Philadelphia Union II fought back from a two-goal deficit with six minutes remaining to extend their unbeaten streak via a penalty kick shootout win over Chattanooga FC on Sunday afternoon.
Facing a side that average six years older at every position, Union II jumped out to an early lead as Cavan Sullivan scored his fourth goal of the season. Momentum shifted however as Chattanooga FC scored just before the halftime whistle to make it 1-1 scoreline at the break. Union II came out of the locker room pushing for the go-ahead goal but were left frustrated with timely blocks and saves to keep them off the scoreboard. The veteran side from the Volunteer State hit on the counter twice in the final half but the Boys in Blue battled back with some of its youngest stars. Malik Jakupovic scored his fourth goal of the season in the 84th and Sullivan followed up two minutes later to complete the comeback with his second goal of the afternoon.
In the penalty kick shootout, homegrown Andrew Rick made two saves as Union II claimed two points to continue their push for the top of the standings.
After wrapping up their July home stand, the Boys in Blue hit the road to close out the month with a three-game road trip. It all kicks off on Saturday when Union II travels to Crown Legacy FC for the regular-season finale between the two sides for their season series. Kick off for the July 19th contest is set for 7PM ET and will be broadcast on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
How The Match Unfolded
Playing the day after the first team picked up its 15th-consecutive result against rivals New York Red Bulls, Head Coach Ryan Richter had quite the group available for selection for their MLS NEXT Pro contest against the veteran-laided Chattanooga FC. Six homegrowns were in the starting XI with goalkeeper Andrew Rick between the sticks while the backline remained unchanged with Isaiah LeFlore, Neil Pierre, Rafael Uzcátegui and Giovanny Sequera. The midfield saw the return of Cavan Sullivan to Union II, paired up alongside former Academy running mate Kellan LeBlanc for the attacking midfield spots while David Vazquez and Nick Pariano continuned their pairing as defensive midfielders. The front line once again saw the speedy duo of Markus Anderson and Eddy Davis III to lead the Union II up top.
16', Union II nearly break open the scoring | The hottest team in the East almost got off to another flying start with a beautiful cutback sequence from Isaiah LeFlore that picked out Kellan LeBlanc near the penalty spot. Set up with a dummy from Eddy Davis III to draw the defense, LeBlanc put a little too much behind the ball as it went just over the cross bar.
18', Cavan cashes in | The next build up saw Union II grab the lead with a smooth finish from Cavan Sullivan. The 15-year-old homegrown scored his fourth goal of the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season as he received a pass shortly after Nick Pariano intercepted a pass from the visistors. Sullivan cut to his right to avoid a pressing defender before cutting it back to his left for a 20-yard shot that beat the keeper.
39', LeBlanc rings the post | Philly kept pushing for a second before the break with back to back chances from Davis III whose shot was saved and the follow up from LeBlanc was denied by the post.
45+', Chattanooga equalize before the break | With halftime looming, the visitors took advantage of a set piece opportunity with a goal in the sixth minute of first half stoppage time. Gavin Turner snuck a perfectly placed shot with his left to beat Rick to make it 1-1 going into the break.
Halftime changes | Head Coach Ryan Richter turned to the league's hottest goalscorer at the break, sending in 15-year-old Malik Jakupovic in place of Markus Anderson. Chattanooga made a swap of their own in the attack with Markus Naglestad
51', Union II on the counter | Union II sought to regain the lead early in the second half with a long ball playing Davis III into the space behind the Chattanooga FC backline. With the angle too wide for a shot, the forward hit a cross into the 18 for LeBlanc but the midfielder saw his scoring effort blocked by a sliding tackle from away team.
57', Chattanooga makes it 2-1 | After a scoring chance on one side of the pitch that saw tremendous defense and goalkeeping, the Tennessee side used that momentum in the attack. Playing selflessly, the substitute Naglestad opted for the extra pass to a wide open Jalen James for the quick finish as the Union defense raced back.
63', Union II turn on the pressure | The Boys in Blue nearly made it 2-2 off a corner kick with David Vazquez hitting a near post cross into the path of Davis III. The forward went for the soft far post flick with the ball missing just an inch from the back of the net.
67', Chattanooga get a third | After a tremendous diving save from Andrew Rick to block a free kick golazo from the Tennessee side, the visitors made it 3-1 with another selfless pass as Daniel Mangarov set up a tap in finish for Tate Robertson.
84', Jakupovic pulls Union II to 3-2 | The youthful Union II didn't hang their heads and continued to push despite the scoreline. That mentality led to a jolt of momentum for Union II has Jakupovic scored his fourth goal of the season with six minutes left in regulation.
86', Union II equalize! | With wind in their sails, Union II marched right back down the pitch and make it 3-3 with a brace from Cavan Sullivan as he raced into the box to collect a brace!
Penalty Kick Shootout | With a second point on the line, it was down to the 1v1 shots with Andrew Rick taking on 40-year-old shotstopper Eldin Jakupovic. After both sides went perfect in the first two rounds, Rick made a save to his left in the third round against Robert Screen but Union II couldn't take advantage as their next shot rang off the post. In the fourth round and fifth rounds both teams scored which send the shootout to sudden death for the second time in 2025 between the two teams. In the seventh round, Rick made another clutch save to set up the winning finish from captain Nick Pariano.
