The Philadelphia Union might not be finding their groove in MLS, but Jim Curtin’s side will be returning to the Concacaf Champions League for a second time in three seasons.
Julian Carranza scored twice against Liga MX club Atlas on Wednesday, giving the Union a 2-2 second leg quarterfinal draw in Mexico. The Union advanced 3-2 on aggregate, thanks to Daniel Gazdag’s first leg winner in Chester last week.
Carranza’s right-footed finish in the 78th minute proved to be the difference between the two sides as the Argentine drilled a shot into the bottom-right corner.
Atlas struck first with in-form forward Julian Quinones needing only 11 minutes to tie the score 1-1 on aggregate. Ozziel Herrera set up Quinones in the box before the 26-year-old sent a low drive past Andre Blake and into the bottom-right corner.
The Union recaptured a 2-1 aggregate advantage in the 28th minute as Jack McGlynn’s over the top pass was slotted home by Carranza. VAR reviewed the opportunity, but Carranza was ruled onsides as the Union hit back.
However, Atlas gained some valuable momentum on the stroke of halftime as Julio Furch’s close-range finish made it 2-1 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate. Herrera got the better of Kai Wagner before teeing up Furch for a simple tap-in goal.
The Union made several key blocks in the second half to deny Atlas a go-ahead goal before Carranza delivered the final sucker punch. Quinones was denied by Blake just one minute prior, before Carranza sealed the Union’s advancement with his second goal of the night.
The Union will now face defending MLS Cup Champions Los Angeles FC in the semifinal round in a rematch of last season’s league final.
It’s gonna be a MLS v Liga MX final again. I think Curtin is a good coach!! I thought for sure Curtin would’ve moved McGlynn to LB for Kai Wagner and have Flach in the midfield. Jack was having a good game. Harriel is a better RB than LB, so he could’ve subbed in for Mbaizo. After Mbaizo’s yellow card. Glad they won cuz Atlas wasn’t playing around. Rematch from the MLS cup final! This comp has consistently been worth watching since ‘18.
Wow! Congrats Union