The Philadelphia Union welcomed in a red hot FC Dallas squad on Saturday night and came away with a 3-1 victory. Goals by CJ Sapong and Ilsinho helped the Union pull within three points of a playoff spot.
Union defeat FC Dallas 3-1
The Philadelphia Union were riding high after their 3-0 win over Columbus Crew SC. For this match, they had to deal without star goalkeeper Andre Blake, who suffered a horrific hand injury in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final against the U.S. Men's National Team.
Backup keeper John McCarthy stood in place for the injured Blake, and his call to arms was not merely needed.
The Union dominated the first half of the match.
It paid off 17 minutes into the match when Haris Medunjanin and Ilsinho strung together a melee of passes to find Sapong in the center of the box for the easy tap in.
Five minutes later, Ilsinho doubled the lead for the home side when his shot from distance found the back of the net past an outstretched Chris Seitz.
Union continue to add pressure
The Union almost had a third goal when Medunjanin sent in a free kick that found the head of another Union player, but Seitz got a strong left hand to the ball and was able to parry it out.
Th Union did get their third when the dynamic duo Sapong and Ilsinho connected with passes themselves and Sapong was able to slot home a cutback pass from Ilsinho for his second of the night, his 12th of the season.
FC Dallas almost pulled a goal back when a free kick shot from distance slipped through the legs of defender Jack Elliott and McCarthy was able to push it out to the side for a corner kick.
Video Review Comes Into Play
In the 81st minute, FC Dallas forward Maxi Urruti slid home a loose ball inside of the box to pull one goal back for Dallas. However, Cristian Colman kicked McCarthy prior to the goal, and head referee Ricardo Salazar missed it. McCarthy, down in pain, gave Salazar and VAR referee Hilario Grajeda time to review the play.
Salazar took the word from the VAR official and reviewed the incident, which resulted in a stoppage of play. After review, no goal was allowed, and a free kick was awarded to the Union.
Dallas eventually got FC Dallas' goal in stoppage time when Michael Barrios got in behind Ray Gaddis. Barrios was able to slot the ball home past an onrushing McCarthy.
Next up, the Philadelphia Union host the Montreal Impact at home, while Dallas goes back home to host the Colorado Rapids next week.