Photo by Ron Soliman
The Union started their CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 match against Pachuca with a 0-0 draw on Tuesday night. The scoreline showed no drama as the game was wide open and end to end for most of the 90 minutes.
But how was the team doing?
Player rating
Andre Blake – 7
Pachuca's finishing ability on Tuesday was no better than Philadelphia's, and the breaks were largely untested. Had to make some saves to keep the porch clean, but nothing too great. Handing Pachuca their first shutout of the season will be considered a success and will build his confidence in his first game back from injury.
Kai Wagner – 6
That night, Kai's future abilities were mostly suppressed. With Hariel playing out of position at LCB and McGlynn having known defensive shortcomings, Wagner's positioning and decision-making on when to come forward played a key role in keeping Pachuca from scoring. Ta.
Nathan Harriel – 8
The young homegrown talent not only played out of position; outside his mind on tuesday. He was the Union's best defender on the field. He won every contested header, stepped up well to intercept Pachuca's pass near the penalty area, and was even seen spraying a 40-yard diagonal pass to start the Union attack. It was done. The 22-year-old's excellent performances and his versatility are a positive sign for the club.
Jacob Glesnes – 4
Throughout the first 45 minutes, it looked like this might be a new howler for Glenes. It must have been a series of performances that he would want to forget. Still, Glenes settled well in the second half to turn things around and ultimately keep the ball out of their own net. Still, Glenes' lack of consistency is unique to him. As alarming as these performances have been, his offseason hernia surgery should add some context to what has been a disappointment so far in this young season.
Olivier Mbaiso – 4
Like Wagner, Mbaizo also failed to find a way to contribute going forward. However, unlike Wagner, Mbaiso had some problems dealing with Pachuca's own attacks. In his post-match press conference, Curtin praised Pachuca's Idrissi and González, who mainly played in Mbaiso's flank and caused trouble for Mbaiso for a significant part of the match. Coach Curtin said of Mbaiso's performance: “When Mbaiso defends up front and gets aggressive…he's unbelievable.” The moment you back away and start charging towards Idrissi, the party is over. Mbaizo had some good moments, but after watching the movie, I think there were moments where he could have tightened up a little more. ”
Alejandro Bedoya – 6
In another Bedoya appearance, his presence seemed to calm the team. For 74 minutes, the captain was active in all thirds of the pitch, similar to what he has done for the past eight years in Philadelphia.
Jose Martinez – 9
Arguably Jose's best performance in this young season. He played in all areas of the pitch, keeping the talented London side away from dangerous areas in front of the centre-backs. Great performance from El Brujo.
Jack McGlynn – 8
McGlynn continues to develop into a defensive shuttle role, but his ability moving forward is second to none on this team. His passing, his deception, his confidence on the ball, everything was exquisite for his age. Curtin said after the game. “Jack is never going to be the quickest, quickest, most dynamic guy on the field, but he's developing these little 'outs' to get out of tight spaces…where he puts himself out there. It's an extra step to play the ball 60 yards that gets to Quinn who can release and get it. ” Another great performance from McGlynn. He really makes the ball smile.
Daniel Gasdag – 4
Not Gusdag's best night in the blue shirt. He struggled to find his game and create the chances we are used to seeing from him. Gusdag and Ule didn't seem to be in sync. At times, Oule's movement seemed to crowd Gasdag, and at other times it looked like Oule was struggling to find space, with Gasdag exploring options to advance the ball. Carranza's absence was evident and appeared to be contributing to the disjointedness of the front three.
Michael Uhle – 3
All good strikers have the characteristic of being opportunists. Oule had two Grade A chances to score in one-on-one matches with the keeper in the first 15 minutes of the game, but both of them hit the Pachuca keeper in the stomach. He seemed to disappear for the middle 60 minutes or so of the game and didn't do enough to stretch the defense and create space with his lateral and vertical movement. The interaction between Uhle, Gusdag, and Sullivan was lacking. Oule was given a chance as the only forward, but he failed to make the most of it throughout the 90 minutes.
Quinn Sullivan – 7
An unusual role for Quinn as a dual '10' in something of a variation of the 4-3-2-1. He gave a few chances here and there, but looked very dangerous for 87 minutes, often being at the forefront of driving plays down the right flank. He found space time and time again and was able to create some of Union's best chances that night. The confidence he exuded from his one-touch backheel pass to the offside Bedoya was the perfect encapsulation of his progress in recent seasons with the first team. The season is off to a really strong start for Sullivan.
substitute
Jesus Bueno – 4
It was a tough result for Bueno. He found himself in a tough position late in the match in an open contest, but the match situations didn't necessarily bring out Bueno's best attributes. He struggled to connect plays from the back to the front with short shifts.
Marcus Anderson – N/A
Geiger counter:
Ismael Cornejo – 7
The referee held the whistle close to his mouth for most of the game, but sometimes he would say “whistle happy” in the wrong direction. However, he only picked up two yellow cards on the night, which definitely kept two physical teams in check. With all the discussion surrounding his VAR in today's game, it's best that VAR ruled against him, overturning a penalty and Hariel's yellow card, which ultimately resulted in a handball in the build-up of the play. Real-time is one of his use cases. for What I remember recently is VAR. That alone earned the judges and Cornejo a fairly high score.
Players of the match:
Jose Martinez
There was an injury concern over the weekend in Kansas City, but El Brujo appeared unaffected Tuesday. He did an incredible job defensively, fulfilling his defensive responsibilities by winning the ball back and contributing to the build-up by attacking in the opposite direction. He was never captured and became a much-needed “shield” in front of Glenes and Hariel all night to deal with his compatriot London. Commenting on his performance, Curtin said: “Jose had the difficult task of sitting in the middle of a block of three midfielders, which was not easy. London has a talented striker…the fluidity of the attack. Sex… Jose gave a really strong performance.”