Union retake first place in Eastern Conference after taking purchase option on Julián Carranza

The Union returned to first place in the Eastern Conference on Wednesday with a 2-1 win at Inter Miami, a few hours after exercising the purchase option on Julián Carranza’s loan from the team they beat.

Dániel Gazdag and Cory Burke scored for the Union (9-2-9, 36 points). Gonzalo Higuaín scored late for the Herons, but the Union were able to close the game out.

Here are some observations on the night’s action, and the day’s action that preceded it.

Gazdag’s goal was a 26th-minute penalty kick after Miami’s Aimé Makiba tripped Mikael Uhre at a top corner of the 18-yard box. The tally was Gazdag’s first since May 23, ending a six-game scoring drought.

Burke’s goal in the 66th was an inch-perfect header off a curling free kick from Kai Wagner. It was as good of a set piece as you’ll see.

Higuaín’s strike for Inter (6-9-4, 22 points) in the 82nd was a masterpiece, a cutback on Jakob Glesnes and a blast to the top corner past Andre Blake.

» READ MORE: The Union’s Andre Blake and Kai Wagner are on this year’s MLS All-Star team

The 22-year-old Argentine striker came here last December when Miami blew up its roster after a multimillion-dollar sanction by Major League Soccer for breaking league rules on salary restrictions for players. And he has played well in blue and gold, with seven goals and three assists in 17 games.

Those numbers are a little skewed by a hat trick against D.C. United last Friday, but landing the 22-year-old Argentine certainly has been a smart piece of business by sporting director Ernst Tanner.

There was a purchase option in the loan deal, for a price that wasn’t known at the time it was done. Recently, it became known: a mere $500,000 in allocation money, plus any agreed raise from his current $900,000 salary. That made the case for exercising the option at the end of the loan pretty easy.

The deal came with one hitch, as all intra-league loans in MLS do: A loaned player cannot play against the team that loaned him out. So Carranza didn’t play when Inter came to Chester in May, and he wasn’t going to play Wednesday night.

Then came Carranza’s hat trick last Friday. It prompted calls from Union fans to exercise the option immediately if possible, and an admission from the player that he’d like to play against his old team.

“I don’t like that much that rule,” he said. “I would love to play against Miami — I would love to play every single game that I can.”

» READ MORE: Julián Carranza came to Philadelphia with a chip on his shoulder

On Monday, manager Jim Curtin said he and Tanner had discussed making the move early. Was it worth it for one midweek road game that Carranza didn’t start, with a more important home game against New England coming Saturday?

“We don’t overreact,” Curtin said. “Ernst and I don’t react to one good performance, or one good pass, or whatever it might be. What we saw, though, and what we’ve seen over the length of his time here, has been really solid and stable. … He’ll keep doing his job; he’ll keep working like he is, and I think the rest will take care of itself.”

So it did. The purchase price was confirmed Wednesday as $250,000 in allocation money this year; $250,000 next year; and an undisclosed percentage of any future transfer fee. Carranza’s contract here is guaranteed through next year, with a team option for 2024.

And the player did play Wednesday, entering an hour in for Uhre.

“We brought Julián in because we believed his work rate and intelligence would be a strong fit for our aggressive style of play, and we are very happy with how quickly he has adapted,” Tanner said in a statement. “His goal scoring has been vital to the team’s success thus far, and we expect him to maintain the high level he has shown as the season progresses.”

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The hunch that Stuart Findlay might play one more time before leaving the Union at the end of the week proved correct. With Jack Elliott battling a knee issue, Findlay got the call to start next to Jakob Glesnes at centerback. And as he has done every time he’s been called into action, the Scotsman delivered. He played every minute (including a lot of stoppage time), recording 41 touches, 23-of-30 passing, three clearances, four recoveries, and one interception.

» READ MORE: Stuart Findlay will leave the Union later this month

Olivier Mbaizo deserves a nod, too. Making his second start at right back in three games and seventh appearance of the year overall, he recorded 52 touches, 28-of-30 passing, nine recoveries, six duels won, two interceptions, and two chances created for the attack.