On a choppy night, full of imprecisions and fouls, Philadelphia Union 2-1 win over Chicago Fire leaves them atop of the table, unbeaten at home, and with the regular season coming to its end.
By Esteban Suarez
"Wasn't pretty, but a win is a win," tweeted the team's captain, Alejandro Bedoya, after the match, also highlighting the fan's contribution pushing the team.
However, the image wasn't pretty for the locals even before the starting whistle, since unexpectedly news changed Jim Curtin's plans. Just a couple of hours away from the kickoff, Philadelphia announced that a player had tested positive for COVID-19. The name was later confirmed to be Venezuelan international José Martinez, who played a crucial role in the 5-0 win over Toronto FC the game before.
It was clear that the team felt the international center-mid's absence. Instead of playing a building up game, Philadelphia insisted on long balls that didn't find its way and showed a lack of creativity.
However, without necessarily being the better side, Union found the first goal of the match from the PK spot after a Fire's handball inside the box. The penalty kick was taken by Kacper Przybylko, who didn't miss the chance and ended a seven scoreless game streak.
Eight minutes after, Fire's defender Francisco Calvo, also the hand's ball author, got a red card for a foul on Alejandro Bedoya. Despite being a man down, Chicago battled through and tied up the game just before half-time when Robert Beric found the net.
The second half changes made a difference for the team's performance that could' t challenge a Fire side playing with ten for most of the game. Union's second goal came from the bench. The game-winner was scored at the 65th minute by Corey Burke, subbed in just five minutes before.
Another man that came into the game being crucial for Union's win was Andrew Wooten, who kept the lead alive with a bicycle goal-line clearance in the third of eight minutes of stoppage time. Even though the name doesn't appear in the scoring sheet, Wooten's late intervention saved the team's chances of a Supporters' Shield.
In the postgame press conference, Jim Curtin spoke about goalkeeper Andrew Blake being subbed off almost at the match's end. "These three points cost us a lot," Curtin said after making it clear that a medical evaluation is needed to know how severe the injury is.
The Union remains in first place, three points above Toronto FC. With two regular-season games left to be played, by winning on Sunday on their visit to Columbus, Philadelphia Union could secure the first trophy in franchise history.
