Game thread: Philadelphia Union 1 Toronto FC 3 final

Updates

Final - The Union still can’t figure Toronto out and start the season with a disappointing 3-1 loss at home. What’s worse is that they now have to travel to Sporting Kansas City and Atlanta United for their next two games.

90’+4 - Nick DeLeon makes the Union pay for a turnover in the back and puts the game away. Not a bad way for the long-time former D.C. United player to introduce himself to the Toronto fanbase.

90’+ - Five minutes of stoppage time to go for the Union to find an equalizer. That’s 10 minutes of total stoppage time today between the two halves.

80’ - Sergio Santos goes in the book after a flying elbow that looked like it may have been red live but didn’t look as harsh in the replay.

77’ -The Union so close to the equalizer, but Laurent Ciman was ruled to have saved the ball from going across the line. Bad break for the Union there as on at least one of the camera angles it looked like the ball may have crossed.

Goal or no goal?

74’ -David Accam into the game for Ilsinho.

71’ - Osorio with a clear red card inside the 18 and the Union have a chance to pull a goal back with one from the spot. Marco Fabián converts for his first Union goal and the first of 2019 for the U. Not a great day for Osorio.

68’ - Sergio Santos is on to make his Union debut in the 68th minute. He’s in for Ray Gaddis and appears as though he’s up top and that Ilsinho is playing right wing back.

63’ - Michael Bradley strikes again for the Reds to make it 2-0. The 31-year-old captain was left open in front of goal to bury a ball top shelf after Andre Blake deflected a ball out to him.

56’ - The Union are threatening but still not finding the equalizer. Fafa Picault had a great chance to put one in at the far post on a shot from Ilsinho but his attempt went wide of the target. After getting away with a possible yellow in the first half, Michael Bradley just went into the book for some extracurricular activity away from the ball.

46’ - Second half underway. No changes to either side.

45’+ - Stoppage time has been all Toronto as Jordan Hamilton had a golden opportunity to score on the break but hit his shot wide and USMNT veteran Michael Bradley gave the Reds a 1-0 lead. Assists credit to Auro and Nick DeLeon.

40’ - Ilsinho denied by a diving save by Alex Bono, a former Reading United keeper

34’ - Toronto was gifted a penalty for a phantom handball in the box after a great save by Andre Blake and Blake stepped up and made an easy save on a poor PK from Jonathan Osorio. Wagner, the German left back making his MLS debut, was whistled for the penalty after the rebound attempt appeared to have hit his back when he slid in.

30’ - Fafa Picault is the first player in the book, but Michael Bradley really should have been for a challenge that went unpunished. The Union nearly found a break off a corner kick but Alejandro Bedoya’s attempt clanged off the post in the 25th minute.

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The tifo for today is inspired by Run the Jewels

Game: Philadelphia Union vs. Toronto FC
Date: Saturday, March 2nd
Time: 1 p.m. Eastern, Noon Central, 10 a.m. Pacific, 6:00 p.m. UTC
Venue: Talen Energy Stadium (Chester, Penn.)
Referees: REF: Nima Saghafi, AR1: Logan Brown, AR2: Jose Da Silva, 4TH: Marcos DeOliveira, VAR: Alan Kelly, AVAR: Craig Lowry
Television: United States - WPVI 6ABC (Philadelphia market); Canada - TSN
Streaming: ESPN+

Lineup

Philadelphia: Andre Blake; Kai Wagner, Auston Trusty, Jack Elliott, Ray Gaddis; Haris Medunjanin; Alejandro Bedoya, Ilsinho; Marco Fabián; Fafa Picault, Cory Burke

Toronto FC: Alex Bono; Drew Moor, Chris Mavinga, Laurent Ciman, Auro; Michael Bradley; Justin Morrow, Jonathan Osorio, Marky Delgado, Nick DeLeon; Jordan Hamilton

Substitutes: Philadelphia - Carlos Miguel Coronel, Mark McKenzie, Olivier Mbaizo, Warren Creavalle, Brendan Aaronson, David Accam, Sergio Santos; Toronto FC - Ashtone Morgan, Jay Chapman, Eriq Zavaleta, Quentin Westberg, Ayo Akindola, Liam Fraser, Terrance Boyd

Match previews

Notes

Eighteen year old Medford, New Jersey native and Homegrown Player Brendan Aaronson makes the eighteen for the Philadelphia Union for the first time in his career in the Union’s first regular season game since he was added to the roster.

Mark McKenzie, Olivier Mbaizo and Sergio Santos, who all missed time in preseason are not in the starting lineup.