Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union

In an exciting match that was full of controversy, the Philadelphia Union tied Inter Miami 2-2, remaining undefeated in MLS under Ryan Richter. Indiana Vassilev opened the scoring, before Miami stormed back to take the lead. Unwilling to go down without a fight, the Union tied the game in the second half through a Neil Pierre header. The Boys in Blue seemed to have found the go-ahead goal, but a long VAR check overturned the goal. In the 10th minute of stoppage time, a major brawl ensued when Quinn Sullivan’s head was grabbed by Ian Fray, resulting in red cards to both Yannick Bright and Cavan Sullivan. Let’s get into the ratings. 

Player Ratings:

Andre Blake – 6

The Union shot-stopper couldn’t do much on either Miami goal, but made a big save in the 69th minute to keep the match level.

Kai Wagner – 6

It was a tough assignment for the German full-back, who had to try to contain Messi down the wing, with mixed results. Several good deliveries, and was unlucky not to get an assist from his set-pieces.

Nathan Harriel – 6

Another game, another solid defensive performance from Harriel. Highlight of the night was locking up Messi 1v1, though the offside flag was raised after the play. A half step slow to react to Pinter’s run on Miami’s equalizer.
Neil Pierre – 7

Scored via a diving header, his 3rd in just 5 games. Nearly picked up an assist, but was correctly judged to be marginally offside. Solid defensively and on the ball for the most part.
Frankie Westfield – 7

Picked up a great assist on the Union’s opening goal. Looked to get caught too far away from his mark on the Miami opener.
Danley Jean-Jacuqes – 7

The Haitian midfielder racked up defensive contorubtions, including 4 won tackles and 3 interceptions.
Jesús Bueno – 7

ChuChu made his first MLS start since April 25th, and largely impressed in his 82 minutes of action, managing 4 interceptions and creating 1 chance.
Cavan Sullivan – 7

Involved all night, the young star’s 4 shots was the most among both sets of players. His work in the buildup helped create some of the Union’s best attacks. No complaints with the decision to get involved in the brawl, which was vindicated by the successful appeal. 

Indiana Vassilev – 7

Usually on the field for his attributes relating to pressing, and defense, it was good to see the moustachioed midfielder contribute in those categories and get on the scoresheet.

Bruno Damiani – 5

Had a couple of good chances to score but was unable to find the back of the net. Wish he did better with his 1v1 opportunity.

Milan Iloksi – 6

Great free kick that resulted in the Union’s tying goal. Created the most chances among either team with 5. Good finish, but his would-be go ahead goal was negated by an offside in the buildup. Needed to square the ball on his chance in the 71st.

Substitutes:

Quinn Sullivan – 6

Couldn’t re-create the impact he had last week. Extra point for that form tackle on Ian Fray.

Alejandro Bedoya – 5

Hardly involved enough to warrant a rating.

Ezekiel Alladoh – 5

Willing runner on the night, sprinting forward and tracking back. No major impact offensively.

Geiger Counter:

Filip Dujic – 2

Genuinely terrible refereeing. Extremely inconsistent calls, which largely favored Miami. By tolerating Miami’s theatrics, he allowed the game to boil over, which was topped off by the red cards to Cavan Sullivan and Yannick Bright. 

Richter Scale: 

Ryan Richter – 7

The Union outplayed Miami, and Richter did the right thing by going for the win in the second half. Unfortunately, the substitutes didn’t have much of an impact, except for Quinn Sullivan’s UFC takedown on Ian Fray. Still, Richter has acquitted himself extremely well in his first 5 games, leading the Union to an undefeated 4-0-1 record.

Player of the Match: Cavan Sullivan

Showed exactly the kind of grit and skill that embodies Philadelphia sports. Maybe he didn’t get on the box score tonight, but his fingerprints were all over the game. Some excellent passes helped lead to some of the Union’s best chances on the night. As for the red card… Cavan confirmed he does indeed have, “that dawg in him”. Good stuff kid. 

What’s Next?

The Union will look to continue their undefeated run this Saturday, as they travel to the Lone Star state to face off with Western Conference club Austin FC. Kick-off is set for 8:30 PM.