Match Recap: Przybylko brace leads Union to 4-1 win over D.C. United

The Philadelphia Union earned another three points on Saturday night, with a 4-1 victory over D.C. United. The Union improve to 4-1-3 with 15 points and move back to third place in the Eastern Conference.

The starting lineup saw a few changes to head coach Jim Curtin’s normal Starting XI, with both defender Ray Gaddis and Mark McKenzie sitting out. Matt Real also played for most of the match after coming in for an injured Kai Wagner in the 27th minute.

The Union were led by a brace from Kacper Przybylko, who has now scored three times in the last two matches. The forward also notched an assist to Brenden Aaronson, and finished with three total shots, with both shots on goal finding the back of the net. Przybylko’s two goals against D.C. give him four goals for the season and 18 in his MLS career with the Union.

Przybylko’s first goal came in the 7th minute off a corner kick from midfielder Jamiro Monteiro that was redirected Alejandro Bedoya. It was the Union’s first goal off of a corner kick since 2018 and their first in 291 attempts.

The second goal followed soon after, with Przybylko finding the ball near the edge of the penalty area and sending it off the post and into the goal to put his team up 2-0 just 16 minutes into the match.

Five minutes later, forward Sergio Santos gave the Union a 3-0 lead, which held past halftime, after receiving a ball from defensive midfielder Jose Martinez in the box.

The Union’s final goal came from midfielder Brenden Aaronson in the 61st minute, where a Union counter attack and a Przybylko assist gave Aaronson, running alone by the penalty mark, a clear shot and an easy goal.

Julian Gressel was able to notch one goal on the scoreboard in the 63rd minute, though D.C. were never able to make up the four goal differential that the Union had made.

The Union don’t have much recovery time; after playing last Saturday, last Wednesday, and playing against the Columbus Crew on Wednesday. Columbus is the first challenge for the Union since the MLS is Back tournament, as Columbus leads the MLS in points per game and currently sits in second in the Eastern Conference, one spot above the Union.