Philadelphia Union II pushed its unbeaten run to nine as the Boys in Blue downed rivals New York City FC II, 2-0, on Saturday evening.
Union II continued its winning ways with another dominating peformance on the road but were left frustrated at the break without a goal despite an 18-2 shot advantage after the first half. They unlocked the scoring in the second half however with Markus Anderson finding the back of the net at the hour mark while 16-year-old Malik Jakupovic continued his scoring ways with his sixth goal of the season in just five professional appearances.
The Boys in Blue wrap up July with a road trip to Carolina Core FC on Wednesday, July 30th. Kick off from Truist Point is set for 7:30PM ET with coverage on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
How The Match Unfolded
Playing on the same day as the first team for just the second straight week, Head Coach Ryan Richter travelled with 16 players to Manhattan for the game on Randall's Island. With the first team down a pair of defenders for their game against the Colorado Rapids, the backline was forced into some changes with Academy amateur Jordan Griffin getting his third start of the season as a left back while Isaiah LeFlore shifted into a center back role alongside regulars Rafael Uzcátegui and Giovanny Sequera. The midfield remained unchanged from the club's 4-0 victory at Crown Legacy FC with Oscar Benitez paired up alongside team captain Nick Pariano as the defensive midfielders while Markus Anderson and Kellan LeBlanc handled the attacking duties in the 4-2-2-2 formation. Front man Eddy Davis III remained as well, this time paired with up Stas Korzeniowski for Union II's front line.
11', Union II nearly break through early | Like they've done all season, Union II were eager to find the opening goal and nearly succeeded just as the click hit double digits. Playing a through ball into the box, Griffin tracked it down and shot a cut back to Davis III for a one-timer at the edge of the six but saw it blocked by Prince Amponsah in front of goal.
28', Boys in Blue push for the breakthrough | Philly continued to dominate the attacking side of the rivalry showdown with Markus Anderson racing down the middle of the pitch to force the NYCFC II defense to collapse on his run. As they got closer he snuck a pass to his left for Davis III but the forward lost his footing on he tried to cut it back on his right. The homegrown didn't give up on the play however, tapping it back to Griffin for a shot inside the box that went wide of the far post.
32', Denied by the post | The best chance of the half came once again on an Anderson and Davis III combination. Anderson raced to the end line and lofted up a soft cross near the goal line that connected with Davis III but the ball crashed off both posts and stayed out.
60', Persistance pays off | On the club's 20th registered shot of the match the Boys in Blue broke through with a quick finish from Anderson. Coming off a corner kick at the hour mark, Giovanny Sequera connected with Oscar Benitez for a headed attempt. The ball bounced into the ground and Anderson stayed onside for a quick finish to put the visitors ahead.
82', Jakupovic does it again! | 16-year-old forward Malik Jakupovic continued his blazing start to his professional career as he entered in the 67th minute for the goalscoring Anderson and netted his sixth goal of the season off a play set up by Jamir Johnson and Nick Pariano.
