New York City FC II Goals: Guarino 87'
Philadelphia Union II Goals: Olivas 20', Kornzeniowski 59', Pariano 73' (PK), Sequera 88'
Quick Read
New York City FC II fell 4-1 to Philadelphia Union II at Belson Stadium despite a spirited effort. Down a goal heading into halftime, a red card saw City reduced to ten men. Two further goals gave Philly a commanding lead, before a consolation from Eligio Guarino late on. Philly added a fourth a minute later on what was a tough night for City.
Match Recap
A spring evening at Belson Stadium was the backdrop for New York City FC II’s game against Philadelphia Union II.
City were keen to get back to winning ways and were boosted by the inclusion of Andrés Perea in the heart of midfield.
A fast start to the contest saw both teams pushing for an opener, with Philadelphia claiming it in the 20th minute through Salvador Olivas.
City continued to push for an equalizer and came close on several occasions. Just before halftime, a clever backheel from Seymour Reid found Julien Lacher, whose fierce shot forced an impressive save from Andrew Rick.
Unfortunately, City were dealt a blow minutes later when Jonny Lopez was shown a straight red card after an off-the-ball coming together with a Philadelphia player.
Head Coach Matt Pilkington made three changes ahead of the second half, with Collin McCamy, Chris Tiao, and Piero Elias replacing Zidane Yañez, Prince Amponsah, and Perea.
The visitors then doubled their advantage just before the hour mark through Stas Kornzeniowski.
City came close to testing Rick after Max Murray’s header in the box almost landed at the feet of McCamy—the midfielder failed to connect with the bouncing ball.
Unfortunately, the hosts then conceded a penalty in the 73rd minute. Nicholas Pariano stepped up to take the spot kick and converted from 12 yards out.
Two further City changes arrived in the 79th minute as Sebastiano Musu and Eligio Guarino replaced Lacher and Reid.
The hosts continued to push for a route back into the game and saw that hard work rewarded in the 87th minute after two substitutes—Musu and Guarino—combined for the latter to score.
Their hopes of a comeback were dashed a minute later, however, after Giovanny Sequera found a fourth for Philly.
That rounded out the scoring and confirmed a disappointing 4-1 defeat for City.
How We Lined Up
What's Next
Next up for New York City FC II is a game against New England Revolution II on Saturday, April 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00PM ET.
