Match Thoughts: Philadelphia Union 2, New England Revolution 0
Jovan Lukic turned in a masterclass reminiscent of a former Union midfielder's early road success and more thoughts on the Union's win.
No one can say with a straight face that they expected the Philadelphia Union to get nine points and 10 goals out of the first three games of the 2025 Major League Soccer season.
There was a right to be positive about the changes within the squad, but I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted this type of start.
My take on the whole thing is that the Union weren’t going to be terrible.
There was still a solid core of players left on the roster after the 2024 season, but like we said during the 2024 campaign, the roster needed to be refurbished.
Sporting director Ernst Tanner finally achieved that this offseason, and so far, at least one of the offseason signings, Jovan Lukic, proved to be a huge hit.
Lukic was fantastic in the Union’s 2-0 win over the New England Revolution, so let’s start the match thoughts there.
Jovan Lukic is the Real Deal
This wasn’t the first time that a Union central midfielder announced himself to MLS with a breakout performance on the road.
Okay, so, it’s not quite Jose Martinez at LAFC in 2020 because of the theatrics involved in that game, but that’s what my mind kept going back to.
Lukic turned in a similar performance in terms of impact on attack and defense.
Lukic displayed more of a willingness to join the attack and that eventually earned him his first goal in MLS.
The goal itself was a beautiful strike that glanced off the left post and went into the back of the net.
The goal was the perfect conclusion to an incredible night for Lukic, who appears to be the latest gem plucked out of obscurity by Tanner.
Lukic actually finished the game with four more shots than any of his teammates and matched Quinn Sullivan for the team high in shots on goal on Saturday.
Last week I said Lukic was a more offensive-minded Leon Flach, but after watching Saturday’s game, he looks more like a more disciplined Jose Martinez.
It’s easy to draw comparisons to past Union players because they are so fresh in our memories and the system hasn’t changed much.
Lukic truly is a two-way midfielder with a knack for moving forward and he also has some bite when defending.
He’s the perfect player for the Red Bull-style system in place with the Union, and at least through three games, we have to give Tanner credit for hitting a home run on this signing.
Jury Still Out on Center Back Pairing
I tweeted this thought out last night and after having it marinate in my head overnight, I still think it’s true.
The Lukic-Danley central midfield combination is the real deal and both players fit well in the system.
However, I’m still not convinced about the play of the center backs.
Olwethu Makhanya’s stat sheet looks fantastic, right?
The South African had 10 clearances, five interceptions and four tackles alongside Jakob Glesnes, who had nine clearances and one interception.
It’s a great stat line, but a center back tandem should never have 19 clearances in a single game.
That either means the defense was under an onslaught from start to finish, or they were sloppy and had to clean things up.
The latter popped up on a few occasions throughout Saturday’s game, as the Revs had a few high-danger chances in the Union penalty area.
On one hand, it’s great that Makhanya and Glesnes put out all the fires at the back, but you could argue pretty quickly that it shouldn’t have gotten to that point.
Andre Blake was only forced into one big save in the second half, so the ball didn’t get to the Union goalkeeper much, but there was a lot going on in front of him.
You can’t complain too much after a clean sheet on the road, but this is more of a big picture item that I think we’ll revisit in a month or so.
Ian Glavinovich not being healthy also adds to this conundrum. Does the defense look better with him out there? Not sure about that and I’m also not sure when he actually plays. He was doing working on the side late this week in training, so at best, he’s at least a few weeks away from earning his first MLS start.
A Little Bit of Luck Involved
The Union deserve a ton of credit for winning in the fashion they did.
But let’s be honest: the game changed a bit when Leo Campana had to exit with an injury in the ninth minute.
Campana is New England’s top striker, and without him, they lacked the killer instinct in front of goal.
Maxi Urruti has been a decent scorer during his time in MLS, but at 34, he shouldn’t be the top marksman of any attack.
You felt some of the life being sucked out of the Revs through the TV when Campana went down.
I’m not going to sit here and say Campana scores a hat-trick and the result is different, but I think the high-danger chances the Revs had look a bit different with a more lethal striker on the field.
Credit to the Union for stopping who was out on the field, but that’s another reason why I’m hesitant to put the full stamp of approval on the Union back line just yet.
Week 1 is always a crap shoot, Cincinnati had eyes on the Champions League and the Revs had their top striker go off nine minutes in.
That’s all the ammo a contrarian needs to poke holes in the Union’s start.
Kai Tai
The Kai-Tai connection produced yet another goal.
Tai Baribo nodded home a cross from Kai Wagner on a recycled set piece in the 76th minute to put the Union ahead.
Baribo displayed great instincts to get in front of the defender and head home his league-leading sixth goal of the campaign.
Baribo tied an MLS record for most goals scored through three regular-season games. Ante Razov in 1999 was the only other MLS player to score six times in the first three contests.
The Union’s two-goal win moved their goal differential to +7, which is the fourth-best goal differential through three games in league history, per MLS PR.
I don’t think anyone doubted the Union attack because of the quality still in the squad between Baribo, Mikael Uhre and Daniel Gazdag. Bruno Damiani should add another element to that depth.
The goals will be there all season, as will the service from Wagner, and if the defensive intensity remains, the Union could be a legitimate contender for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union.
The video clip of Lukic doing the hissing snake in the away team locker room is almost as much fun as the goal.
When do all the longtime Union fans who ripped ownership for keeping Ernst Tanner over Jim Curtin begin with their mea culpas?
To be clear, I understand 100% if people were upset about Curtin being dismissed. He earned our respect and affection over a decade-plus. But look how both Andy Reid and the Eagles have benefited since their split in 2013. Sometimes, it is just a time for a change. And I did have questions about Curtin's personnel management, in addition to wondering if his direction of the team had grown stale.
There is a long way to go, I realize, but the Union are fun again and I'm glad to see Tanner getting some results - I've considered him an excellent talent evaluator that we've been lucky to have for years now. And Bradley Carnell, pretty good so far, although I realize he flamed out quickly in St. Louis. In that specific case, I do not expect lightning to strike twice.