Philadelphia Union cruises to a 3-1 win over New England Revolution in the first round of the MLS Eastern Conference … as former league MVP Carles Gil is sidelined early with an injury
- Daniel Gazdag scored the first goal of the game with a penalty
- New England has had a long and stressful few months leading up to the game
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The Philadelphia Union earned a 3-1 victory over the New England Revolution in the first round of the MLS Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Philadelphia took an early lead when attacking midfielder Daniel Gazdag converted a penalty in the 19th minute.
Striker Mikael Uhre then extended the lead to 2-0 after he was able to shoot the ball into the net in perfect position after a deflected cross bounced off the goalkeeper and landed right at his feet.
Nathan Harriel scored the third goal of the first half when, after a perfectly timed run, he landed unmolested at the top of the six-yard box and headed a free kick into the net in the 37th minute.
New England showed some signs of life in the second half when Gustavo Bou scored a goal from close range in the 68th minute.
Philadelphia earned a 3-0 victory over the New England Revolution in the MLS East semifinals
Union took an early lead when Daniel Gazdag converted from a penalty in the 19th minute
Gustavo Bou scored a goal for the Revolution in the second half as New England attempted a comeback
New England’s leading scorer Carlos Gil sustained an injury that forced him to leave the game in the 23rd minute.
They were also without Brandon Bye on defense due to a season-ending injury.
Gil’s injury in the defeat seemed to be the perfect icing on the cake for the long and stressful final three months of the Revolution.
New England addressed the saga of former coach Bruce Arena and his eventual resignation after “allegations that he made insensitive and inappropriate comments.”
It then took the team a month to find a replacement for interim manager Richie Williams and complete the overhaul of the coaching staff.
The Revolution also had to deal with the loss of first-choice goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic following his move to Chelsea, while his replacement Tomas Vaclik was unable to properly fill the void he left behind.