For about 25 minutes on Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Union looked totally overmatched in the first leg of their Champion’s League quarterfinal game in Atlanta.

They couldn’t get a sniff of the ball, couldn’t carve out any chances, and were bailed out several times by All Star goalkeeper Andre Blake, who looked like a nimble octopus in goal. They were off the pace and frenetic and couldn’t get into their collective pressing game, which saw them obliterate Deportivo Saprissa in the tournament’s opening round.

Then we witnessed the soccer version of the “Upside Down” from Stranger Things, and the game literally flipped on its head, with Jim Curtin removing Cory Burke at halftime, inserting Sergio Santos, and then watching his team go on to bag a set piece goal and finish two counterattacks to claim a 3-0 road win and all but solidify their place in the CCL semifinal.

It was, without a doubt, one of the top-three wins in Philadelphia Union franchise history. This team had struggled in the past at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and was knocked out of the 2019 playoffs in this same building, but Tuesday night’s turnaround and comprehensive win goes right on my Mount Rushmore, along with the Supporter’s Shield clinching victory and 4-3 postseason win over New York. It was an incredible display of resilience, grit, tenacity, toughness, and all of the other things that the Eagles, Flyers, and Phillies should be showing us.

Here are the saves and the goals:

Thoughts on the game, in no real order:

  1. Give Leon Flach a lot of credit for the first goal. He turned over Atlanta on a smart press and got the ball wide, which led to the initial cross and shot, in turn providing the corner kick.
  2. Jakob Glesnes losing his mark and diving for that corner junked up ATL and played a role in that ball squirting through. The Union do a fantastic job at attacking the near post on all of their set pieces.
  3. Flach was excellent on the second goal, pouncing on the miscommunication and then playing that 1-2 to break into space and create the 2v1 moving forward. So good. Just smart, aware, high-IQ soccer from a 20 year old.
  4. The Sergio Santos pass that sprung the third goal was incredible. He is literally falling backwards, momentum taking him away from the play, and somehow turns and clips a through ball into space. Outrageous!
  5. The Union press wasn’t working early, but they settled in and showed that they can bunker, counter, and get out in transition in a slightly different way. Their starting points were a little deeper as a result, but I thought they really impressed in how quickly they covered that extra space. It shows that they can be a little bit more defensive and play off the back foot if necessary.
  6. Philly had never qualified for the Champion’s League in their ten-year history. Now they are 3-0-0 in the competition with a goal differential of +8 and have yet to even concede.
  7. On the Olivier Mbaizo/Cory Burke 1st half counterattack snafu, Burke needs to hold position there and wait for the cut back. Going near post is a very low percentage movement and I think that’s why Mbaizo threw his arms up in frustration, because he snuck a glance and thought Burke was going to stay put.
  8. Curtin subbing Burke at halftime was one of the best in-game adjustments he’s made in years. I know some people will say “well you can’t credit someone for correcting a mistake,” and there’s truth to that, since Burke probably shouldn’t have started, and his skill-set is redundant with Pryzbylko out there. But if Curtin decided to be stubborn, and not make the change, then we don’t get this result.
  9. Jose Martinez still makes me nervous in the sense that a second yellow or red card is always possible. But credit to him for settling in after the early yellow, finding his feet, and playing a more measured game. He is an incredible player when he’s locked in and humming.
  10. They could use a d-mid sub, a Warren Creavalle type to help close out games. They also need another d-mid behind Martinez in general, so they can give him the occasional break before his legs fall off.
  11. You could tell they had a hard time getting used to the turf. Shitty first touches and over-trapping and settling early on. They got infinitely more comfortable as the game went on.
  12. Atlanta really lost their composure and started chasing in this game, and the Union punished them for getting loose.

Fantastic game. I know I’ve said it a million times, and it sounds so trite and corny, but this team really does have all of the old school Philly traits. They are mentally strong, tough as nails physically, and play like a collective unit. There are no egos, no supermodel girlfriends, and there’s very little in the way of bitching, complaining, or sulking. They are a well-constructed squad with a great coach, a wonderful sporting director, and a supportive and intelligent fan base.

Sky is the limit for this team. They didn’t even play very well last night and won 3-0 on the road.