Down their best striker in Julián Carranza, the first leg meeting between the Union and Pachuca in the 2024 Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 ended in a scoreless draw on Tuesday night. Although Philly preformed admirably shorthanded, they weren’t lacking scoring opportunities. Let’s take a closer look.
Andre Blake Returns with a Clean Sheet
Union goalkeeper Andre Blake returned to the Philly lineup for this match and looked rather good doing so. Blake saw a potent Pachuca attack fire 18 shots his way, but the 33-year-old stopped all of them. Blake has missed the last three matches after suffering an abductor strain in the season opener against Saprissa.
Golden Opportunities for Uhre, Gazdag
Despite turning a game effort against a quality opponent with a rotating lineup, the Union did own some of the best scoring chances of the match, but just couldn’t find the touch. Mikael Uhre had two quality looks at the Pachua keeper Carlos Moreno, but each time Moreno challenged Uhre aggressively. You can see the full sequences in their entirety, courtesy of the The Free Kick Pod below.
Uhre wasn’t the only one. Daniel Gazdag attempted a chip at the 76 minute over Moreno and just barely missed. The ball floated just above the cross bar and out of play. It was a great cross attempt from Quinn Sullivan and bit of a good luck bounce for the Union, but Gazdag was just a tad fine with it.
They Said It
Jim Curtin on the Union’s Clean Sheet: “Shutouts are important. In this building, we don’t like to concede, that’s always the goal. We created a couple chances in the first half so there’s something to build on the offense there as well.”
On Deck
The Union return to the pitch on Saturday when they play host to the Seattle Sounders in MLS, 7:30 p.m. kickoff. In Champions league play, Philly will head to Pachuca next Tuesday for leg 2 in Mexico.
