The Union returned to league action after a whirlwind of international friendlies and a flurry of roster changes to end July. Young goalkeeper Brian Perk was shown the door while a trio of new players joined the Union fold. Veteran Justin Mapp, journeyman Eduardo Coudet, and local boy J.T. Noone were on hand to take in the battle between two in-form sides. The Revolution are coming off three straight 1-0 wins in SuperLiga play while the Union enjoyed wins over Celtic FC and Toronto FC – much to Preki’s dismay – and a hard-fought loss 1-0 to Manchester United.
Two of the three new additions saw time on the day as New England and Philadelphia settled for a 1-1 stalemate after creating plenty of chances. Marko Perovic, as he has been recently for the Revolution, was the deciding factor in the Revolution’s fate scoring a late, fluky free kick to steal a point from the industrious Union eleven.
Early on, Fred looked the liveliest providing some creativity but the final touch was lacking. On more than one occasion, Fred’s final decision was just a step off from connecting with forward Danny Mwanga and Alejandro Moreno. It wasn’t until the 14th minute that there was a definitive chance on net but in spite of the lively play by the Union, it was New England’s Sainey Nyassi that provided the heart-stopping moment. A fantastic build-up started by Marko Perovic led to a wide open shot from Nyassi that missed just wide of the far post. Play continued to build back and forth but Fred and the revolving forward trio of Le Toux, Moreno, and Mwanga finally broke through in the 25th minute. Pinpoint interplay from those three allowed Le Toux the space to rocket a rolling Mwanga ball into the top right corner catching New England’s Matt Reis off guard. Le Toux’s 8th goal of the season proved to the Union faithful that just because his first half of the season was All-Star worthy for Le Toux, that doesn’t mean he plans on letting up in the second half. Danny Mwanga deserves huge credit on the goal, holding off Emmanuel Osei to create enough room for Le Toux to curl it far post. After the goal, things got a little chippy out there, especially in the midfield. Joseph, tired of the pesky Union distributors, was booked after chopping Miglioranzi down about 30 yards out. Referee Jasen Anno did the right thing to minimize injury time and blow for the end of the first half.
The start of the second half was slow to begin with the physical nature of the game wearing several of the players down. Moreno saw more time on the ground then on his feet as Emmanuel Osei chipped at him throughout the half. A possible handball on Califf in the 54th minute left Zach Schilawski jumping up and down, hoping the referee would change his mind. Much to his dismay, the whistle stayed quiet.
With Eduardo Coudet already enjoying an impressive debut, fellow new addition Justin Mapp entered the game for Danny Mwanga in the 56th minute. Mapp’s entrance caused quite the stir from the raucous River End, a very warm welcome after such a hasty exit from Chicago. New England showed real signs of life with the entrance of Kenny Mansally for Zach Schilawski and allowing talisman Shalrie Joseph to push forward. Twice, a scramble in the box almost led to a New England player poking the ball home. Joseph’s mere presence in the penalty box forced Danny Califf and Cristian Arrieta to clear in a hurried manner. The chippiness continued with potshots being taken on both ends but the Revs firmly getting the calls that counted. In the 71st minute, after a questionable foul called on Marko Perovic roughly 40 yards out, the Serbian attacker unleashed an ambitious dipper that bounced in front of Chris Seitz. The shot’s english bounced the ball up and over the diving Seitz to tie things up and end Seitz’s bid for his first MLS shutout, a product of consistent pressure on the counterattack. It was a goal even New England’s coach admitted was a bit “lucky”. Piotr Nowak did not hold Seitz accountable for the goal, blaming it instead on something in front of the goal or “maybe, it’s the Jabulani?” he joked. Jack McInerney entered in the 83rd minute for Coudet announcing Nowak’s intention of attacking for the three points. McInerney put fresh legs into the attack but it was the dangerous Perovic that almost negated his influence on the game finding space at the top of the box and cracking one just over the bar in the 84th minute. The physical play continued but Anno was content to let it continue as the Union pressed for yet another dramatic turn of events. In the 88th, a loose ball caromed off the omnipresent Le Toux. One hard touch later, Le Toux – six yards out – rocketed a shot that was blocked by Emmanuel Osei. Less than a minute later, Le Toux found space from marker Shalrie Joseph and looked free to head home a Jack McInerney redirection across the box. Joseph tugged at Le Toux from behind sending the 18,147 in attendance rightfully clamoring for a penalty kick. Anno refused to give the crowd what they wanted and the game was over, a relatively lopsided 1-1 tie.
The Union still created chances amidst a hostile back and forth between the two teams. Danny Califf played admirably, snuffing out the opportunistic and Zach Schilawski and pacy Kenny Mansally. Once again, however, it was a story of missed chances and lack of execution with the final decision. The Union will have to execute in the final third this Thursday if they want to have a chance at grabbing more than one point from the visiting Columbus Crew.
We will have much more up tonight and tomorrow including pictures, video, and quick chats with Danny Mwanga, Justin Mapp, and Chris Seitz.
New England Revolution Starting XI
————————————–Reis———————————————–
Alston——————Osei——————Barnes————————-Gibbs
Nyassi—————–Joseph—————Phelan————————Tierney
————————————Perovic———————————————
———————————–Schilawski——————————————-
Philadelphia Union Starting XI
————————————–Seitz———————————————–
Orozco F.—————-Califf—————–Arrieta———————-Harvey
—————————Coudet————-Miglioranzi—————————-
Le Toux—————————————————————————-Fred
—————————Mwanga————–Moreno——————————-
Scoring:
PHI — Sebastien Le Toux 8 (Danny Mwanga 3) 25
NE — Marko Perovic 4 (unassisted) 70
Misconduct:
NE — Shalrie Joseph (caution; Reckless Tackle) 45
PHI — Fred (caution; Reckless Tackle) 60
NE — Marko Perovic (caution; Reckless Tackle) 85
Lineups:
New England Revolution — Matt Reis, Kevin Alston, Emmanuel Osei, Darrius Barnes, Cory Gibbs, Sainey Nyassi, Shalrie Joseph, Pat Phelan, Chris Tierney, Zack Schilawski (Kenny Mansally 61), Marko Perovic
Philadelphia Union — Chris Seitz, Michael Orozco Fiscal, Danny Califf, Jordan Harvey, Cristian Arrieta, Sebastien Le Toux, Fred (Andrew Jacobson 77), Stefani Miglioranzi, Alejandro Moreno, Danny Mwanga (Justin Mapp 56), Eduard Coudet (Jack McInerney 83)
Referee: Jasen Anno
Referee’s Assistants: Thomas Supple; Steven Taylor
4th Official: Lee Suckle
Weather: Sunny and 83 degrees
Attendance: 18,147
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