By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Chester, Pa. — The Philadelphia Union may have lost the battle. But they were able to advance in the Leagues Cup Group Stage.
Cruz Azul defeated the Union on Sunday night at Subaru Park. The game was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation.
Then, the Mexican powerhouse got five penalty kicks past Union star goalkeeper Andre Blake. The Union was only able to convert three penalty kicks.
Despite losing, the Union advanced to the Leagues Cup Round of 32. The Philadelphia-based team had the most points in the group stage with five points.
Cruz Azul also advanced to the next round. Charlotte FC were not able to advance and have been eliminated from the tournament.
According to the Union staff members, the team is expected to have a home game on Friday, August 9th. The Union is playing CF Montreal in the knockout round.
Union head coach Jim Curtin said that their late goal gave the Union another home game in this tournament. But after Sunday night, that may not be a good thing.
The supporters of the Union are protesting the team’s appearance in this Leagues Cup. Their fan base would prefer that the team would play in the historic Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup soccer tournament that’s 110 years old.
Cruz Azul dominated the fans at Subaru Park despite there being a few empty seats. It looked like the Mexican powerhouse team had 70-80% of the fans in attendance.
Carlos Rotondi scored in the 41st minute to give Cruz Azul the lead. Then, late in the game, Daniel Gazdag scored in the 88th minute.
Head soccer official Jorge Camacho Peregrina let a lot of questionable plays happen. Even there appeared to be a punch but after video replay, it appeared to be a head butt.
Peregrina, who officiates Liga MX games, where Cruz Azul plays, was not on the side of the Union. Numerous times, Union players were not happy with his decisions and they let him have it.
He did make several calls that would have been questionable at best, including a potential penalty inside the box that would have given the home team a penalty kick.
The official gave out seven yellow cards with four against the Union. Cruz Azul had three yellow cards.
In the 58th minute, it appeared that Tai Baribo had Lorenzo Faravelli in a headlock before eventually being shoved to the ground.
According to a Leagues Cup official, Peregrina was not expected to officiate the game. The official said that another official could not make it to the game due to the Thunderstorms on Saturday that hit the area.
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