Under the direction of interim Head Coach Marlon LeBlanc, Philadelphia Union II overcame a one-goal deficit to defeat New York Red Bulls II by a 3-2 margin at Subaru Park.
Fielding the youngest starting XI in club history at 17.4 years old, LeBlanc’s tenure began with a perfect start as 16-year-old Patrick Bohui needed just 19 seconds to open the scoring. Utilizing the club’s pressing tactics, the forward deflected a pass from the Red Bulls II goalkeeper and scored from a tight angle to score not only the quickest goal in Union II history but the ninth fastest in USL Championship history.
Red Bulls II battled back into the contest by converting from the penalty spot in the 37th minute and then capped off a counter attack five minutes later to take the lead. With halftime whistle looming, Union II made a final charge and made the most of it as Bohui flicked a pass over his head and the Red Bull defense that Axel Picazo ran onto. 1v1 with the keeper, Picazo laid off a pass to Jack McGlynn for the tap in goal in first-half stoppage time.
With momentum on Union II’s side, both MLS affiliates battled back and forth but it was the impact of the versatile Jack Jasinski from the Union Academy the made the biggest impact on the match. After making his first USL appearance as a defender last week, Jasinski was put into the attack in the 58th minute replacing Picazo who exited the match after ringing the crossbar in the second before departing. Jasinski nearly took the lead in the 70th minute but made the most of his second scoring chance a moment later.
Employing the club’s defense leads to offense mindset, McGlynn intercepted a Red Bulls pass at the midfield stripe and riffled a pass through the defense that Jasinski ran onto. Needing only the keeper the beat, the 16-year-old fired a left-footed shot inside the near post for the match winner. Jasinski's goal wasn't just his first USL Championship goal but also made him the youngest goalscorer in club history, beating Bohui by one day.
The win is Union II’s first of 2020 and pushes the club into fourth place in Group F. The young squad looks to continue the momentum with another matchup against Hartford Athletic on Sunday, August 9th. Kick off from Subaru Park is set for 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
