The Philadelphia Union advanced in the Concacaf Champions Cup on Tuesday evening, overcoming a late red card to punch their Round-of-16 ticket with a wild 3-3 draw at Subaru Park that delivered a 6-5 Round One aggregate victory over Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa.
The series victory sets Philadelphia up with a Round-of-16 showdown against Liga MX side Pachuca, which begins with a Leg 1 opener at Subaru Park on March 5. Leg 2 is set for March 12 at Estadio Hidalgo in Mexico.
The match got off to a roaring start, as the sides combined for four goals inside the opening 30 minutes following the Union's 3-2 win in the first leg. Julián Carranza (17') and Quinn Sullivan (26') each netted for Philadelphia to answer Luis Paradela's 14th-minute penalty-kick opener, but Saprissa's Warren Madrigal added a 28th-minute tally for the visitors.
With the Union defending a 5-4 aggregate lead in the second half, Saprissa stunningly found the series equalizer. Mariano Torres (62') scored a knuckling free kick from the right corner of the 18-yard box, giving no chance to diving Philadelphia goalkeeper Oliver Semmle.
The Union went down a man in second-half stoppage time, when defender Jack Elliott was shown a DOGSO red card, putting the hosts on the ropes as extra time neared. Despite playing with 10 men, the Union found a shock winner in the 94th minute via Mikael Uhre, who smashed home a corner kick from Jack McGlynn that trickled through the penalty area and to the Danish striker's boot.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: This series was nothing if not action-packed, and the Union can count themselves fortunate to be marching on after conceding the equalizer and going down a man. That said, weathering the chaos of CCC is a necessity to make a deep run – something Philadelphia gave themselves a chance to do with this result. Remember: Philly have made two of the past three CCC semifinals.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: With his team down a man and in need of a goal, Uhre stepped up in the biggest moment.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: McGlynn notched the assist on the game-winner, bookending a standout showing in the series from the 20-year-old homegrown midfielder.
Next Up
- PHI: Saturday, March 2 at Sporting Kansas City | 8:30 pm ET (Apple TV - Free)
