen slid for a strong tackle to stifle a battle up the right sideline between Harriel and Picard.Â
15’ Philly gets forward for strong chance | Philly found a promising chance in transition when Rafanello found Damiani, sending the ball right to Danley unmarked. His impressive speed on display, the Haitan sprinted toward the box where he tapped it right toward Iloski, who powered it toward the net but ultimately hit the left post, despite efforts from Damiani and Sullivan to find the finish.
39', Philly yellow | While it was a physical first half in full with 16 total fouls, Philly was shown the first yellow of the night in the 39th minute, when Danley shouldered Sean Zawadzki off the ball.Â
45+', Hectic end to the half leads to Columbus goal | There was no shortage of action in the final moments of the first half, including a lengthy video review from the officials for a possible red card. It stemmed from a clash between Harriel and Sekou Bangoura with the Columbus player coming down on the Homegrown's defenders leg. After it was deemed to be accidental contact, the play resumed with five minutes added to the first half.
Still visibily in discomfort, Harriel was forced to sprint back when Bangoura found Arfsten up the field for a 1v1 battle with Ndinga. Arfsten passed the ball toward Taha Habroune in front of the net as Harriel sprinted into the box for a block, but instead made contact for an own goal, putting Columbus ahead 2-0 before the half. Â
45+' Union forced into a substitution | In the build-up for the Crew's second goal, Bueno was taken down by Bangoura, leaving him down in pain and requiring medical attention from the team trainers. Bueno was forced to leave the match with an injury, replaced by Jovan Lukic.Â
Halftime | At the break, Carnell made his second sub of the night, replacing Ndinga for Ben Bender. The 25-year-old joined the Union in May 2025 as a midfielder, but has since trained at times at outisde back.
64', Iloski shot | After three attempts from Damiani and Jean Jacques, Iloski found Philly's first on-target shot on the night, forcing a save from Patrick Schulte.
66', Pair of Philly subs |Â Down two goals with less than 30 minutes of regular time to play, Carnell sent on fresh legs for a second half push, swapping out Rafanello and Sullivan for Vassilev and Anello, who made his first appearance since the team's 3-1 loss to Atlanta on March 14th.Â
71', Another Blake save | Arfsten found a third 1v1 with Blake off a pass from Jamal Thiaré, forcing the three-time MLS keeper of the year off his line for a big stop. While he prevented Crew from extending their lead, the pair made contact, causing the Jamaican captain to seek brief attention from Philly's medical staff on the field.
84', Union sub | Carnell opted to add Ezekiel Alladoh to the attack for the final stretch, replacing Bruno Damiani.
90+', Union finish with 10 | In the waning moments of the match the Union were dealt another below to the backline with Japhet Sery Larsen getting shown a straight red card for a collision with Jamal Thiaré.
