Union 1, Revs 0: McInerney Lifts Union Late

There may be only a few matches left in what has been a disappointing season for both the Union and Revolution, but don't try to tell them these last few fixtures don't mean anything.

In front of a spirited crowd at PPL Park the Philadelphia Union found just enough resolve to separate themselves from the Revs on the night and found a way to scrape and claw their way to a very physical and chippy 1-0 victory.

The early stages of the match were all Philadelphia, and it was the Union creating the first true chance in the 11th minute when a clever dummy from Keon Daniel fooled the Revs defense and allowed Jack McInerney in on goal all alone, but the talented youngster pulled his effort wide.

Only a few moments later it was Philadelphia on the front foot again, when an incredibly messy and wild sequence of play found several players on the ground on both sides, but ultimately the ball fell to Daniel who danced along the byline and crossed to McInerney but the chance was finally smothered by Bobby Shuttleworth.

New England found their best chance in the 29th minute, when a streaking Jerry Bengtson found himself all alone in the box after rounding Zac MacMath and receiving from Diego Fagundez, but the shot from the Honduran international rang off the post, keeping the score level.

The second half was more of the same from both sides, with the style of play getting more and more physical as the night wore on.

After a pair of changes from Revolution coach Jay Heaps, the Revs began to look lively, and created a few opportunities, the best of which coming in the 70th minute. Fernando Cardenas did extremely well to work his way into the box by himself, but instead of a quick-triggered effort on goal, the Colombian midfielder continued to dance in the box which ultimately led to an incredibly poor pass behind an open Bengtson, killing the attack.

In a massive momentum swing, the match winner was found only a few brief moments later, when Ryan Guy misjudged a rather easy cross off of a Union free kick and was beaten back post by McInerney, whose header found the back of the net and gave the Union a 1-0 lead.

As the Revs pushed for the equalizer in the late stages of the match the style of play became incredibly chippy, and came to a head when a hot-headed Benny Feilhaber received a second yellow for a poor, unnecessary challenge off the ball, reducing the Revs to 10 men.

Down a man, and with no positive ideas, the Revs failed to find the equalizer in the closing minutes, dropping a difficult decision to Philadelphia, 1-0.

With the home finale on the horizon, the Revs are still searching for answers to their multitude of questions.