Game Thread: Philadelphia Union 1 vs New York Red Bulls 0, Final (2021 MLS Cup Playoffs)

Game Updates

125’ - Final whistle and the Union move on! They next game will be against the winner of Tuesday’s Nashville/Orlando game.

122’ - GLESNES from the top of the box and it is in the back of the net! It is an incredible shot that starts bending down behind the goalkeeper. It was a beauty.

120’ - We will see at least 3 minutes of stoppage time here.

117’ - Burke in the center of the penalty area and the shot goes wide. After the shot Burke stays on the ground and the training staff is on looking at him.

115’ - Double sub here for the Red Bulls Diarra replaces Yearwood and Royer for Clark.

112’ - Off the post! The goalpost keeps this game leveled for the Union as Duncan’s shot bounces off it and goes out for a goal kick.

109’ - Bedoya is getting subbed off here and Bueno is coming onto the pitch.

107’ - Coronel with another big save denying Santos a goal. Also Bedoya goes down with what looks like a cramp.

106’ - Final 15 minutes of extra time is underway.

105’ - And that is it for the the first 15 minutes.

100’ - Lots of sending the ball up the field, just barely missing Union players getting on the end of the balls.

95’ - Red Bulls send the ball over the top and get past the U’s backline and the shot is saved by Blake!

94’ - New York knocking on the door there as the ball just goes past the far post.

91’ - J. Tolkin comes on for the Red Bulls Reyes.

90+5’ - Final whistle and we do not have a winner yet. Time to get ready for an extra 30 minutes of soccer.

90+1’ - We will have at least 5 minutes of stoppage time here. Play is also stopped as a red bull player is down on the pitch.

88’ - The U with a threat here but are called offsides.

86’ - Union making two changes here, Burke on for Przybylko and McGlynn replaces Flach.

82’ - Santos gets free and dribbles into the box unmarked and stops then passes it to Przybylko who sends the shot over the net.

79’ - Martinez gets the ball and goes running down the right side. NY’s Reyes catches up and elbows Martinez. The move also has him entering the ref’s book with a Yellow Card.

75’ - Martinez gets a yellow card. Meanwhile Flach goes down after getting a ball straight to the head. Now the training staff is on the field looking at him.

73’ - Red Bulls make another change here brining Clark on for Fernandez.

71’ - Another corner for the Union here. This time from the near flag. Wagner sets up for it and drills it into the center of the box but it gets cleared out.

69’ - Union corner from the far flag and his cross is cleared out.

65’ - Looks like VAR is checking for a possible handball on Powell inside the box. After the check was complete, no handball and Blake puts it back in play.

59’ - Game is stopped after a head collision inside the box. Right now Reyes is getting looked at by the Red Bulls training staff. While that happened Santos came in for Aaronson.

57’ - Gazdag inside the box goes to get the ball from his right foot to the left foot. Aaronson picks up the lose ball and the shot goes wide.

52’ - And now Red Bulls pick up their third Yellow card of the match. This time it is Edwards who enters the book.

50’ - After picking up the ball and pushing it away Gutman picks up a yellow.

46’ - The teams are on the pitch and the second half is now underway. Within seconds Przybylko goes down after getting an elbow to the back of the head.

Halftime Stats
Union
Shots - 4
Shots on Goal - 1
Possession - 46.2%
Fouls - 6
Yellow Cards - 0

Red Bulls
Shots - 3
Shots on Goal - 0
Possession - 53.9%
Fouls - 7
Yellow Cards - 1

45+1’ - Martinez commits a foul and the Red Bull sends their free kick into the penalty area but it is cleared out. Ref whistles for the half.

45’ - We will just have one minute of stoppage time here.

33’ - Aaronson has a volley that goes over the cross bar.

29’ - Bedoya picks up the ball and starts the counter attack up the right side, slowly passes it to Aaronson who continues the attack up the left side of the box. After a cross into the box it is cleared out and eventually the Union draw a free kick from the left side of the box. The kick is easily handled by the Red Bulls.

24’- Red Bulls earn another corner here, this time from the far flag. It is sent directly to a jumping Blake, who sends it all the way up field.

22’ - Red Bulls corner is sent past the net and is cleared out.

20’ - Union clearly struggling here against the high press from New York. Once they get it into the attacking zone it isn’t there long, since the red bulls swarm the attacker.

15’ - Nasty foul by Yearwood takes out Aaronson. The foul also earns him an early Yellow card.

7’ - With the first real chance of the game Alvas Powell sends a rocket in near the top right of the penalty box. However the first-timer is saved by the Red Bulls goalkeeper, Carlos Coronel.

2’ - Martinez goes down and is holding his leg. He eventually gets up and limbs into the box for the Red Bulls corner kick. The kick was cleared out by the Union.

1’ - We have playoff soccer in Chester! The game officially got underway at 2:38 pm!

Starting Lineups
Philadelphia Union:

New York Red Bulls

Injuries/Absences
The following is a list of names from the league’s player availability report.

Philadelphia Union
Everyone is available.

New York Red Bulls
OUT: Aaron Long (Achilles)

How to Watch
When: Saturday, November 20, 2021, 2:38 p.m. kickoff
Where: Subaru Park, Chester, PA
TV: PHL17 (within the Philly DMA), Univision,TUDN
Streaming: MLSsoccer.com

Officials Assignments:
Referee: Fotis Bazakos
Assistant Referee: Frank Anderson
Assistant Referee: Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho
Fourth Official: Rubiel Vazquez
VAR: Geoff Gamble
Assistant VAR: Andrew Bigelow