Well, then. Philadelphia Union U.S. Open Cup dreams were dashed once again as the Nashville nemesis knocked the boys in blue out of the competition with a 3-1 win last night at GEODIS. The recovery from the 7-0 loss wasn’t quite there and the refereeing didn’t help matters but there’s also still time to right the ship ahead of the postseason with two trophies still in play. Hopefully Phang’s birthday won’t be the only thing to celebrate at the Soob on Saturday.

In the email today:

1. 🎸U.S. Open Cup hopes slip away with semifinal loss

Two days after suffering the club's worst ever loss with a 7-0 thrashing in Vancouver, the Union were bounced out of the U.S. Open Cup with a 3-1 loss in Nashville on Tuesday night. The loss was their third this season to a Nashville team coached by former Union assistant BJ Callaghan.

MLS Golden Boot leader Sam Surridge had a hat trick to lead Nashville to their first Open Cup final and slam the door on a Union squad that battled back in the second half with a lovely strike from Quinn Sullivan off the bench to cut a two-goal deficit in half. Inconsistent refereeing did the Union no favors but the three-time Open Cup finalists did dodge a red card on Bruno Damiani early on a crunching tackle and just after halftime when Damiani's hand made contact with the ball on Surridge's second goal. Andrew Rick put in a fine performance keeping them in the game.

Coming off an epic drubbing at the hands of Vancouver at perhaps the worst time of the season to travel nearly 3,000 miles, the Union didn't look themselves for much of the first half. Whether that was tired legs from cross country travel or a dip in confidence, the game was firmly in Nashville (and the referee's hands) before Sullivan's momentum-shifting strike in the 70th minute. Moments before Sullivan's goal Nashville nearly connected on a third goal but Jacob Shaffelburg was offside when he unknowingly deflected a ball into the goal.

Trailing by just a goal in the final 20 minutes the Union were able to find some cracks in the Nashville defense and looked like they were poised to tie the game when substitute Michael Uhre was played into a one v one with the Nashville keeper but his shot was a weak one. Another chance came when Danley Jean Jacques had a penalty shout that not only didn't get a video review but preceded the counter attack that produced Surridge's third and prettiest goal of the night.

That the dagger came on an assist from Wyndmoor, Pa. native Daniel Lovitz was another interesting footnote in a historic win for a Nashville team that owes a little bit of its success to former Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin, who took teams to three Open Cup finals with Callaghan as his assistant coach.

2. 📸 Beware the New Coach Bump?

With their form dipping to a season low and fans left questioning their own expectations of the squad, the still-in-first-place Philadelphia Union will be back home on Saturday afternoon to celebrate Phang’s birthday and hopefully feast on the Revs.

Normally a team that has nothing to play for is what you want when the leaves start to turn but the firing of Caleb Porter may be unwelcome news to the Union.

With his former boss and college coach out, Pablo Moreira steps in as the interim until the end of the season for the Revs.

New coaching bumps are of course a thing. Once upon a team Jim Curtin - who is reportedly a candidate for the head coaching job - rode the new coach bump to his first Open Cup final and the removal of his interim tag.

Both Moreira and his players will be auditioning for next season and Saturday’s game becomes their own version of MLS Cup.

Though hardly a must win for the Union - they are already in the playoffs and are playing for positioning now - a lopsided victory would help both their Supporters’ Shield hopes and their momentum. If an unbeaten May was their peak, now could be just the time to set a new climb toward the MLS Cup summit.

4. 🏆 Social Post of the Day: Trophy Chances

4. 🔗 Link Roundup

• Haverford College men’s soccer is off to their best start since 1977 after scoring a 2-0 win over No. 2 Rowan on Tuesday.

• Delaware men’s soccer is off to a 7-0 start. Union Academy grad JoJo Elliott is doing a little bit everything as a rookie, including this assist in their 4-0 win over Mount St. Mary’s.

• Goalkeeper Lou Liedtka has been a regular at training all season for Philadelphia Union II since finishing college a national champion at Vermont. His hard work has been rewarded with a contract.

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