Philadelphia Union II Goals:
New York City FC II Goals: Flax 90+9'
Quick Read
New York City FC II showed tremendous resilience to claim a dramatic 1-0 victory on the road against Philadelphia Union II. Reduced to 10 men late in the second half, Matt Pilkington’s side refused to buckle and were rewarded deep into stoppage time when Cooper Flax curled home a stunning free kick to secure all three points.
Match Recap
New York City FC II were back on their travels this weekend as they took on Philadelphia Union II.
Matt Pilkington’s side were keen to bounce back from a disappointing defeat in their last outing two weeks ago and knew a win against Philadelphia could be the perfect antidote.
The hosts started well, and that saw Kellan LeBlanc test NYCFC II goalkeeper Brennan Klein after just two minutes.
Klein was called into action again minutes later as Willyam Ferreira tried his luck from outside the box. Thankfully for NYCFC II, it was comfortably saved.
The visitors responded with a chance of their own in the 10th minute. Drew Kerr was found from a short corner near the byline and tried to beat the goalkeeper from the tightest of angles.
From the resulting corner, Brazilian defender Joao Loiola Santos rose highest but failed to direct his header on target.
Kerr tried his luck again in the 23rd minute after a driving run from the left before Malik Jakupovic drew a save from Klein at the other end.
The two sides continued to exchange chances before Joseph Suchecki was handed two opportunities in quick succession just before halftime. The first was blocked by Jordan Griffin, and the second was turned behind by Pierce Holbrook.
Pilkington opted to make no changes at halftime as both sides sought to break the deadlock.
The second period began in much the same way as the first, with Philadelphia’s Edward Davis forcing an early save from Klein.
Sebastiano Musu attempted to fire New York City FC II in front seven minutes later, but he could not keep his effort on target.
Pilkington made his first changes of the afternoon in the 70th minute as David Duque and Jonny Lopez replaced Kerr and Kieran Smith.
New York City FC II were reduced to 10 men minutes later after Musu mistimed a tackle and collected a second yellow card.
Despite that setback, NYCFC II continued to push, and that almost saw Cooper Flax give them the lead, only for his shot to be blocked by Andrew Craig.
Philadelphia responded early in stoppage time when Rafael Uzcátegui’s vicious drive from distance was brilliantly tipped over by Klein.
Pilkington made a third change in the 96th minute, replacing Elhadji Samb with Henrik Hvatum. The substitute was then handed the chance to win the game, only for his shot to be blocked by Griffin.
NYCFC II’s resilience and belief did not waver, and they were rewarded deep into stoppage time when Flax broke the deadlock in memorable style.
The midfielder lined up a free kick from 30 yards out and managed to lift it up and over the wall before watching it fly past Holbrook.
There was still just enough time for a final New York City change as Gil De Souza replaced Duque. Ultimately, the visitors were able to hold on for a memorable 1-0 win on the road against Philadelphia.
How We Lined Up
What's Next
Next up for New York City FC II is a game against Chatanooga FC on Sunday, June 21. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00PM ET.
