The Philadelphia Union entered Sunday's match at Red Bull Arena on a high note after beating D.C. United last week for just their second win of the season. The Union had never beaten their rival from North Jersey away from PPL Park. It is no secret that the Union have struggled this week and have seen fan protests in recent weeks. Fittingly, the Union didn’t have to wait long to pick up win number three, picking up their second straight shutout as they went on to win 2-0.
The nationally-televised match was expected to be a mismatch in favor of the host New York Red Bulls against a team in disarray in the Union. Injuries and suspensions have created a revolving door in the Union lineup and this week was no different, with captain Maurice Edu suspended and right back Ray Gaddis adding to the injury list. Let’s not even mention the goalkeeping situation that has been the butt of MLS jokes for years. All of this was a recipe for disaster for Philadelphia and the first half went as expected, with New York controlling play and having the better chances. Unfortunately for New York, poor finishing cost them big time. Felipe and Mike Grella each hit the post and the team had several other quality chances they could not put away. The Union had to feel lucky to make it to halftime scoreless while New York must have felt they had squandered the chance to be up at least 2-0 or possibly more.
The second half was a different story as New York came out flat and Philadelphia took advantage. Vincent Nogueira scored on a back heel flick in the 57th minute and just five minutes later C.J. Sapong doubled the lead with an easy tap in to ultimately seal the victory for the Union. The win moves the Union into a sixth place tie with Orlando for the final playoff spot and Philadelphia will travel to Washington next week to play D.C. United at RFK Stadium. A third win in a row would be huge for Philadelphia and would go a long way toward helping salvage the season that looked lost just a few weeks ago.