LAFC vs Philadelphia Union Highlights
Two of the top teams in the MLS faced off on Saturday night as the LAFC vs Philadelphia Union match went down at Banc of California Stadium. The Philadelphia Union aren’t prone to giving away goals to their opponents, so even in a 2-2 draw to conclude the match, LAFC ended the night with yet another solid performance.
Philadelphia took the lead early on in the 9th minute as defender Kai Wagner shot a cross toward the far post to find midfielder Dániel Gazdag for the first goal of the match. LAFC tried to answer back at the end of the first half on a corner kick by Carlos Vela to Cristian Arango but Chicho’s header was just too wide to the left.
The second half of the LAFC vs Philadelphia Union match another story, as the Black and Gold came out hot and equalized the match thanks to a goal by Kwado “Mahala” Opoku on a left-footed strike past Union goalkeeper Andre Blake. The play unfolded beautifully as Chicho found Jose Cifuentes who touch-passed it to Mahala for the score. This goal was only the 7th goal allowed by the Philadelphia Union for the entire 2022 season.
In the 67th minute, Philadelphia’s Julián Carranza scored an unbelievable goal on a flat-footed shot from the penalty area that floated toward the back side of the net. Gazdag got the assist on Carranza’s fourth goal this season. With the 2-1 lead, Philly became the first team in 202 to score in the second half against LAFC.
With the pressure on in the 82’, LAFC were able to rally and equalize the match. Vela corner kicked to Cifu for a header that ended up getting blocked by Blake. Unfortunately for Philly, Blake’s save rolled straight toward LAFC’s Franco Escobar who shot in a rebound his first goal for his new team.
Even in a 2-2 draw, the Philadelphia Union continued to show why they are a top MLS road club. LAFC showed resilience by coming back from a goal down twice alone in this match. For the 2022 season, the Black and Gold are now undefeated in six home games. They also have a record of one win and three draws in four MLS games against the Union, and are the only team they’ve never defeated. We expect this match to be an early sneak peek at a potential 2022 MLS Cup.
LAFC will stay at home on short rest against the Portland Timbers on Tuesday, May 10.
