jmcmullen@phanaticmag.com
CHESTER (The Phanatic Magazine) - Sebastien Le Toux's second goal of the night in stoppage time salvaged a point for Philadelphia as the Union roared back from a three-goal deficit to earn an improbable 4-4 draw with New England in front of 16,148 at PPL Park.
Rookie goalkeeper Zac MacMath was overmatched in his starting debut as the lowly Revolution extended Philadelphia's franchise record winless streak to seven by racing out to a 4-1 halftime advantage.
MacMath, a 19-year-old Maryland product that was the No.5 overall pick in the 2011 SuperDraft, was first forced into action last Saturday in Salt Lake City when All-Star Faryd Mondragon went down with a broken finger. Despite stopping all three shots he faced in Utah, MacMath was unable to halt Philadelphia's
slide in a 2-1 setback to Real Salt Lake.
With Mondragon set to be sidelined anywhere from two to four weeks after undergoing surgery on Tuesday and the Union still clinging to a playoff spot, MacMath came up small early in his first real opportunity, allowing the four markers in the first 34 minutes to a Revs team that came in last in the Eastern Conference and with an MLS-low 26 goals on the season.
New England took the early lead when Chris Tierney blasted a perfect set into the box off a free kick just off the right endline that rookie defender A.J. Soares headed home in the ninth minute.
New England then took a 2-0 edge in the 21st minute when Stefani Miglioranzi was called for a questionable foul in the area before Rajko Lekic easily beat a leaning MacMath on the ensuing penalty kick.
The rout seemed to be on in the 26th minute as Tierney crossed for Moncef Zerka, who headed home another for a 3-0 Revs advantage.
Philadelphia finally got one back in the 28th minute after Roger Torres look a nifty little pass from Sheanon Williams and curled it over New England netminder Matt Reis and into the right corner of the net for his third marker of the season.
The comeback was quelled a bit in the 33rd minute when Benny Feilhaber beat MacMath far side from distance in what was the softest goal the rookie allowed.
Philadelphia never gave up, however, and was far more competitive in the second half, playing with desperation and controlling the pace.
“There was not much to say,” team manager Peter Nowak said when asked about his halftime adjustments. “The movement was okay. We had a couple of good looks to score goals. Defensively, we were not so good. The four goals shouldn’t have happened. At times we looked like the expansion team from 2010.”
Freddy Adu scored his first goal as a member of the Union in the 54th minute when Danny Mwanga, who came on as a substitute at intermission, dropped the ball to him on the left side before Adu slided it past Reis on the far side.
“It was important for us to get that goal,” said Adu. “It came early enough in the second half that we had a lot of time left to make a surge, and that’s what we did. That goal, getting that goal at that point in the game, really put them on their heels. It gave us a lot of momentum and their backs were against the wall.”
Le Toux then made it real interesting in the 80th minute. After Pat Phelan took him down in the box, the French striker beat Reis on the penalty kick to draw the Union within a goal.
Le Toux finally completed the improbable comeback a minute or so into stoppage time by blasting a low liner past Reis helping the Union become just the fifth team in MLS history to earn at least a point after falling behind by three goals.
Philadelphia finished with a franchise record 24 shots, including 11 on net to just seven and four for the Revs but MacMath was never credited with a save all night. He did manage to smother a Tierney free kick to keep the Union within a goal, setting up Le Toux's heroics.
“In Salt Lake, we lost but I was happy to score my first one in the run of play because all of you guys [the media] were talking about that,” Le Toux said. “So now you have something else to talk about. It’s out of the way now. It was good for me, but I hope in the future my goals will help the team win, not just tie.”
Philadelphia will return to action Saturday when they host Portland at PPL Park.
UNION Dues:
*Mwanga came in for Gabriel Farfan while Michael Farfan also came in for the second half, replacing Miglioranzi. The Union's other sub was Justin Mapp for Torres in the 72nd minute.
*This match was originally scheduled for Aug. 28 but was postponed due to Tropical Storm Irene.
*With Mondragon sidelined, veteran defender Danny Califf wore the captain's armband.
*MF Brian Carroll returned to the starting lineup after missing the previous two games with a foot contusion.
*D Carlos Valdes returned after missing the team's loss in Salt Lake City due to yellow card accumulation.
*MF Keon Daniel is currently logging international duty for Trinidad and Tobago's National Team.
SCORING SUMMARY:
NE -- A.J. Soares 1 (Chris Tierney 3) 9
NE -- Rajko Lekic 5 (penalty kick) 21
NE -- Moncef Zerka 1 (Chris Tierney 4) 25
PHI -- Roger Torres 3 (Sheanon Williams 3) 28
NE -- Benny Feilhaber 3 (Rajko Lekic 1) 33
PHI -- Freddy Adu 1 (Danny Mwanga 4) 54
PHI -- Sebastien Le Toux 5 (penalty kick) 80 PHI -- Sebastien Le Toux 6 (Veljko Paunovic 2) 91+
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
NE -- Shalrie Joseph (caution; Delaying a Restart) 36 NE -- Milton Caraglio (caution; Reckless Tackle) 71 PHI -- Freddy Adu (caution; Reckless Foul) 76 NE -- Benny Feilhaber (caution; Dissent) 97+
LINEUPS:
New England Revolution -- Matt Reis, Kevin Alston, Ryan Cochrane (Franco Coria 74), A.J. Soares, Darrius Barnes, Moncef Zerka (Ryan Guy 64), Benny Feilhaber, Shalrie Joseph, Chris Tierney, Milton Caraglio, Rajko Lekic (Pat Phelan 58).
Substitutes Not Used: Kheli Dube, Diego Fagundez, Zack Schilawski, Bobby Shuttleworth.
Philadelphia Union -- Zac MacMath, Sheanon Williams, Danny Califf, Carlos Valdes, Gabriel Farfan (Danny Mwanga 46), Freddy Adu, Brian Carroll, Stefani Miglioranzi (Michael Farfan 46), Roger Torres (Justin Mapp 72), Sebastien Le Toux, Veljko Paunovic.
Substitutes Not Used: Jack McInerney, Kyle Nakazawa, Amobi Okugo, Thorne Holder.
Referee: Jorge Gonzalez
Referee's Assistants: Greg Barkey; Craig Lowry 4th Official: Andrew Chapin Time of Game: 1:57
Weather: Partly Cloudy-and-71-degrees
Attendance: 16,148
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