Philadelphia Union triumphed 3-2 over Atlanta United at Subaru Park, as three first half goals from the home side held off the Five Stripes on MLS match day 36.
The Union began the game two points ahead of the Five Stripes in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, with both sides eager to finish in the top-four ahead of the playoffs.
Philadelphia opened the scoring with a piece of individual brilliance from Daniel Gazdag, as their number 10 popped the ball up in front of him and finished with style with a bicycle kick to give his side the lead. The show-stopping strike was Gazdag's 14th of the season as he still has a chance in the 2023 Golden Boot race.
Atlanta didn't have time to catch their breath, as the Union raced forward on a counter attack as Julian Carranza played Mikael Uhre through on goal before the Denmark international slotted it home across goal to score his ninth goal of the campaign.
On the stroke of halftime, Philadelphia found their third goal of the first half as Carranza and Gazdag linked up near Atlanta's penalty area before the latter sent in a cut-back pass for Carranza to bury past Brad Guzan.
A lengthy VAR check revelaed that a cross from Brooks Lennon struck Carranza's hand in the latter's penalty area. Thiago Almada stepped up and sent Andre Blake in the wrong direction to pull one back for the Five Stripes, which was his 11th goal of season.
As the second half rolled on toward the 80th minute mark, the Five Stripes sprung forward in transition and after a flurry of attempts on goal, substitute Edwin Mosquera found the back of the net from close range to bring the game to 3-2.
Atlanta's comeback came up just short, and they'll look to rebound in an Eastern Conference heavyweight clash against Columbus Crew at home on October 7. On the other hand, the Union also have a quick turnaround on October 7 to take on Nashville SC and 2022 MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar.
Atlanta United player ratings ( 4-2-3-1 )
GK: Brad Guzan - 4.5/10 - His defense didn't help him at all, but he still could've done better on a couple of the goals.
RB: Brooks Lennon - 6.5/10 - Had a slow start to the game, but was involved in both of Atlanta's goals to help bring them back into the contest.
CB: Miles Robinson - 4/10 - A day to forget for the USMNT defender. He was caught ball-watching for the Union's third goal as Carranza strolled by him to find the back of the net.
CB: Luis Abram - 4/10 - The Peru international was in line with Uhre the whole way but didn't put a challenge in, resulting in Philadelphia's second goal.
LB: Caleb Wiley - 5.5/10 - Neither helped nor hindered his side.
DM: Tristan Muyumba - 6/10 - Did well to get the ball up the pitch to the attackers, but at times found himself caught out of position and got a shot off that was Atlanta's best chance in the first 45.
DM: Matheus Rossetto - 5/10 - Got out of tight situations rather well to propel Atlanta up the pitch, but was left exposed at times with Muyumba up the pitch.
RW: Saba Lobjanidze - 6/10 - Looked lively when he was on the ball, but didn't see it come his way often.
AM: Thiago Almada - 6/10 - Not his best performance as a Five Stripe as he gave the ball away several times in transition but was able to pull a goal back for his team.
LW: Xande Silva - 5.5/10 - Made some great runs at the back post but was unlucky to not get on the end of them. Also gave away the ball in his own half that nearly led to a chance for the Union.
ST: Giorgos Giakoumakis - 5/10 - His hold-up play was solid, but the timing of his runs didn't help the Five Stripes as he was caught offside several times while racing through on goal.
Substitutes
RW: Edwin Mosquera (66' for Xande Silva) - 7/10 - Looked lively off the bench and helped keep Atlanta in the game with a goal.
DM: Ajani Fortunte (66' for Matheus Rossetto) - 6.5/10 - Made a couple of key interceptions near his own penalty area.
LW: Derrick Etienne Jr. (73' for Saba Lobjanidze) - 5.5/10 - Didn't do much in his brief cameo.
ST: Jamal Thiare (73' for Giorgos Giakoumakis) - 6.5/10 - Nearly found the equalizing goal late on in just his second appearance.
ST: Miguel Berry (85' for Tristan Muyumba) - N/A
Manager
Gonzalo Pineda - 6/10 - Nothing wrong with his team selection as it's Atlanta's best starting XI at the moment, and his second half subs almost earned his side a point. However, in the first half, Atlanta had no answers for the Union's approach -- which falls on the boss.
Player of the match - Daniel Gazdag (Philadelphia Union)
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This article was originally published on 90min as Philadelphia Union 3-2 Atlanta United: Player ratings as Five Stripes fall at Subaru Park.
