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Union Push Unbeaten Streak to 10 Games After Toronto Smash and Grab
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The Philadelphia Union are now unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions after two late goals stole all three points in Toronto on Wednesday night. The winner, a deflected Kai Wagner blast from outside the box, proves that sometimes you just have to shooooooooot:
The obvious takeaway is that these guys battle. They conceded with 15 minutes left, then they nicked one back on an 86th-minute set piece before winning it in stoppage time. They have all of the requisite characteristics of a blue-collar, never-say-die Philly team. It’s insanely impressive how many players they have with this mentality, going back to 2019 now, whether they’re developed through the academy or signed from outside the organization. They find these guys who are absolute grinders with no quit. That alone will take you a long way, as we’ve seen over the last half-decade of Union soccer.
Going back to April 19th, they have seven wins and three draws in all competitions. That includes a U.S. Open Cup tie in which they advanced on penalties. During this period, they’ve outscored opponents 24 to 11 and twice stolen three points in stoppage time, first against the Galaxy at home and then this week in Ontario. The only blemishes were the late concessions to Columbus and Miami, in which they couldn’t drive the final nail in the coffin and had to settle for home draws.
The schedule gets a little more difficult moving forward, with road games against Eastern Conference playoff teams and international breaks junking up the schedule.
Two other observations from Wednesday night:
1) I think Nate Harriel might be the best pure athlete on the roster. The way he elevates on these offensive headers, I don’t think anybody else in franchise history comes close. Maybe Conor Casey and his bald dome as an all-around header of the ball, but when it comes to aerial duals and set piece threat, Harriel is tier 1 in Major League Soccer. According to FBref, his 33 aerial wins are 15th-best in the league. And the top of the list is nothing but center backs and forwards who are six foot-plus, guys like Christian Benteke and Sam Surridge and Dave Romney. Harriel is doing this as a 5’10”, 150-pound fullback who has deputized at CB a few times. His aerial win percentage is 67, which is top-30.
2) I was at YSC while the game was on. The Union academy moved out of here a couple of years ago but the banners and youth prospect jerseys are still plastered all over the walls. They were showing NBA and USL in the lobby though because they don’t have Apple TV. If you want a good snapshot of MLS going behind the paywall, and the lack of attention paid to this team, imagine being surrounded by Union imagery and yet they aren’t even showing a game in progress because they don’t have the subscription:
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com