Union avoids late game letdown, beats Inter Miami 2-1

The Philadelphia Union returned to action on Wednesday night in Florida with a match against Inter Miami CF.

Coming off an historic night Friday and a visit from New England back at home Saturday, head coach Jim Curtin gave the squad some rotation, starting Stuart Findlay in place of the injured Jack Elliott, Olivier Mbaizo and Cory Burke.

Despite a late goal from Gonzalo Higuain, the Union were able to use their two earlier goals to push them over the top.

Even with a change in the starting lineup, the Union looked comfortable at the start of the match, committing to their pressing attack. While not as aggressive as the previous match against D.C. United, Philadelphia was able to make Inter Miami look uncomfortable.

While Miami had good chances early on, the Union drew first blood. Mikael Uhre was able to draw a foul at the corner of the penalty area, setting up Gazdag to drive his penalty attempt right through the middle of the goal in the 26th minute.

Miami had their own penalty cries toward the end of the first half after a tackle from Leon Flach. Marcos de Oliveira held his whistle, leading to an impressive stop from Andre Blake, and later confirmed his no-call with help from the VAR.

As the match continued through the second half, it looked more and more likely that the Union would see another 1-0 win. Burke proved to be the savior for Philadelphia, with a header from a free kick to double the lead in the 66th minute.

Just as the match seemed sealed, Higuain wanted to push back. A nice cut and shot in the 82nd brought Miami back to within one goal, and the home side began to push back. However, despite the eight minutes of regulation and seven minutes of stoppage, Miami was unable to pull the game back, and Philadelphia walked away victorious, equaling their road win total from 2021 with four and retaking first place with 36 points.

The Union returns to action on Saturday night at home against the New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m.