Union Gold Cup Recap - Match Day 1
No Union matches this week? No problem.
With the league giving Philadelphia a bit of a break after the gauntlet that was May—and the lone match in June—you may be wondering how to fill the void. Fortunately, there’s plenty to watch with the Club World Cup underway, but more importantly, the Philadelphia Union are well represented in the Gold Cup.
Here’s how the Union crew fared in the first round of the tournament:
Andre Blake and Jamaica
What a difference seven days can make, huh? A surprising and disappointing 1–0 loss for the Reggae Boyz, just a week after they had defeated Guatemala 3–0 in World Cup Qualifying.
As for Blake? He was solid, playing the full 90 minutes and making one or two key saves—including one that should absolutely make the tournament’s highlight reel. Most importantly, he remains healthy.
Jamaica will look to bounce back when they face Guadeloupe on Friday, June 20, with kickoff set for 7:45 PM.
Danley Jean-Jacques and Haiti
Not quite sure what to expect when a CONCACAF side like Haiti faces off against Saudi Arabia, the same Saudi team that stunned Argentina at the 2022 World Cup.
This match? Ugly. The soccer was disjointed and it felt more like watching action figures being smashed together for 90 minutes. Haiti fell 1–0, with Danley playing the full match and completing 80% of his passes.
Haiti will now face Trinidad and Tobago, with both sides looking for their first points of the group stage.
By the way, Saudi Arabia’s coach, Hervé Renard, has all the “aura,” as the kids would say.
Nate Harriel, Quinn Sullivan, and the United States
This one was easy for the U.S., cruising to a 5–0 win over Trinidad and Tobago. Nate and Quinn did not feature, but there was plenty of Union alumni involvement:
Matt Freese and Jack McGlynn both started (McGlynn assisted a goal)
Mark McKenzie, Paxten Aaronson, and Brenden Aaronson (Brenden scored) came on as second-half subs
The Americans will now take on Saudi Arabia on Thursday, June 19 at 9:15 PM in what should be a relatively straightforward matchup.
Video Credit: CONCACAF, UNIMAS, FOX, and FIFA
One last thing to share. I found this moment very funny during the Charlotte match.
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