Ad Disclosure
White-Hot Union into the Open Cup Quarterfinals After Dispatching Pittsburgh Riverhounds with Relative Ease
Published:
The Keystone Derby turned out to be a one-sided thumping on Wednesday night, as the Union handled business 4-1 on home soil:
Good run by the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, but the Yinzers didn’t put up too much of a fight in Chester.
For the Union, that’s six wins and two draws in all competitions going back to April 19th, an unbeaten run of eight games that includes the penalty shootout advancement against Indy Eleven. They will host the New York Red Bulls in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals at Subaru Park on July 8th or July 9th. Three more wins in the competition and they lift their second trophy in franchise history.
This marks the 5th time the Union have reached at least the quarterfinals of the USOC, the four previously coming between 2013 and 2018. They’ve lost three times the USOC final, once in added time and once on penalty kicks, with two of those losses at home and the other a 3-0 road defeat. This was before legal sports betting, but in all three of those cases they would have been an underdog against Seattle, Kansas City, and Houston. Those games were pre-Ernst Tanner, before the Union had really turned the corner and built the identity they currently have.
Nevertheless, they should put all of their 2025 eggs into the Open Cup basket. They are not participating in the Leagues Cup and didn’t qualify for the Champions Cup, so they only have had to balance MLS play with the USOC. Any year you win a trophy is a hugely successful year, and this is a trophy that has eluded them despite several attempts coming up just short. If they can get by New York at home, then win two more, the 2020 Supporters’ Shield has a companion in the Union display case.
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