Mikael Uhre played the role of super substitute, scoring with six minutes left as Philadelphia Union continued its winning streak with a 2-1 road win at CF Montreal.
Philadelphia Union pushed its winning streak to three with goals on both ends of the contest north of the border. Midfielder Indiana Vassilev notched his first goal as a member of the Union, capping off a darting run from Danley to score 80 seconds into the contest. After CF Montreal leveled the match right before the halftime whistle, Uhre broke the deadlock in the 84th minute, timing his run perfectly to slot home a pass from Jovan Lukic.
The Boys in Blue continue their marathon May next week with the start of a three-game home stand at Subaru Park. Philadelphia Union makes its return to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup taking on USL Championship side Indy Eleven on Wednesday, May 7th. Kick off for the Round of 32 clash is set for 7:30PM ET with tickets for the contest on sale here.
How The Match Unfolded
Saturday's match against C.F. Montreal marked the team's first of three this week alone, and Head Coach Bradley Carnell unsurprisingly leaned on team while crafting his starting XI.
In recent matches, Carnell's been rotating Tai Baribo, Bruno Damiani, and Mikael Uhre into his opening attacking duo, but on this occasion, opted to add 24-year-old Chris Donovan to the mix. The forward from the Philadelphia suburbs started alongside Tai Baribo, who featured in the first XI for a second straight match.
In the midfield, Jovan Lukic returned to the starting group after missing the team's 3-0 win against Atlanta United due to red card suspension, joining Indiana Vassilec, Quinn Sullivan, and Danley Jean Jacques in the midfield.
Another change came in the backline, as Olwethu Makhanya made the start at centerback alongside Jakob Glesnes while Frankie Westfield and Kai Wagner manned the outside back spots.
On the bench, Oliver Semmle occupied the back up keeper role while Andrew Rick traveled to Chattanooga with Union II. Alongside him on the sidelines to start the match sat Cavan Sullivan, Jesus Bueno, Mikael Uhre, Alejandro Bedoya, Jeremy Rafanello, Olivier Mbaizo, Bruno Damiani, and Nathan Harriel.
2', Electric early lead | Two minutes after first kick, Philadelphia Union claimed an early lead in energizing fashion with a goal from Indiana Vassilev.
The goal was spurred by an impressive run up the field from Danley – the Haitain defensive midfielder first passed ahead to Kai Wagner, who tapped it back to him amidst pressure to set him up for an open lane toward the net. Far outpacing Montreal defenders attempting to track him down, Danley’s dash found him 2v2 near the net before spotting and feeding Indiana Vassilev, who darted down the left side for a strike from the top of the box. His shot soared above Montreal's keeper, marking his first in Blue and Gold since signing with the club in February.
45+, Montreal equalizes | Two minutes were added to the end of the second half and just as the referee looked like he'd ring out his whistle the hosts found the tying goal. Giacomo Vrioni notched the equalizer as the ball bounced around the six-yard box before going to the forward at the far post for the quick finish.
55', Union change | Carnell made the first change of the match in the 55th minute, swapping Chris Donovan for 23-year-old club-record signing Bruno Damiani.
74', Union subs | Carnell opted to make a change with 15 minutes left, subbing in Mikael Uhre and Nathan Harriel for Tai Baribo and Indiana Vassilev.
84', Uhre scores game-winner | The changed proved to be ge a big one as the Boys in Blue forced a turnover in the offensive third and quickly got to work. Jovan Lukic flicked a pass forward to Uhre who was in on goal. With just the keeper to beat, Uhre calmly flicked it past him for the match winner.
