Philadelphia Union Vs Orlando City: 3 things we learned – Orlando might be for real
2. Brenden Aaronson the key for Philadelphia
It is not a coincidence that the Philadelphia Union’s lone goal came after some superb work from Brenden Aaronson. Having moved to the left flank upon Ilsinho’s arrival, with Jim Curtin shifting to a 4-2-3-1 shape, Aaronson received the ball in the left half-space.
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From there, he shimmied beautifully between several Orlando defenders, showed silky control to keep the ball under pressure, and then played a lovely, splitting pass into Alejandro Bedoya on the edge of the area on the right side. Aaronson’s close control attracted defensive interest, dragging the Orlando players across the pitch, before his pass created a wide overload on the opposite flank. Bedoya subsequently fed Ilsinho, who fired home the finish into the bottom corner.
Aaronson was substituted in the dying seconds of the match. He limped along the touchline, haunched over the bench, and continued to look in some discomfort. This all followed an early knock that he suffered to his lower back. From that point on, he was never as influential, the Union unable to feed him in the channels as frequently as they did in the opening 15 minutes.
It seems obvious to say, such has been the excellence of his performances so far in the MLS is Back Tournament, as well as the position as he plays — the spearhead of a midfield diamond might be the most important position in a 4-4-2 diamond shape — but Aaronson is critical to everything the Union do. Getting him heavily involved, therefore, is of the utmost importance.