CHESTER, Penn. (July 17, 2024) – The New England Revolution (7-14-1; 22 pts.) were defeated by the Philadelphia Union (5-10-9; 24 pts.), 5-1, on Wednesday night at Subaru Park. Midfielder Ian Harkes was the lone scorer for New England, tallying his first goal of the 2024 MLS campaign in his 25th start for the club in all competitions.
Against a shorthanded Revolution team limited by injuries, Philadelphia pulled out to 3-0 lead in the first half, with Tai Baribo opening the scoring in the 29th minute and Jakob Glesnes adding the second goal in the 39th minute. Baribo finished the night with a hat trick, tacking on goals in the 44th and 52nd minutes. Quinn Sullivan wrapped up the scoring for Philadelphia with an 84th-minute strike from distance. Union defender Kai Wagner assisted on three of his team's goals.
Shortly after halftime, Harkes cut the deficit to two when he scored his first goal of the season in the 50th minute, a curling, right-footed shot over the head of Andre Blake into the far corner. The goal was Harkes' third tally for the club and the fifth of his MLS career. However, Baribo's third goal moments later to stretch the lead back to three nullified the visitors' momentum.
Four Homegrown players appeared in the match for New England, including 16-year-old defender Peyton Miller making his MLS debut. Miller, the youngest product of the Revolution's pro pathway to sign a first-team contract, is now the second-youngest player to appear for the club in MLS action behind Diego Fagundez. Fellow Revolution Academy products Esmir Bajraktarević and Jack Panayotou earned starts, while forward Malcom Fry entered the match as a second-half substitute for his second MLS outing. Panayotou suited up for his third consecutive start in tonight’s contest.
Wednesday's match also featured Revolution forward Bobby Wood's return to the starting lineup for the first time this season. In the back, Andrew Farrell extended his club record with his 340th MLS appearance, playing the full 90 minutes at right back. Central defender Xavier Arreaga returned to the starting group after missing last weekend’s match due to yellow card accumulation.
In addition to the Revolution's own arsenal of young talent on display, Philadelphia's 14-year-old Homegrown player Cavan Sullivan made history as the youngest player to debut in United States professional team sports.
The Revolution return home on Saturday, July 20 to host Western Conference side FC Dallas at Gillette Stadium, New England's final match before MLS pauses its regular season for Leagues Cup 2024. The 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff is available to watch on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app in English and Spanish. Listen to Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies call the action on 98.5 The Sports Hub (WBZ-FM), with Portuguese commentary available on 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA.
MATCH NOTES
- Ian Harkes tallied his first goal of the season in his 25th start for the club (all competitions). Harkes, who surpassed 4,000 MLS minutes played for his career on Wednesday, finished the night with two shots and one key pass.
- Esmir Bajraktarević was credited with an assist on Harkes' goal, his second straight contest with a helper and his third of the campaign.
- Peyton Miller made his MLS debut with a 16-minute substitute appearance on Wednesday. At 16 years and 252 days, he is the second youngest player in club history to make his MLS debut behind Diego Fagundez (16 years, 173 days).
- Miller is the 11th Homegrown Player to appear in an MLS match for New England, and the first Connecticut native.
- The Unionville, Conn. native was one of four Homegrowns to earn minutes on Wednesday, along with Bajraktarević, Malcolm Fry, and Jack Panayotou.
- Tommy McNamara made his 100th Revolution appearance in Wednesday's match, playing 33 minutes off the bench.
- Xavier Arreaga returned to action after missing Saturday's match through suspension. The center back logged his 13th start for the club, playing 57 minutes.
- Bobby Wood made his first start since September 2023, logging 57 minutes.
GAME CAPSULE
Revolution Match #22
MLS Matchday #27New England Revolution at Philadelphia Union
July 17, 2024 – Subaru Park (Chester, Penn.)
Referee: Rubiel Vazquez
Assistant Referee: Corey Parker
Assistant Referee: Kyle Atkins
Fourth Official: Sergii Demianchuk
Video Asst. Referee: Jose Carlos Rivero
Assistant VAR: Katherine McCormick
Weather: 88 degrees and partly cloudy
Attendance: 18,554
Scoring Summary:
PHI - Tai Baribo 4 (Jack Elliott 2, Kai Wagner 8) 29'
PHI - Jakob Glesnes 1 (Kai Wagner 9) 39'
PHI - Tai Baribo 5 (Mikael Uhre 3, Alejandro Bedoya 4) 44'
NE - Ian Harkes 1 (Esmir Bajraktarević 3) 50'
PHI - Tai Baribo 6 (Kai Wagner 10, Jack Elliott 3) 52'
PHI - Quinn Sullivan 3 (Jakob Glesnes 3) 84'
Misconduct Summary:
NE - Jack Panayotou (Yellow Card - Tactical Foul) 66'
New England Revolution: Aljaž Ivačič; Ryan Spaulding (Peyton Miller 74'), Dave Romney, Xavier Arreaga (Henry Kessler 57'), Jonathan Mensah, Andrew Farrell; Jack Panayotou, Matt Polster © (Mark-Anthony Kaye 58'), Ian Harkes, Esmir Bajraktarević (Malcolm Fry 63'); Bobby Wood (Tommy McNamara 57')
Substitutes Not Used: Earl Edwards Jr., Joshua Bolma, Brandon Bye, Marcos Dias.
Philadelphia Union: Andre Blake; Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Olivier Mbaizo; Jose Martinez, Alejandro Bedoya © (Jesus Bueno 71'), Leon Flach; Dániel Gazdag, Mikael Uhre (Quinn Sullivan 71'), Tai Baribo (Cavan Sullivan 85')
Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Rick, Markus Anderson, Chris Donovan, Damion Lowe, Christopher Olney Jr., Jeremy Rafanello
Full statistics available HERE.
