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Well, I've been Zach Drapkin, thanks for joining us for this VAVEL USA live! AFC Bournemouth win 4-1 over Philadelphia Union.
Rantie has a brace, Wilson and King score to power the Cherries to a resounding 4-1 victory here at PPL Park. This was a dominant performance, no doubt AFC Bournemouth deserved this one.
FULL TIME. BOURNEMOUTH 4 - 1 UNION
90' Steven Vitoria picks up a yellow by pulling back the Bournemouth player with transition possession.
90' HERE'S A CHANCE FOR RANTIE! He is taken down, no call.
89' BREAJAWAY, UNION! HOPPENOT IS TACKLED, throw-in for Philadelphia.
89' Through ball to the middle! Nobody can get a foot on it, goal kick.
88' Union with some penalty area miscommunications. Wild shot taken, out for a corner.
87' Offsides, AFCB on a breakaway.
86' Union trying all they can, but they are unable to break through here.
85' RANTIE TAKES AND SCORES. KEEPER GUESSED CORRECTLY, DIDN'T MATTER. 4-1 BOURNEMOUTH!
85' Fred trips am AFCB player in the box. PK for Bournemouth.
83' Match is getting a bit chippy. Another free kick for Union.
82' Le Toux takes, headed away and cleared.
82' Ayuk goes down, free kick chance here for Philadelphia Union.
81' Bournemouth with back line passing troubles, ball goes out for an attacking Philadelphia throw.
80' Midfield for Philly looking pretty strong.
79' Fabinho goes down, foul and now a free kick for Philly.
79' Union recover, start again from the back.
79' Awful passing, Cherries take it away and start the counterattack.
78' Wide left attack for Union.
77' AFC Bournemouth's attack is neverending, is it?
76' WONDERFUL WORK INSIDE FOR AFCB! RANTIE WITH THE FINAL TOUCH IN FRONT OF NET! HE HIT IT WITH THE WRONG FOOT. HITS OUTSIDE OF THE GOAL'S LEFT, GOAL KICK.
75' BOURNEMOUTH WIDE ATTACK! Ball tackled out for a throw.
74' Philly counterattack. Slows down at the right wing.
74' BEAUTIFUL PASSING INSIDE BY THE CHERRIES! FINAL BALL! Tackled away by Union.
73' Le Toux takes the corner. Headed clearances and finally a boot downfield, Union reset.
SUBSTITUTION AFCB: WARD IN, MINGS OUT
72' BREAKAWAY PHILLY! HOPPENOT WITH THE ONE-TOUCH SHOT! DEFLECTED JUST WIDE! CORNER!
71' Rantie loses it in the box, goal kick. That could have been lethal.
71' Corss deflected out, corner Bournemouth.
70' Transition attack on for Bournemouth, slows down at the midfield.
70' Another call against the Union.
69' Breakaway, Philly. WONDERFUL TRANSITION TACKLE BY TYRONE MINGS! SUPERB EFFORT!
69' Rantie's attack in the box goes nowhere on the break, Union clear.
68' Free kick, AFCB.
67' Crowd getting furious with the officiating. Kermorgant goes down and warrants a foul call. He lingers on the pitch before getting up again.
66' Bournemouth are relentless. Another takeaway and attack.
65' Taken short again. Now working around the box, final ball for Atsu is kicked away.
64' Corner, Bournemouth.
64' High pressure now for Philly.
63' Cross through the middle does nothing for Philadelphia, eventually cleared by AFCB.
62' BREAKAWAY FOR BOURNEMOUTH! GOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!! MARC PUGH FROM TOKELO RANTIE! A SHOT INTO THE TOP RIGHT CORNER FROM POINT BLANK RANGE! 3-1 CHERRIES!
Ray Gaddis and Fabinho on, Raymond Lee and Ethan White off.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR UNION. NAMES TO COME.
60' Breakaway for Hoppenot! He goes down along with a defender, danger averted.
60' Bournemouth again pressing up on the attack.
60' Kermorgant's through ball is gathered by McCarthy.
59' Another great Philly clearance.
59' Bournemouth corner. Taken short once again.
59' Union clear a penalty area AFCB attack.
58' TYRONE MINGS WITH A FANTASTIC RUN! TO ATSU! HE GETS IT BY MCCARTHY! WHAT A SAVE AND CLEARANCE BY SHEANON WILLIAMS RIGHT BEFORE THE GOAL LINE! STILL 2-1!
57' Lots of midfield play now.
56' Corner is cleared, now another for Philadelphia. Fred, the injured man, now re-enters.
55' Injury here for Union.
55' Ayuk takes it in, gets stuck, and feeds to Le Toux. Ball goes out for a corner.
54' Union with a masterful clearing job. Counterattack coming.
54' Wide left wing attack for AFCB.
53' Atsu's wide attack on the right wing gets into the box, McCarthy ends up with the ball.
52' Though ball for Ayuk just goes out before the man can make his town down the right wing.
51' Union attack wide right. Cross goes through to no avail.
50' Whole new XI was brought on for Bournemouth: Federici, Francis, Cook, Cargill, Mings, Atsu, MacDonald, O'Kane, Pugh, Kermorgant, Rantie. Just as the manager said pregame.
49' Lots of physicality, very few calls in Union's favor.
49' For Philadelphia, the subs: On: Vitoria, Fred, McLaughlin, Hoppenot, Le Toux. Off: Marquez, Edu, Chaco, Wenger, and Sapong
48' Weak ground shot by Kermorgant is saved by McCarthy with a dive.
47' Breakaway, Bournemouth!
47' List of subs to come soon.
46' AFCB already back on the attack.
46' We have second half kickoff!
Lots of half time subs, as expected.
We'll be back for the start of the second half.
The Marquez goal was the one bright spot for the Union. Otherwise, the pressure from AFCB has gotten to Philadelphia, and most of the possession has been meaningless passing across the back line and midfield. The best counterattack from the Union may be to copy what Bournemouth are doing, as that is what has worked bst up to this point.
This wide, speedy attack and then cross game by AFC Bournemouth is killing this Philadelphia defense. McCarthy is doing all he can, but Philly are lucky not to have conceded more than twice.
45' HALF TIME. AFC BOURNEMOUTH 2 - 1 PHILADELPHIA UNION
45' Union clear.
45' Pass across the back goes out again for Union, throw-in AFC Bournemouth.
44' Offsides, Callum Wilson. Free kick, Union.
43' SCREAMING BALL IN FROM BOURNEMOUTH! OOF, OPEN GOAL SHOT IS HIT BADLY AND OUT BY AFCB!
42' UNION BREAKAWAY! Through ball is just too long, Boruc gathers the weak ball in from Wenger.
41' Wide left once again for Matt Ritchie.
41' ANOTHER CURLING FINESSE SHOT BY RITCHIE FROM THE RIGHT SIDE!
41' Breakaway, Bournemouth.
40' Wilson with nearly a clear lane wide, but Edu comes back to superbly take control of the ball and clear.
40' Bournemouth passing around the back as they slowly move up the pitch.
39' Union back on the attack.
39' Whipped in and headed away is that free kick. The ball eventually ends up in the hands of Boruc.
38' Ayuk goes down, Philly free kick.
38' SUBSTITUTION FOR AFC BOURNEMOUTH: HARRY CORNICK IN FOR JOSHUA KING
37' Now the small-seeming crowd is starting to become energized.
36' Boruc comes WAAAAYYYY out to clear a potentially dangerous ball. Now another AFCB attack.
35' Marquez tapped in a Sheanon Williams crossed into the left side of the net for the first Philadelphia goal of the evening. They're back, folks!
35' GOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! RICHIE MARQUEZ FOR THE UNION! 2-1 NOW THE SCORE!
35' Philadelphia attacking wide right.
34' Ground shot by Stanislas goes wide left.
33' BALL IN FOR SAPONG! HE GOES DOWN, NO CALL BY THE OFFICIAL!
33' The pressure defense is getting to Philly, they are having attacking troubles.
33' Goal kick, Philadelphia Union.
32' Ritchie is taken down by Edu. Free kick on the attack for AFCB.
31' A bad pass by Philly in the back line, throw-in at midfield for AFCB.
30' Philadelphia have nothing doing.
30' FINESSE ONE TOUCH SHOT BY RITCHIE! JUST SAILS WIDE LEFT AND A BIT HIGH!
30' Yet another dangerous wide attack here by the Cherries.
29' Boruc gathers a skied through ball after the won header by the veteran defender Sylvian Distin.
28' Through ball is gathered by McCarthy, he clears right to Junior Stanislas, whose pass goes nowhere. King appears to have been stopped on a run for that ball.
27' Another charge wide for Bournemouth, King pushes over his marker near the end line, free kick for McCarthy.
26' GOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLL! BOURNEMOUTH 2-0! CALLUM WILSON TAPS IN A BRILLIANT FEED FROM THE WIDE ADAM SMITH! WONDERFUL WIDE ATTACKING AND PASSING, BOURNEMOUTH LEAD HAS DOUBLED!
25' Wilson tried to just get it past McCarthy, whose position was impeccable.
25' BREAKAWAY THROUGH BALL TO CALLUM WILSON! MCCARTHY CHARGES! BEAUTIFUL DEFLECTION SAVE, CORNER BOURNEMOUTH.
24' Crossed in by Wilson, brilliant acrobatic jump and catch by the Union keeper McCarthy.
24' Another Bournemouth attack! Callum Wilson!
23' Matt Ritchie strikes a shot WAAAYYYYY wide and high. Goal kick, McCarthy.
23' Bournemouth are slashing in from the wings, Union are trying a multi-pronged attacking approach.
22' Free kick, Union.
20' GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!! JOSHUA KING CHEEKILY TAPS IN A SHOT FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BOX INTO THE LEFT SIDE NETTING OVER MCCARTHY! 1-0 AFC BOURNEMOUTH!
20' Shot from the top left of the box is saved magnificently by McCarthy!
20' Bournemouth pressing up. Cross in is headed away. Now the Cherries still attacking.
19' Philadelphia working around the attack.
17' BREAKAWAY IN THE BOX FOR BOURNEMOUTH! Pass goes to the middle for no one, cleared.
16' Philadelphia finally clear.
15' JUNIOR STANISLAS WITH THE ONE-TOUCH SHOT! SAVE BY MCCARTHY!
14' Smith streaks across the top of the box with very long touches. He is taken down by a Union defender Ethan White, free kick coming in point blank range.
14' Another McCarthy save!
13' SHOT FOR BOURNEMOUTH! Right at McCarthy.
13' Attack on for Bournemouth. A pass in is deflected out for a corner, again taken short.
11' Through ball just too long for Wilson, McCarthy tries to clear, kick is deflected right in front of goal, barely pulls up before the net. Philly is safe.
11' Both teams with high-pressure defending to start.
10' On a through ball for Adam Smith, a foul is called on Andrew Wenger for a Bournemouth free kick.
9' Philly in the box! Cleared by a swarm of Cherries defenders.
8' WIDE BREAKAWAY! UNION! Sapong's pass inside is weak and cleared.
7' Bournemouth in the box, one touch goes too long, now Philly has the attack.
6' Turnover Philly. Transition chance for the Cherries. A pass is cleared out for a Bournemouth throw-in.
5' Philly has two shots in the box blocked. Second one goes out for a corner kick.
4' A through ball for Callum Wilson goes out the back for a corner. Short corner taken, now an offsides call ensues.
3' Lots of passing in Bournemouth's own zone.
3' Breakaway for Philly. Shut down.
2' First foul of the match, this one on Bournemouth.
2' Attack in the box by Bournemouth. After some shimmies, the ball is muscled out of danger.
1' Wide ball for Union is cleared.
1' Through ball by AFC Bournemouth is cleared by Philadelphia.
1' And we have kickoff!
Players take the pitch. Kickoff is about to commence.
And now the Star Spangled Banner.
English anthem now being played.
Players and officials are entering following an American flag across from the English flag.
Stadium looking pretty empty so far.
Don't forget to follow VAVEL UNION on Twitter for all your Philadelphia Union news and updates.
Teams now warming up on the pitch after a possibly delayed arrival and start due to not the greatest weather just a few hours ago at PPL Park. Now, it is a beautiful, sunny evening here in Chester, PA.
Shoutout to Jordan Wohl for writing the preview portion of this LIVE.
Substitutes: Federici, Francis, Mings, Cook, Cargill, MacDonald, O'Kane, Pugh, Kermorgant, Rantie, Atsu, Allsop, Ward, Cornick
Bournemouth lineup: Boruc; Smith, Daniels, Elphick, Distin; Surman, Gosling, Ritchie, Wilson; King, Stanislas
Substitutes: Hoppenot, McLaughlin, Le Toux, Nogueira, Fred, Fabinho, Vitoria, Gaddis, Carroll, Casey, Sylvestre
Philadelphia lineup: McCarthy; Williams, White, Marquez, Lee; Pfeffer, Edu, Ayuk, Maidana, Wenger; Sapong
The Union put out a preview for the game, which can be read here. It details some quotes from both Bournemouth head coach Eddie Howe and Philadelphia’s Curtin. Both say that the starters will play some but that in the second half Bournemouth will most likely do a platoon swap to get all their players some crucial minutes in this preseason, said Head Coach Eddie Howe.
Philadelphia Union Coach Jim Curtin had a few very interesting quotes about AFC Bournemouth in the Bournemouth Echo: "Rocky always comes to mind when Philadelphia gets brought up but Bournemouth’s story is a real one"... “They actually did it on the field and got promoted to the best league in the world so their story is special... "They have young but good staff and a great team. Any team that gets a plus-53 goal difference in a season is doing a lot of things right. It means you’re not just scoring goals but preventing them as well and that is something we try to emulate."... "There are similarities between the clubs. Obviously, they have a much longer history and have done some special things on the field and now get to test themselves against some of the top teams in the world... "I think they will be up to the fight.”
AFC Bournemouth has an extremely intriguing background which can be read about here. To sum the article, Bournemouth has reached the Premier League in 2015 after being in administration and in League 2 in the 2007-2008 season. Since 2007-2008, Bournemouth has secured a very impressive 4 promotions in only 7 seasons.
Philadelphia Union beat writer Dave Zeitlin wrote a great piece on the Union’s YSC Academy, which is a must read for any Union fan. Zeitlin interviews this year’s graduating class, which is the first class to graduated from YSC. Furthermore, he talks to Richie Graham, part-owner of the Union, about the philosophies involved with the Academy and how the Academy will influence the growth of elite soccer talent in the United States.
McLaughlin, on the other hand, is fully fit but has been unable to crack the Starting XI but has been in the 18 a few times and entered the game as a substitute once. McLaughlin surely has talent and a ton of potential but he hasn’t gotten serious minutes in the first team.
Specifically, Curtin may opt to use players such as the Steven Vitoria, Conor Casey, Fernando Aristeguieta and the young Jimmy McLaughlin. Vitoria, Casey and Aristeguieta are all returning from injuries in some way. Casey was fit enough to make the 18 for last Saturday’s game but neither Vitoria nor Aristeguieta were included. However, Aristeguieta was on the field last Saturday jogging before the game.
For their efforts, Nogueira and Maidana were named to the MLS Team of the Week.
In the 3-0 win, the Union were simply too much for a slightly depleted Portland side. Cristian Maidana was simply magnificent as he tallied three assists with his creative passing ability. Vincent Nogueira was also great as he tallied two goals. The main story though was the return of Andrew Wenger, the goalscorer. Before his goal on Saturday, Wenger went 9 months without a goal. With the goal-scoring burden off his back, the Union will hope Wenger can begin to play more freely as they chase down the last spot in the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. VAVEL's recap of the game can be read here.
The Union are coming off what possibly is their most complete performance of the season against Portland, in which they won 3-0. It will interesting to see who is available from Saturday’s game in this friendly. With a game against Toronto on Saturday, expect Coach Jim Curtin to use this friendly as a way to get some guys who haven’t played as much or are returning from injury some crucial playing time.
The Union will take on English Premier League Side AFC Bournemouth tonight at 7PM. The game will not be live-streamed but be sure to stick with VAVEL for live updates from tonight’s game.
Hello, I am Zach Drapkin, and welcome to this 2015 VAVEL live of MLS and Barclays Premier League friendly soccer. I'll be providing live updates right from PPL Park in Chester, PA, home to the Philadelphia Union.