Philadelphia Union II take their seven-game unbeaten run on the road with a three-game road trip that kicks off at Crown Legacy FC on Saturday night with coverage on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Head Coach Ryan Richter's side extended their run in dramatic fashion, rallying back from a 3-1 deficit with six minutes left in regulation to force a penalty kick shootout that saw homegrown Andrew Rick make two saves. 15-year-old homegrown midfielder Cavan Sullivan scored his first brace as a professional, finding the back of the net in the 18th minute and then capping off the comeback with the equalizer in the 86th minute. Union II's youth movement was involved throughout the match with 16-year-olds Willyam Ferreira and Malik Jakupovic combining for the goal that sparked the comeback.
The result saw Union II continue to match pace with first-place New York Red Bulls II with the Boys in Blue only three points back with two games in hand against the Eastern Conference leaders.
Saturday's match is the second and final regular season meeting between the two foes that met in the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs. Union II grabbed a 3-0 home win against the Charlotte FC affliate back on June 15th. The contest was a tight one throughout with the match scoreless until an own goal from Crown Legacy's Assane Ouedraogo broke the stalemate. Stas Korzeniowski added another goal two minutes later and David Vazquez capped off the scoring with a finish in the 86th minute.
A playoff side last season, Crown Legacy is in the fight for another appearance sitting in ninth place through 17 matches. Draws instead of wins have been the difference maker for the side with Crown Legacy leading MLS NEXT Pro with eight draws this season. Of those eight draws, they've claimed the extra point in just three and only have four wins to their squad as a result. Since playing Union II in June, Crown Legacy has gone to a penalty kick shootout in four of their last five games but most recently were in an offensive shootout against Inter Miami CF II. Crown Legacy jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first half but Miami stormed back with two goals early in the half to take momentum away from the road side. Three minutes after the equalizer, they regained the lead for good with a 58th minute finish from Bailey Sparks.
