It was an emotional night at Subaru Park as the Philadelphia Union's CONCACAF Champions League adventure ended at the hands of Mexican giants Club America. The Union had plenty of chances to open up the tie, but were consistently wasteful. Here are my player ratings from the game.
Andre Blake- 7
Blake had a quiet night having only one real save to make during the first half. Apart from that, he quite literally did nothing but picking the ball from the back of the net when Nicolas Benedetti's deflected shot went in. The Jamaican keeper did well to save several shots in the final few minutes to stop the final aggregate score from being worse. He could not do anything for the other goal as well.
Olivier Mbaizo- 7.5
One of the only Union players to cause Club America real problems on the night because of his crosses into the box. He was a threat down the right-hand side and did brilliantly finding Glesnes and Przybylko on back-to-back crosses. His pressing high-up the pitch also allowed the Union to win possession on several occasions. He was bizarrely taken off when Curtin decided to throw the kitchen sink.
Jakob Glesnes- 5
It was not one of Glesnes' best nights in a Union shirt. He got an early yellow card to deny a Club America counter-attack. He made a poor forward pass near the box that was intercepted and could have been costly. Fortunately, he was bailed out. He had to get his header from Mbaizo's shot on target but did well to get into position for the chance. He was unlucky with the goal as his heavy deflection took the shot away from Blake, killing off the tie. It was then his man who managed to sneak away from him and have a really easy second goal.
Jack Elliott- 7
Elliott had a pretty solid night. Was fairly comfortable in the first half and was left untroubled. He made some positive forward thinking passes, and also made some good runs. Very similar in the second half.
Kai Wagner- 7
It was a solid night for Wagner, who did what he usually does. He was good defensively and did not let much get beyond him whilst causing problems in the attack. He delivered some very good crosses, and one that sticks out is his incredible diagonal pass that found Burke inside the area. A regular game for Kai.
Jose Martinez- 6
Martinez did his job and kept the team out of too much trouble until the final ten minutes. He got a stupid yellow card for dissent, but he made some positive attacking moves. His shot from long range forced Ochoa into a save, and he made a really good run forward that ended with a cross. He was one of the only Union players to do so all night, perhaps reinforcing the fact he should play on the right side of the diamond.
Ale Bedoya- 5
It was another game in which the Philadelphia skipper was clearly a yard or two behind the pace of the game. His early yellow card, where he got nowhere near the ball when he went in for the tackle, was a good indication of that. It was also highlighted in his attacking play, which was incredibly frustrating. The two most notable moments were when Bedoya was not able to bring Leon Flach's great forward pass under control. He then rushed his cross into the box when he still had time to get it under control. The other was when he had the ball out in a wide area with loads of space to run into. He instead went backwards and played it simple.
Leon Flach- 8
Flach was one of the best Union players on the night, and it was just a shame it was not the sort of game his abilities were needed in with the way they were playing. The Union lacked any creativity or attacking intent in the diamond last night, although Flach did his best to provide it at times. That attacking run early in the first half almost created a huge chance. He worked hard for the entirety of the game and won possession back on several occasions. Just a shame it was not the kind of game for him to showcase his best abilities.
Jamiro Monteiro- 6
Monteiro really struggled to get into the flow of the game. The fact Club America were specifically marking him out of it did create a problem. It was somewhat a tactical masterstroke because they took out the Union's only creative midfielder and forced the other three to try and take control of the game, knowing that they could not. His penalty kick will also live long in the memory. It forced a great save from Ochoa, but that was the moment that everyone knew the Union were not scoring.
Kacper Przybylko- 7
Przybylko worked hard to make things happen in a game where he was somewhat isolated at times. He had a good header saved by Ochoa following Mbaizo's stunning cross. He also did very well to win the Union penalty. Having started the counter that led to it and being in a position to retrieve the through ball. It was frustrating that the lack of midfield creativity meant that he was forced to go into wide positions to make things happen. Ultimately damaging the Union attacks without his presence inside the area.
Cory Burke- 7
Burke had a similar performance, where he was isolated at times and played a key role in the penalty. He had two big chances to score, which were both blocked. Burke again had to go into wide areas to make things happen, which would hurt the Union inside the box. His work rate was excellent as he ran himself into the ground, and was a shame he did not have a goal to show for it.