It was the sixth time the Union and the Revs faced each other this year. Four wins and one draw left Philadelphia the favorite, unknown territory for a team that played the underdog role throughout the season.
By Esteban Suarez
The Union came to the game like the big favorite after clinching the Supporters' Shield a couple of weeks ago, with a 2-0 win against New England. However, despite the loss, Bruce Arena's team understood playoff games are different and that everything done during the season has no weight in this instance.
Led by Spanish midfielder Carles Gil, the Revs shocked Union and their fans at Subaru Park by winning 2-0 in the first round of the 2020 MLS Audi Cup playoffs.
The first half-chance of the game came from Jamiro Monteiro. A speedy dribble from Brenden Aaronson down the right flank delivered a pass to Monteiro to the penalty spot, but his shot went high off the crossbar.
The game followed the same note. The Union side looked more and more imprecise while the Revs handled to keep their shape and take advantage of the Philly team's sloppy mistakes in the back.
The Revs took the lead out from a set-piece in the 26th minute. Carles Gil delivered a perfectly floated ball into the box where Adam Bukasa headed it into the goal, making it almost impossible for Andre Blake to reach the ball.
The distance between both sides was doubled just four minutes later. The ball was again delivered by Gil, who found Tajon Buchanan inside the box and scored the second of the night with a shot into the far post after easily taking away Kain Wagner.
The Union improved defensively for the second half, but the damage was done already. Despite the improvement and the fact that the team lines seemed more in sync than the first 45th, the way uphill was impossible to hike.
Union had a couple of chances, but New England goalkeeper Matt Turner handled them without an issue. 2-0 was the final score and, just like that, the Revs became the first side to score multiple goals in an away match on Chester this year.
The 2020 season ended with a tough loss at Subaru Park, where the team remained unbeaten during the regular season. Unluckily, the guys in blue put in their worst performance during the most crucial game of the season.
The Union fell flat in the MLS Playoffs, a place where Supporters' Shield winners come to struggle since just three out of 18 have ever lifted both trophies in the same season.
It is a sad goodbye for a historical season and homegrown youngster Brenden Aaronson who played his last game before leaving for Salsburg. Despite the record the Union had over the Revs, it was proved that statistics are made to be broken.
Philadelphia Union couldn't handle the pressure of being the favorite team in the preview, but maybe next year things will be different.
