Farrell stock up, Angoua stock down in Revolution loss to Union

On the heels of a come-from-behind win over D.C. United, the Revolution turned in a dud against the Union on Sunday. A spot-kick goal from CJ Sapong set the tone in the 4th minute and Philadelphia never looked back, piling on three goals in a dominant win.

Here’s who stood out, and who didn’t, during the week 18 matchup:

Stock up

Andrew Farrell

With Antonio Delamea and Diego Fagundez navigating breakout seasons, it’s easy to overlook the campaign Farrell has put together. But the right back has quietly gone about his business while playing some of the best soccer of his career.

On Sunday, the Revolution looked lifeless for much of the second half. Yet Farrell turned in an impressive shift anyway. He made several goal-saving tackles—many of which occurred from obscure angles—and showed off his speed by keeping pace with Fafa Picault. In the end, he finished with a match-high five tackles while also collecting two interceptions and two clearances.

A sure Man of the Match candidate, Farrell worked as hard, if not harder, than anyone on the field yesterday. He deserves recognition.

Brian Wright

Though Wright struggled to impact the match during his MLS debut, his stock has started to move in the right direction. With the Revolution down two goals early into the second half, Jay Heaps turned to Wright to ignite the attack.

That’s a positive sign for the former University of Vermont star, who scored a game-winner on Wednesday and played 38 minutes on Sunday. And while Wright doesn’t appear in line for a start anytime soon—Kei Kamara and Juan Agudelo have the forward spots locked down—he could continue to chip away at Femi Hollinger-Janzen for minutes off the bench.

Stock down

Benjamin Angoua

Fresh off a few promising performances, Angoua took a small step back against the Union. It all started in the third minute, when Sapong struck a cross that hit the underside of Angoua’s outstretched arm. The play drew a penalty kick, which Sapong buried to give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead.

Angoua looked a bit tentative thereafter, making a few borderline passes out of the back that could have spelled trouble for the Revolution. He later picked up a yellow card for a hard challenge just outside the box.

In the second half, Angoua did recover to make a handful of key interventions. He’ll look to build on those 45 minutes on Wednesday against the Red Bulls.

Teal Bunbury

During his first start of the season, Bunbury had a chance to build on his strong cameo against Toronto FC. And in the 12th minute, he looked destined to do just that when he sprung Kamara with a simple through ball. Unfortunately, Kamara failed to finish the opportunity. And not much clicked for Bunbury the rest of the way. He made a few driving runs into the box, but struggled to connect on a final pass; his positive energy didn’t translate into a goal-scoring chance for the final 78 minutes of play.

Now 12 appearances into his 2017 campaign, Bunbury has yet to contribute a goal or an assist. That form may make it difficult for Heaps to give him regular minutes once Agudelo and Kelyn Rowe return from international duty.