The Philadelphia Union took on the Houston Dynamo at PPL Park and came away with a convincing 2-0 win on Sunday night. Philadelphia experienced some old faces returning to the lineup as Maurice Edu returned from injury in addition to Cristian Maidana, who returned from suspension. Former Union fullback Sheanon Williams made his first appearance at PPL Park since the trade and was welcomed back by the fans with a round of applause during lineup introductions.
In the first half, the Union controlled the pace of the game by spreading the ball out and moving around parts in the midfield. The Union opened the scoring only three minutes into the game when Sebastien Le Toux found a wide open Tranquillo Barnetta at the top of the box. Barnetta beat his defender with a lovely first touch and blasted home his first goal in a Union jersey for the 1-0 lead.
At halftime, Philadelphia had a slim 1-0 lead, despite having five shots on target. Houston was also able to create five shots but only three were on target in the opening period. Houston also controlled the possession battle, with 58%in the first half.
The Union would go on to double their lead in the 63rd minute when Fabinho found a streaking CJ Sapong in the box for the sliding goal to put the Union in front, 2-0. On the play, Houston midfielder Oscar Boniek Garcia was off on the sidelines getting treatment, leaving the left flank open for Fabinho to attack. Fabinho drove the ball down the sideline unimpeded and found Sapong for the easy goal.
From there, the Union did not look back as they absorbed the Houston droves of pressure and continued to counter attack against a depleted Houston defense. The whistle sounded after three minutes of stoppage time as the Union took all three points on the night.
The key for the Union in the game was their midfield fluidity. Despite Maidana starting in the central attacking midfielder role and Barnetta starting on the wing, both frequently moved throughout the field. When on defense, Barnetta would swing out to the wing to bolster the Union defense. The ability to move around pieces in the midfield cannot be overstated. Instead of teams being able to gameplan to face Maidana centrally, opposing teams such as Houston now have to be cognizant of Barnetta and Maidana switching places during the game. Not only does this fluidity cause headaches for opposing teams, but the Union can use their fluid midfield to create advantages as seen tonight.
In the end, both sides are very unlikely to make the playoffs. With this in mind, the Union still have a trophy to play for this season as the Lamar Hunt U.S Open Cup Final is less than two weeks away. With this win and good performances by their strongest lineup, Philadelphia can carry some momentum forward with them when they play the New England Revolution next weekend and then Sporting Kansas City in the Cup Final on the 30th of September.
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