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Alberg leads Union to thrilling win over Fire

Photo by Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports
Photo by Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports

Following the departure of Vincent Noguiera, the Philadelphia Union were in need of a spark. They got one on Wednesday night in the form of Roland Alberg.

Alberg provided a hat-trick on Wednesday, leading the Union in a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Chicago Fire at Talen Energy Stadium. Alberg’s trio of goals come in just his fifth MLS start.

It took just two minutes for the Fire to open the scoring through David Accam, but the Union struck back nine minutes later with Alberg playing a part. An Alberg shot from the left side of the box caromed off the post and back towards the center of the net, where Jonathan Campbell had positioned himself. Left helpless, the ball smashed into Campbell and into the back of the net, leveling the score via an own goal.

Four minutes later, Alberg struck for his first proper goal. Following a rebound that was saved off the post, Alberg pounced in the center of the box, rocketing a right-footed shot to push the score to 2-1. His second came via another rebound in first half stoppage time. Following yet another Sean Johnson save, Alberg’s rebound attempt was cleared off the line. The third time proved to be the charm, as Alberg was given another chance to fire home, and promptly did so to give the Fire a 3-1 lead heading into the break.

Alberg’s third and final goal came from the penalty spot following a foul from Campbell. The Fire battled back into the game with a 69th minute goal from Razvan Cocis and an 80th minute tally from Khaly Thiam. They did little more than make the last 10 minutes interesting, as the Union held on to seal victory.

The Union return to action on Saturday against the Vancouver Whitecaps, while the Fire retake the field on Tuesday against the Columbus Crew in U.S. Open Cup action.

MAN OF THE MATCH

It’s an obvious choice, but Roland Alberg was spectacular on Wednesday, providing a hat-trick in a thrilling win. His decisive efforts on Wednesday came from a combination of desire and positional awareness, as Alberg always appeared to be in the right place when the Union needed him most.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Down a pair of goals early in the second half, the Fire all but buried themselves by conceding a penalty kick for Alberg’s third. A three-goal deficit proved too much, dooming the Fire to yet another road loss.

MATCH TO FORGET

Jonathan Campbell has proven to be a very capable young centerback throughout his short MLS tenure, but Wednesday’s match was far from his best. He was unlucky on the own goal, but his penalty kick foul was completely preventable.

Comments

  1. This was a report on an actual match. A slow news day would be one that focuses on an already debunked rumor about JK to (insert PL team during jour).

    Reply
  2. Must be a slow reporting day. No stories/rumors about how JK and Donovan reconnected before the Ecuador game? What about JK being the odds-on favorite to win the Southampton job? Would love to see the SBI spin on these topics. Thanks.

    Reply

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