Recap: Philadelphia Union best D.C. United during Rivalry Week, 7-0

D.C. United was soundly trounced by Philadelphia Union, 7-0, in a complete reversal from Monday’s electrifying performance. Earlier this week, Taxi Fountas said, “We win as a team. We lose as a team.” For better or worse, the Black-and-Red will have to stare down tonight’s performance, together.

Jim Curtin’s team delivered a tactical masterclass, implementing a diamond in the midfield that pushed the Union easily into D.C.’s defensive half. Coupled with D.C.’s simple defending mistakes, Philadelphia’s unforgiving attack spelled disaster for the Black-and-Red.

Alejandro Bedoya and Julián Carranza, two of Philadelphia’s top goal scorers led the barrage, scoring five of the Union’s seven goals. Mikael Uhre netted two of his own for good measure. Here are all seven (yes, SEVEN) of those goals:

With five goals scored in the first half of the match alone, the situation was dire for D.C. United heading to the locker room. Taxi Fountas showcased his optimism and perseverance on the pitch, pushing for chances early in the second half. Unfortunately, not even Taxi could weave his way through the traffic surrounding Andre Blake to score. To his credit, he created numerous dangerous moments that set Philadelphia’s defense on edge.

It was clear from the beginning that Philadelphia was in the driver’s seat for this match, setting the pace and dictating D.C.’s shape throughout the 90’. While the Black-and-Red’s performance improved early in the second half, it wasn’t enough. Philadelphia closed out the match with seven goals and a clean sheet.

D.C. United returns home to face the Columbus Crew on Wednesday, July 13 at 8 pm ET.

Three Takeaways

• Set pieces are still a problem. Capitalizing on and defending set pieces, continues to be a thorn in D.C.’s side.
• A leaky back line will get you every time. Philadelphia took advantage of holes in the Black-and-Red’s back line and communication breakdowns between the defense and goalkeeper Rafael Romo to tuck away five goals before the halftime whistle.
• Taxi Fountas doesn’t quit. Despite the Union’s goal-fest, Fountas didn’t stop trying to find any opening to score. His persistence is world-class.

In case you forgot, D.C. has scored seven goals in a match in the not too distant past and had a stunner of a match on Monday. It was glorious, for us. Here’s a little reminder:

Box Score

MLS Regular Season - Game 17

Philadelphia Union: 7 Bedoya (9’ and 37’), Carranza (22’, 25’, 72’), Uhre (45’ + 2’ and 59’)

Lineups

Philadelphia Union (4-3-1-2): Andre Blake, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Kai Wagner, Nathan Harriet, Mikael Uhre (Cory Burke 61’), Leon Flach (Brandan Craig 87’), Dániel Gazdag (Paxton Aaronson 60’), José Martinez (Jack McGlynn 73’), Alejandro Bedoya (Quinn Sullivan 73’), Julián Carranza

D.C. United (3-4-2-1): Rafael Romo, Steve Birnbaum, Brendan Hines-Ike (Chris Odoi-Atsem 42’), Donovan Pines (Nigel Robertha 46’), Chris Dunkin, Drew Skundrich, Sami Guediri (Brad Smith 42’, Tony Alfaro 67’), Julian Gressel, Michael Estrada (Sofiane Djeffal 73’), Taxi Fountas, Ola Kamara

Misconduct Summary

D.C. United: Birnbaum 35’, Odoi-Atsem 69’