In a defensive battle, the Philadelphia Union advanced with a 1-0 win over the New England Revolution on Saturday night. Here are three things we learned.
The Philadelphia Union showed their experience and resilience to squeeze past the dangerous New England Revolution on Saturday night and secure their place in the MLS is Back quarter-finals.
Sergio Santos got on the end of a Jamiro Monteiro pass over the top for the Brazilian finished emphatically. Bruce Arena was sent off for foul language towards match official, Ismail Elfath. Philadelphia then held onto their slim lead with a secure a defensive display.
Here are three things we learned from the Union’s tight 1-0 win.
3. Union defense wins game of slim margins
Coming into the game, the two teams had conceded three goals between them in the group stages. Defenses were reliable for both squads and they came up trumps here.
New England made a number of changes to their starting lineup. The absence of Carles Gil was a major factor, meaning Gustavo Bou had to impose himself on the game. Secondly, because the Union played a 4-4-2 diamond, the Revs had license to expose the wide areas and take advantage.
It never happened and Santos’ lone goal was the difference in a hard-fought contest. New England tried their best to chase the game but were unsuccessful to break down an excellent Union defense that compacted the midfield thanks to the diamond formation. The Union, meanwhile, recorded their second clean sheet in the tournament to ease their way through a game of small margins.