Philadelphia Union II battled through a difficult Sunday matinee in Chester, falling 3-1 to New England Revolution II on the riverfront.
The afternoon match swung in New England's favor early, with the visitors finding three goals in the opening 45 minutes. A strong showing from their 24-year-old Guyanese national team player Liam Butts plus a miscommunication between Philly's net protector and the backline gave the Revs a significant advantage going into the second half.
Despite multiple changes to the XI in the following 45', Philly was only able to get one back by way of a 90th minute goal by Malik Jakupovic, ultimatley falling 3-1.
Philadelphia Union II will finish the month with a road trip to take on FC Cincinnati 2 at NKU Soccer Stadium on Sunday, August 31st.
How The Match Unfolded
35', Visitors opening scoring | Liam Butts found the first goal of the afternoon more than halfway through the first half, capitalizing on a throw-in and a sequence of quick passes before striking one above Mike Sheridan.
38', Union II own goal | Three minutes later, a miscommunication between Neil Pierre and Sheridan caused an own goal that put Revs II up 2-0.
40', Revs II scores another | After securing a two-goal lead, the visitors built on the momentum, with Butts scoring another. He was assisted by Marcos Dias, who provided the final pass before Butts found his first.
45', Halftime subs | Head Coach Ryan Richter opted for a backline change to start the half, swapping Pierre for Noah Probst.
64', Four subs for Philly | Still scoreless, Richter sent fresh legs onto the pitch, giving Sal Olivas, Malik Jakupovic, Kaiden Moore, and Willyam Ferreira a chance to spark a comeback. They replaced Eddy Davis II, Jordan Griffin, Giovanny Sequera, and Cavan Sullivan. For Moore, the moment marked his Union II debut, recently joining the team on loan from Atlanta United 2.
73', Yellow cards | Four yellow cards were shown in the 73rd minute, with two given out to each side.
79', Red card | Midfielder Damario McIntosh got another yellow soon after, forcing him to leave the match, and giving Philly a chance to play a man up.
90', Union goal! | In the 90th minute, Malik Jakupovic found Philly's only goal of the afternoon, giving his team a spark in the final moments.
