Takeaways from the Philadelphia Union's U.S. Open Cup Defeat to Minnesota United

The Union suffered another heartbreaking defeat in a knockout competition on Tuesday night.

As Kai Wagner’s penalty kick flew right into Clint Irwin’s body, the same sinking feeling that Philadelphia Union fans and players felt seven days ago was present again.

The Union lost in the eighth round of penalty kicks to Minnesota United in the U.S. Open Cup round of 32 on Tuesday night.

The path to the loss was a familiar one. The Union rallied from a goal twice thanks to a pair of tremendous Kai Wagner strikes to force penalties.

Unfortunately, the Union came up short on spot kicks again and suffered their fourth straight loss in the U.S. Open Cup.

The stakes were not as high as the 2022 MLS Cup or the Concacaf Champions League semifinal, but losses like that still deliver a gutted, heartbreaking feeling.

Union-Minnesota Takeaways

Not Again!

No matter which line you choose to describe the Union, the loss hurts as much as previous ones in knockout competitions.

The Union are cursed, can’t get the job done, are choke artists. Pick the line you want to use and there’s justification behind them.

How many heartbreaking losses can a club suffer before the suffering can end? That’s the sentiment I remember from the 2018 U.S. Open Cup final, which was the third in a string of Open Cup final defeats.

The Union curbed the reputation of a big-game loser a bit with their handful of playoff victories, but then that sinking feeling returned with the 2022 MLS Cup.

At some point, the hard luck excuse goes away because the heartbreaking losses happen so often.

I think it’s a good thing that the Union do not have a straight knockout game on their schedule for the next two months. League play is a very welcome sight right now.

Kai Wagner’s Up-And-Down Night

Wagner rescued the Union twice, both times in improbable fashion.

The Union left back lashed a volley into the back of the net at the end of regulation to send the game to extra time, and then once you thought all was lost, he laced a free-kick past Irwin in the 120th minute to send the match to penalties.

Because the Union can’t have nice things in knockout competitions Wagner’s saved penalty ended the shootout and eliminated the Union from the Open Cup.

The missed penalty will linger over Wagner’s overall performance off the bench, but he has to be commended for rallying the Union back on two occasions in situations in which they could have packed it in.

The free-kick goal is the one of the two strikes that could be important as the MLS regular season goes on.

Philadelphia needs some set-piece variety (as you’ve read here many times recently) and Wagner being on target from a free-kick could lead to more direct shots from 25 yards or closer. That may create more goals for Wagner, or it may produce rebounds in front of the net that the Union forwards can pounce on.

I’ll finish the Wagner section with a dumb stat. Wagner became the eighth Union player to score multiple goals in an Open Cup game. Freddy Adu (!!!!!), Lionard Pajoy, Andrew Wenger (!!!!), Sebastien Le Toux, Roland Alberg, Chris Pontius and Cory Burke all achieved that feat as well.

Chris Donovan Scored!

Chris Donovan sparked the first Union comeback with a 77th-minute goal built by determination, hard work and hustle.

Donovan took advantage of a turnover and fired past an unsuspecting Irwin to provide the Union with a lifeline.

Before Wagner’s brace, Donovan joined a bizarre list of recent Union Open Cup scorers. Anthony Fontana and Stuart Findlay scored the last two USOC goals in Union history prior to Tuesday night.

Donovan did not do much before the goal, but the opening tally has to be our main takeaway from his personal showing.

If he isn’t going to make a constant impact on the game, but can find the back of the net, he can be a useful third striker option while Quinn Sullivan is away at the U-20 World Cup.

The Union should still search long and far for a third striker in the summer transfer window, but for now, Donovan is their best option.

They need the Drexel product to find some confidence in front of goal, so he can be trusted more in substitute appearances over the next 5-7 games.

Joaquin Torres’ Effort

Joaquin Torres is the other key component to filling Sullivan’s absence.

Torres was largely anonymous in the first half, but so was every player on the field, but then he sprung to life in the second half.

The Argentinian finished extra time with seven shots and one assist from Wagner’s first goal.

Torres put a free-kick on net earlier in the second half and found himself in some good spaces on his failed shot attempts.

The assist to Wagner was built out of determination to make an impact. He flung a cross into the box from the right wing that met Wagner’s boot and that kept the Union alive at that point.

Torres’ ability to find some space and his effort over the final 75 minutes are promising signs that he can make an impact moving forward.

What I can do without is the hysterics when drawing fouls. Torres tried to draw a foul on the left side of the field prior to Minnesota’s third goal. Maybe Torres’ pressing helps the Union keep a cross out of the box on Minnesota’s third tally, maybe it doesn’t, but there was no need for him to fling himself to the ground in the sequence prior to that concession.

Defensive Shortcomings

The Union back line could have done better on Minnesota’s three goals.

Damion Lowe and Jack Elliott were on the wrong end of individual duels on the first and third goals, and Lowe was among the number of players who were burned in the buildup to the second concession.

Credit goes to Bongo Hlongwane for getting into the dangerous positions and making an impact from the second he came off the bench.

Yes, the Union defenders did not show well on the concessions, but the other part to those moves is the tremendous movement and finishing by the Loons’ attackers.

Nathan Harriel Stands Out

Nathan Harriel was a rock in the Union defense.

He stood out on numerous occasions, whether it be breaking up attacking moves, being in the right position, or springing attacks forward in the second half.

Before all the chaos happened, I could have made a case for Harriel to be Man of the Match based solely on the eye test.

I don’t know where the right back competition stands internally at the moment, but Harriel and Olivier Mbaizo seem to be on a level playing field. Both players turned in strong performances this season, but have also displayed flaws.

Harriel had two steady performances in a row, and that will put pressure on Mbaizo to perform in his next start, which may be Saturday in Colorado.

Moving Forward

The best follow-up to playing 120 minutes in a knockout competition is a game at altitude!!

The worst-case scenario, a loss in a game that went to penalties, had to play into the minds of the Union staff when preparing for Tuesday night.

Jakob Glesnes and Alejandro Bedoya will be among the fresh bodies on the field in Commerce City on Saturday. I would wait until next Wednesday at home to get Jose Martinez back on the field.

Curtin set an internal goal of a minimum 10 points in the five-game stretch of MLS games that started with the Toronto match.

Colorado is beatable at home, and a point at minimum would be nice, to carry some momentum into the two-game home week against D.C. United and New England.

Full focus on league play could be the best thing to happen to the Union, who could be in the top four in the East with just a few wins.

Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union.