Revolution 2, Union 3: Philadelphia jump the Revs in the standings

The Philadelphia Union have jumped the New England Revolution in the standings after recording a 3-2 win on Saturday night.

After a sloppy opening stanza, the Union struck in the 14th minute via Jack Elliott. The opportunity came after a short corner found Luis Caicedo defending 2v1 against Haris Medunjanin and Borek Dockal. A couple of quick passes led to a cross, which was finished by Elliott.

Philadelphia’s lead grew to 2-0 in the 24th minute when Elliott got his second. The Union used some triangle passing to pull Diego Fagundez and Caicedo out of the play. This allowed CJ Sapong to fire a shot that hit the post. Elliot proved to be an opportunist, grabbing his third career goal.

Brandon Bye created a good opportunity in the 40th minute when his through ball found Fagundez. The Homegrown rushed towards goal, only to cut it back to no one.

It didn’t take long after the break for the Revs to get one back, as the home team scored in the 46th minute. Teal Bunbury and Cristian Penilla moved the ball from left to right before finding Andrew Farrell. The right back hit a stinging shot with his left foot, which deflected off a defender before settling into the back of the net.

From there, momentum shifted in the Revs’ favor. Wilfred Zahibo had a header in the 57th minute that just barely sailed over the crossbar. Farrell had a chance to tally a second goal, but his shot was well off the mark.

The Revs finally tied things up in the 64th minute when Zahibo nodded in a free kick. Fagundez was the provider, as he sent in a right-footed cross.

The Revs continued to work hard, creating a number of good chances. Ultimately, the Union would regain the lead in the 76th minute when Fabrice-Jean Picault scored a penalty. Referee Allen Chapman pointed to the spot after a handling offense by Antonio Delamea.

Bye had a good look on the left side, as he used his speed to get to the end line. He then played the ball back towards the six, but no one was there to provide the final touch.

Bunbury almost had the equalizer in the 87th minute when he volleyed Kelyn Rowe’s corner kick towards goal. Andre Blake was up to the task, making a critical save.

The game ended 3-2 after four minutes of stoppage time, dropping the Revs below the red line. They will now return to the training pitch to prepare for next weekend’s trip to face D.C. United.