The team permanently acquires Julian Carranza
Striker available for Wednesday’s match at Miami
By Mike Shute
Last Friday’s 7-0 Philadelphia Union victory over DC United saw the team create new entries in both the franchise and MLS record books at Subaru Park in Chester, PA.
But for the Union to finish the 2022 season with the ultimate prize, capturing MLS Cup, Philadelphia (33 points on 8 wins, 2 losses, 9 draws, 2nd place behind N.Y. Red Bulls) must continue its winning ways. The team wants to keep positively turning the corner from its stretch of frustrating ties (seven in an eight-game span from April 23 to June 18) when it visits Inter Miami CF (6 wins, 8 losses, 4 draws) for an 8 p.m. Eastern Conference match on Wednesday (On the air in Philadelphia: WPHL-TV 17; 102.5 FM, Fox Sports The Gambler).
Reigning MLS Player of the Week for Week 19, Julian Carranza, who collected his first MLS hat trick against D.C. (fifth hat trick in Union history), was not expected to be on the pitch for the Union on Wednesday as he was with Philly on loan from Miami and he was not available for selection in games against his former team according to the terms of his loan agreement.
However, on Wednesday afternoon, Philadelphia announced that it has permanently acquired the Argentine striker and he will be available for selection for Wednesday night’s contest. The team acquired him from Miami CF in exchange for $500,000 in General Allocation Money and a future transfer percentage.
“We brought Julian in because we believed his work rate and intelligence would be a strong fit for our aggressive style of play and we are very happy with how quickly he has adapted,” Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner said in a statement released by the team. “His goal scoring has been vital to the team’s success thus far and we expect him to maintain the high-level ha has shown as the season progresses.”
Carranza, who is signed now through 2023 with an option for 2024, is the team’s co-leader in goals scored with seven (Daniel Gazdag) and also leads the team with 38 shots. His four assists rank No. 3 on the Union roster. He put the Union ahead 3-0 in the first half Friday with a bicycle kick in front of the goal in the 22nd minute, then pushed in another goal off a pass from Leon Flach while cutting across the six-yard box in the 25th minute. He completed the hat trick in the 72nd minute after Cory Burke left him a nice ball at the top of the box, doing so shortly after he missed a PK in the 70th minute.
Entering Wednesday’s match at 18,000-seat DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FL, the Union had allowed just 13 goals in their first 19 games, (0.68 GAA) so the challenge will lie with Miami to break through the airtight Philly defensive unit. Blake and the Union defenders have held eight opponents scoreless in 2022, a total that leads MLS. Miami, which is tied for the fewest goals scored in MLS, was one of those shutout victims when the teams played to a scoreless draw at Subaru Park on May 18. Miami mustered only nine total shots in that game with Blake stopping the only two that were on target. Meanwhile, Philly launched 20 total shots, putting eight on goal, but likewise, Miami’s Drake Callender turned aside all eight Union shots on goal. Carranza did not play in that match.
As one might expect in July, it will be hot in Miami Wednesday, with temperatures expected around 82 degrees at 8 p.m. along with 79 percent humidity will make it feel like 90 degrees. There’s also a high probability of thunderstorms at game time so the weather could play a huge factor in this game.
“Guys will help maybe earlier off the bench for sure,” Curtin said. “That is the reality. It’s gonna be a hot night in Miami so we really need the full squad to be ready.”
Meanwhile, since the two teams last met, Miami has added the playmaking abilities of Alejandro Puzuelo but it was un certain where he fits in at this point and if he’ll be available for selection.
“Obviously the addition of Pozuelo – not sure where he factors in quite yet but a difference-maker, a great player that only makes them that much better.
That May home game against Miami was among the many in that frustrating stretch for Philadelphia and its manager. But Curtin said the win Friday means nothing if they can’t continue the momentum and turn draws into wins.
“It doesn’t mean anything unless we follow up with a strong performance against Miami,” Curtin said. “They play the right way, they play very organized. They gave us a handful in our own building so we know it will be a difficult task there.”
The Union certainly went to extremes to ensure a win against D.C. United with their complete demolition of the visitors from our nation’s capital on Friday, July 8. Curtin’s team earned a 7-0 result, marking the team’s most goals in a game and tying the MLS record for the largest margin of victory in a game. It marked the fifth time a team won by seven goals in league history and the fourth time that the result was 7-0.
Adding to Philly’s list of achievements in the D.C. victory, Alejandro Bedoya (two goals) became just the third player in team history with more than 20 career goals and 20 career assists. He also became the ninth to top 20 goals in blue and gold.
The Union captain, who was making his 170th start in MLS regular season play, connected for the game’s first goal, a perfectly placed left-footed blast as he moved from his right to his left at the top of the box after receiving a perfectly placed long ball from Jose Martinez, putting Philly up for good at 1-0 in the eighth minute. Bedoya’s second goal put Philly up 4-0 as he flicked Kai Wagner’s free-kick over the D.C. keeper with a fantastically flicked header in the 36th minute giving him 21 career goals with Philly tying him for sixth place in team history with Conor Casey, Fafa Picault and current teammate Cory Burke.
“He continues to get better with age,” Curtin said of Bedoya who joined Carranza in being named to the MLS Team of the Week. The pair combined for four goals in the first 36 minutes of the win over D.C. Defender Jack Elliott also landed a spot on the Team of the Week bench.
“(Bedoya) will be in the Ring of Honor here in Philadelphia,” Curtin continued. “He has been an incredible player that has transformed the franchise. And it’s gotten better because of him and his leadership on the field. So we owe him everything here in Philadelphia. I know he wants to win another trophy here and lift MLS Cup. Can’t say enough things about Ale, he has been incredible.”
Meanwhile, Mikael Uhre connected for the first brace of his MLS career. He put the Union up 5-0 in first-half stoppage time, walking in after a nice pass from Daniel Gazdag. The five first-half goals tied a team record originally set in 2019, a 6-1 home victory over the New England Revolution.
They connected for a second time, somehow chopping a bouncing ball through the D.C. keeper’s legs to make it 6-0 in the 59th minute. Uhre now has five goals on the season.
Other milestones reached in Friday’s win over D.C.: Defender Jack Elliott made his 150th MLS appearance, homegrown defender Brandan Craig made his MLS debut, Kai Wagner moved into fourth place in Union history with 25 assists, and midfielder Leon Flach made his 50th MLS start.
Meanwhile, homegrown youngsters, Paxton Aaronson, Quinn Sullivan, Jack McGlynn, and Brandan Craig were warmly welcomed after spending most of June in Honduras with the USMNT U20 squad, helping it capture the CONCACAF U20 title and qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Aaronson won both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball for the tournament and was named to the tournament’s best XI along with Union teammate Sullivan.
With the three-save shutout of D.C., Blake now owns 21 clean sheets in the last 47 matches dating back to the start of 2021. And he has piled up 52 shutouts since entering the league as a No. 1 overall draft pick in 2017.
It will be a quick turnaround for the Union who will line up against the New England Revolution on Saturday, July 16, back at Subaru Park for a 7:30 p.m. match. The two Eastern Conference foes played to a 1-1 drawback on May 28, with both goals coming less than three minutes apart. It will be Philly’s third game in nine days.