Philadelphia Union 0-0 Nashville SC – The Philly Soccer Page

Photo: Marjorie Elzey

The Philadelphia Union extended their winning streak to two games, handing 10th-place Nashville SC their sixth straight loss on Saturday night at Subaru Park.

Nashville went into the match with five straight defeats. Newly announced Nashville boss BJ Callaghan has yet to officially join the club. He will officially take charge from July 22, ahead of Nashville’s first Leagues Cup match.

Philadelphia, on the other hand, entered the match with its first win in ten games, beating New England Revolution on Wednesday night.

And of course Philadelphia was on a roll early in the game.

In the 10th minute a very aesthetically pleasing build up between Gazdag, Uhre and Sullivan on the right led to Sullivan finding Flach at the top of the box. Flach played a very nice pass to Gazdag inside the box who deftly slotted the ball past Joe Willis for Dani’s 5th goal of the season.

Even the volume of Willis’ moustache wasn’t enough to reveal even a hint of the beautiful finish.

Gazdag remained active throughout the first half, trying all sorts of tricks around the penalty area to create chances. He came close to connecting with Baribo with a cheeky backheel,

He clearly had a feeling all night that it was going to happen to him.

Nashville had their best chance of the half in the 24th minute, when Muyl sent a low cross into the 5-yard box. The cross went through several bodies, but was ultimately not touched and was cleared by Union.

Ten minutes before the end of the first half, Union got the fright of its life from André Blake.

Blake routinely saved a Nashville header, jumping and stretching his body. He sat, apparently in pain, minutes later and was examined by Paul Rushing and medical staff. After a quick adjustment to his left leg, Blake stood up without incident.

A few minutes later it was all forgotten, as the crowd went wild a few seconds later when Gazdag scored his second goal in the following match.

In a similar fashion to the first goal, Sullivan drove at the Nashville defense and found Uhre with his back to goal around the top of the box. Uhre turned and slotted it through to Dani who again expertly finished around Willis.

While the Union offense remained dangerous, their defense impressively held off Nashville playmakers Jacob Shaffelburg and Hany Mukhtar. Between Mbaizo, Glesnes, Martinez and Lowe, every Nashville attack was quelled in the first half.

In the first period, Union Nashville’s defense limited them to .23 expected goals and one shot on goal.

Early in the second half Nashville had their best chance of the night when they got a header on frame to test Andre Blake. But he was up to the task as he dived spectacularly to his left and parried the ball from a Nashville forward and went for a goal kick.

Union made their debut in the 61st minute, when newcomer Sam Adeniran was brought on for Mikael Uhre, who had received a yellow card. Jack Elliott also came on for Damion Lowe, who also received a yellow card. Ironically, Elliott’s first action was a hard foul on Hany Mukhtar, which earned him a yellow card – a real lapse of judgement for a player like Elliott.

Nashville came close to scoring again in the 67th minute, this time from a corner kick, with Josh Bauer’s header hitting the crossbar.

Ten minutes later, The Union had their best chance of the half. The ball fell to Jesus Bueno in the penalty area after a Union counter, but the Venezuelan was thwarted from close range by Willis.

In the 82nd minute it was Andre Blake who came to the rescue again – stretching all the way to his right to save a shot from Teal Bunbury. It was a very well-executed move, with Mukhtar chipping the ball to Bunberry.

But it was the Union who would leave with a bang. Gazdag scored his third goal in the 90th minute after a Nashville FC blunder in their own penalty area. Dani stole the bacon and found the rope – completing a natural hat-trick, the Union’s second in as many games.

Adeniran, who stood out throughout his service, was almost rewarded with a goal when he had two chances at the top of the penalty area in injury time.

The game ended 3-0, sending Nashville back to Music City looking for answers.

The Union enter the Leagues Cup break in unexpectedly spectacular fashion. Their team will be looking to maintain their form in a week’s time, when they host Charlotte FC at Subaru Park at 8pm to open the Leagues Cup fixtures.

Three points

• A strong first 45 – All in all a very strong first half from Union. The attack was great, with two goals and all sorts of chances. And the defense really did its best, they worked remarkably hard to keep Nashville out of the dangerous areas in front of the goal.
• a slightly less strong second 45 – Nashville was able to create significant chances in the second half. The team was thankful to have Blake back, as he made several big saves to keep his team alive. They still showed glimpses of attacking play, but they did what they had to do to pull out the win. Two in a row
• Dani boy – A natural hat-trick from Gazdag, of course, but he did so much more. He was the Union’s most creative player that night, playing with a striking swagger that brings this attack to life. He was also very active in defence, helping to lead the press line.

Lineups

Philadelphia Union

André Blake, Kai Wagner, Damion Lowe (Jack Elliott — 61′)Jakob Glesnes, Olivier Mbaizo, Leon Flach (Jesus Good — 75′)José Martinez (Jeremy Rafanello — 87′)Quinn Sullivan (Alejandro Bedoya — 75′)Daniel Gazdag, Tai Baribo, Mikael Uhre (Sam Adeniran — 61′)

Unused substitutes: Andrew Rick, Francis Westfield, Cavan Sullivan, Chris Donovan

Nashville SC

Joe Willis, Shaq Moor, Bauer, Taylor Washington (Joseph Skinner — 90′)Brent Kallman, Hany Mukhtar, Jacob Shaffelburg (Teal Bunbury — 71′)Alex Muyl (Daniel Lovitz — 71′)Tah Anunga (Anibal Godoy — 62′)Sean Davis (Amar Sejdic — 90′)Forster Ajago

Unused subs: Jack Maher, Eliot Panicco, Isaiah Jones

Summary of the score

PHI: Daniel Gazdag — 10′

PHI: Daniel Gazdag — 38′

PHI: Daniel Gazdag — 90′

Discipline Summary

PHI: Damion Lowe — Yellow card (foul) 4′

PHI: Mikael Uhre — Yellow card (simulation) 20′

NSH: Alex Muyl — Yellow card (foul) 59′

PHI: Jack Elliott — Yellow card (foul) 61′

NSH: Josh Bauer — Yellow card (foul) 67′

NSH: Anibal Godoy — Yellow card (foul) 76′