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Journalism may have lost the race but the Union won big last night courtesy of a late Mikael Uhre strike that saved the Philadelphia Union plenty of face in what felt during a tense and head-scratching VAR moment might be a worst case scenario against winless Montreal at Stade Saputo. Meanwhile, in Chattanooga Andrew Rick made yet another case for why having penalty shootouts in regular season games isn’t a terrible idea as Union II picked up two points and stayed unbeaten.

In the email today:

1. ⚡️Uhre Wins it Late

By Quentin Hall

It wasn’t pretty, but it was three points. The Philadelphia Union edged CF Montréal 2-1 in a match that had flashes of quality but was largely disjointed.

Philadelphia opened the scoring early with a well-executed team goal. Starting from their own half on the right flank, a series of quick one-touch passes moved the ball upfield with purpose. The sequence ended with Jean-Jacques cutting the ball back at the top of the box for Vassilev, who calmly slotted it home with his weaker right foot.

It felt like a moment that might set the tone for the night, but in reality, it gave the Union a false sense of security. Instead of pressing for a second, they looked content to hold their lead and began playing passively. That approach allowed Montreal to grow into the game, hungry for their first win of the season.

In the second minute of first half stoppage time, Montreal equalized off a sloppy passage of play. A short corner was sent back into the box, where a mistimed clearance from Mahkanya gave Montreal the chance they needed. Vrioni capitalized, and the momentum shifted.

From there, the home side pushed forward with energy. Owusu and Sealy, in particular, caused real problems with their pace and direct running. The Union defense struggled to cope, and the attack offered little in response. Despite cycling through every forward on the roster, Philadelphia could not find any real rhythm in the final third. Baribo was especially quiet, failing to register a single shot.

Then, out of nowhere, came the winner. In the 84th minute, after a sloppy exchange in midfield, Jovan Lukic pounced on a loose ball and slipped a well-timed through pass to Uhre. The finish was clean, and it came from virtually nothing, but it was enough to secure the win.

Montreal continued to push for a second goal but lacked precision in the final moments. They finished with 12 shots and 59 percent possession but managed just two shots on target. Philadelphia, by comparison, had nine shots with four on frame and an xG of just 0.71 compared to Montreal’s 1.86.

Still, it was a gritty win on the road and an encouraging sign for a Union team that dropped too many points from winning positions last season.

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2. 👨🏻 Vassilev opener in Montreal a ‘team goal’ of ‘beauty’

It didn’t take long at all for the Philadelphia Union to silence the crowd of 17,011 at Stade Saputo on Saturday night in Montreal when they scored a goal head coach Bradley Carnell had plenty to say about in the post-game.

Started from a heavy touch by Montreal left back Tom Pearce in the Union’s final third, Danley Jean Jacques weaved his way through the Montreal defense with help from Frankie Westfield, Quinn Sullivan and Chris Donovan before racing forward and squaring a ball to Indiana Vassilev who hit the ball from inside the D past a diving Jonathan Sirois to make it 1-0 just over a minute into the contest.

Though the goal and the early lead were later canceled out by a stoppage time equalizer by Montreal, the opener that started things out with a bang in a hostile place to play was one that won’t soon be forgotten by the technical staff or the Philadelphia Union locker room.

“For me, it was a thing of beauty in our own half, how we combine and progress through the lines and play calm under pressure,” Carnell said post-game. “We knew they have a bit of a man marking detail, so in terms of luring out the opponent, playing through the opponent and then accelerating the play and isolating on the weak side it was excellent from from top to bottom.”

Coming off goals in back-to-games – the first two of his Union career – Jean Jacques showed a great deal of confidence throughout the seven-pass play both with his feet passing the ball and racing forward with the ball at his feet, picking his head up and squaring his pass just right to an on-rushing Vassilev, who scored his first goal in a Union shirt to cap the play off. Donovan, a surprise starter in the match, put his body on the line absorbing contact and dishing off the pass that sprung Danley into open real estate.

“It was really fun to watch,” Carnell said. “It’s maybe one of the highlight reels for us at at the end of the season. It was a really good team goal.”

3. 🎙️Social Post of the Day: ‘Uhre’s Got it, Baby’

4. 💧 Water Cooler: Player Ratings Poll

Rate the player and coach performances and share your thoughts on last night’s win in our reader Player Ratings Poll.

5. 🔗 Link Roundup

• Union II played Chattanooga FC to a scoreless draw and then road another highlight reel penalty shootout from goalkeeper Andrew Rick - who also converted a kick of his own in the 12 rounds - to a two-point outing.

• The U.S. Open Cup is returning to Chester next week for the first time since 2018. Luke McClung designed a poster, which you can purchase online.

• The Eastern Pennsylvania State Cups are heating up as finals weekend at WSFS Bank Sportsplex (May 16-18) approaches. Defending state champs FC Delco’s 2008 boys NAL team advanced to the semifinals in the U-17 NCS State Cup Friday night with a 4-0 win over PA Rush. Check out a photo gallery of the game.

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