Philadelphia Union blow two leads, settle for 2-2 draw with Charlotte FC

Philadelphia Union led twice on the scoreboard, and twice let it slip away. In the end, a 2-2 result at Subaru Park left mixed feelings for the home side, who watched Charlotte FC draw level with nine minutes to go thanks to a goal from Bruno Damiani, after Philadelphia had itself gone behind following a visiting comeback in the second half.

The Union got off to an early lead through a penalty. In the 21st minute, Pep Biel handled the ball inside the box, and two minutes later Milan Iloski made no mistake from the spot, a low strike to the right side, just inside the left post, for the 1-0. There were more home chances before the break, with Ashley Westwood ringing the post for Charlotte, but the first half closed with Philadelphia still clinging to that narrow edge.

The second half opened with an immediate blow for the hosts. Just moments after the restart, in the 47th minute, Rodolfo Aloko leveled things for Charlotte with a left-footed finish from the middle of the box, set up by Idan Toklomati. And Toklomati himself turned provider into scorer fourteen minutes later: in the 61st minute he headed home from close range off a David Schnegg cross to make it 1-2, a goal that needed a VAR check before it was confirmed.

Trailing on the scoreboard, the Union refused to fold. In the 72nd minute, Bruno Damiani curled a left-footed finish into the top corner from the center of the box, set up by Danley Jean Jacques, to make it a final 2-2. In the closing stretch, with a lengthy stoppage time, Henry Kessler rattled the crossbar, er, the post with a header for Charlotte and Quinn Sullivan tested his luck for Philadelphia, but the score held firm.

By the numbers

The stats point to a match that was even on the scoreboard but lopsided in terms of ball control. Charlotte FC controlled possession with 60.2 percent to the Union's 39.8 percent, and also outpaced Philadelphia in passing, but it was the home side that created more danger: 21 shots to 13, and 5 on target compared to Charlotte's 3.

According to our xG estimate calculated from the match's shot data, the Union generated 3.029 expected goals compared to Charlotte's 1.536, a gap that confirms the home side was sharper in front of goal despite seeing less of the ball and ultimately failing to hold on for all three points.

Our pre-match preview gave Philadelphia Union a 49 percent chance of winning, Charlotte FC 26 percent, and a draw 25 percent, with a projection of 1.87 expected goals for the hosts and 1.31 for the visitors. The final result, with both sides scoring twice, ended up aligning more closely with the draw scenario than with the edge we had given the Union, who couldn't hold onto either of their two leads.

What it means in the standings

In the MLS Eastern Conference, the draw leaves both teams tightly bunched together: Charlotte FC sits fifth with 47 points and Philadelphia Union sixth with 46, just 1 point separating them. With this result, Philadelphia picks up its seventh draw of the tournament, while Charlotte reaches eight, in a stretch of the table where every point matters in the fight for the top spots.