Dániel Gazdag leads the Union’s latest blowout win, 5-1, over Orlando City

The Union’s attack roared back to life Saturday, delivering another rout in a 5-1 win over Orlando City at Subaru Park. Mikael Uhre, Dániel Gazdag (on a penalty kick), Alejandro Bedoya, and Jack Elliott scored, with Gazdag delivering two assists. Orlando’s João Moutinho turned in an own goal to open the scoring, and Andrés Perea had the Lions’ consolation tally late in the second half.

After roaring when Julián Carranza appeared to score the opening goal in the 14th minute, the crowd of 19,079 went into an uproar when the goal was disallowed for offside. Referee Armando Villarreal held the restart of play for a while so the video review center could look at replays. The TV broadcast didn’t show any, but the review center must have seen the proof.

» READ MORE: Union forward Julián Carranza has found a home with Philly as the team hits new heights

After José Andrés Martínez and Orlando’s Wilder Cartagena got into a tussle in the 17th minute, Martínez headbutted Cartagena. Villarreal didn’t see it, and the replay booth didn’t flag it. Martínez was fortunate, to say the least, to stay on the field. It won’t be surprising if Major League Soccer suspends him from next Saturday’s game at Atlanta.

Mbaizo’s goal was just the second of his five-year professional career — and his first with the Union’s senior team — until the official scorer changed it to an own goal after the game. (That was the right decision.)

The Cameroonian right back’s only previous tally came with the Union’s reserves in 2019, when the squad played in the second-division USL Championship.

But he didn’t celebrate when his 39th-minute cross took a huge deflection off Orlando’s João Moutinho and looped into the net. He knew what he had seen.

Still, some fans in the River End chanted “That one counts!,” relieved that the team’s fifth official shot of the game — with none on target — went in the net.

» READ MORE: The Union’s Olivier Mbaizo dreams of the World Cup after being part of Cameroon’s qualification

Uhre’s goal was more conventional. The play started with a Leon Flach interception and he carved a pass through two Orlando defenders up the middle of the field. Gazdag played it brilliantly, letting the ball bounce in front of him before running on to it and playing a first-touch pass with his right foot.

Uhre was streaking up the left flank, zipped past City defender Antonio Carlos, and, two touches later, thumped the ball past goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar.

Exactly what Bedoya did to end up hurt from his diving header for the Union’s fourth goal isn’t clear, but he clearly was in a lot of pain. After spending a while down, he was able to walk off the field in the company of the team’s training staff, and manager Jim Curtin came over to accompany his captain back to the bench.

By the time they got there, Bedoya was in good enough shape to join Curtin in yelling at Villarreal to book Orlando’s Rodrigo Schlegel for holding back a Carranza breakaway. Villarreal agreed with them this time, promptly producing a card.

When you’re a centerback, there’s no such thing as a garbage-time goal. Elliott’s pinpoint header off a Kai Wagner corner kick was as well-executed a set-piece play as you’ll see.

And on a night that started with Philadelphia’s soccer team holding a moment of silence for the death of England’s Queen Elizabeth II, it was fitting that a player born in London, England, to Scottish parents scored the final goal. Elliott also was honored as the postgame drum-banger.

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The Union (18-4-9, 63 points) reduced their magic number to win the Eastern Conference to three points and eliminated Orlando (12-11-6, 42 points) from contention for first place. It’s now down to the Union and Montreal (16-9-5, 53 points), which needed a dramatic late comeback just to get a 2-2 tie at home with Columbus on Friday.

In the Concacaf Champions League race, the Union got a boost from Seattle beating Austin (15-9-6, 51 points), 3-0. That reduced the Union’s magic number to clinch a CCL berth to one point.

The Supporters’ Shield race now has a little more drama in it thanks to Dallas’ 2-1 upset of Los Angeles FC. It means the Union have the league’s best points tally, but LAFC (19-8-3, 60 points) still has a game in hand and one more win in the books — the first standings tiebreaker.

As for the push to set the league’s new record for fewest goals conceded in a 34-game season, the Union’s total stands at 22 with three games to go. The record is 27.

The Union’s next game is at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Atlanta (Univision 65, TUDN, and twitter.com/MLS).