Chester, Pa. (August 10, 2024) – Chicago Fire FC II (8-7-6-5, 35 points) fell 3-2 against Philadelphia Union II (12-6-3-2, 41 points) Saturday afternoon at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa. Midfielder Peter Soudan scored his third goal of the year to open the match, while captain David Poreba bookended the day with his league-leading 15th tally of the season. Philadelphia forward Leandro Soria led his team with a brace to end a three-match losing streak.
Coming off two consecutive road losses, the Fire sought to reverse their fortunes early in the match. Omari Glasgow came close to tallying the opening goal twice in the first half, first with a breakaway effort in the 26th minute and then with a point-blank shot in the 32nd after a clean pass from Sergio Oregel. But Philadelphia goalkeeper Michael Sheridan made a pair of crucial saves to keep his shutout going.
The clean sheet was short lived. In the 38th minute, Oregel once again spotted a runner on the right wing, this time finding Soudan inside the box. The Chicago Fire Homegrown midfielder rounded Sheridan to give himself an open net and put his side up 1-0.
Just four minutes later, Philadelphia midfielder David Vazquez found the ball wide on the left and crossed it to the top of the six-yard box, where Leandro Soria crashed in. The forward got enough on the ball to beat Fire goalkeeper Patrick Los and score his third of the season shortly before the halftime break.
Philadelphia carried that momentum into the start of the second half. Ten minutes in, midfielder Cavan Sullivan dribbled to the endline on the right wing to loft a ball over Los. Soria found himself in the right spot at the right time again, giving his side the lead. Glasgow nearly answered back immediately afterward, breaking away before having yet another open effort saved by Sheridan.
Chicago continued its push to equalize, sending increasingly more numbers forward. Six minutes into stoppage time, the Union found a weak spot in the stretched Fire defense, with Vazquez open on the right side of the box to extend the lead. The visitors got one back just a minute later after Oregel dropped a pinpoint pass into the path of Poreba for a clean goal. But time ran out on Chicago’s late comeback effort and the Union broke a three-match winless streak with the 3-2 victory.
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Box Score:
Philadelphia Union II 3:2 Chicago Fire FC II
Goals:
CHI - Soudan (3) (Oregel 1) (WATCH) 38’
PHI - Soria (3) (Vazquez 4) (WATCH) 42’
PHI - Soria (4) (Sullivan 3) (WATCH) 55’
PHI - Vazquez (3) (Rocio 1) (WATCH) 90+6’
CHI - Poreba (15) (Oregel 2) (WATCH) 90+7’
Discipline:
CHI - Calle (Yellow Card) 67’
PHI - Berdecio (Yellow Card) 90+4’
PHI - Westfield (Yellow Card) 90+7’
Chicago Fire FC II: GK Los, D Rochester (Osorio, 83’), D Cupps, D Shannon (Calle, 57’), D Richards (Held, 57’), M Nagle, M Oregel, M Soudan (Hlyut, 74’), M Poreba (capt.), F Koffi, F Glasgow
Substitutes not used: GK Stechnij, D Granda, M Villanueva, M Pfrommer
Philadelphia Union II: GK Sheridan, D Westfield (capt.), D Rojas, D Pierre, D Wetzel (Meneses, 68’), M Berdecio, M Olney, M Vazquez, M Sullivan (Pariano, 72’), F Soria (Rocio, 86’), F Olivas
Substitutes not used: GK Atkinson, D Griffin, M Ngabo, M LeBlanc, M Mastrodimos, M Bernstein
Stats Summary: PHI / CHI
Shots: 15 / 19
Shots on Goal: 7 / 9
Passing Accuracy: 71.1% / 83.3%
Saves: 7 / 4
Corners: 3 / 7
Fouls: 11 / 11
Offsides: 0 / 9
Possession: 37.8% / 62.2%
Referee: Elvis Osmanovic
Assistant Referee 1: Max Smith
Assistant Referee 2: Jessica Carnevale
4th Official: Gary Gutierrez
