Union continue playoff push with 4-0 rout of D.C. United

The Union delivered another impressive attacking show on Sunday with a 4-0 win over D.C. United at Subaru Park.

Mikael Uhre and Dániel Gazdag got things going early with goals in the 13th and 16th minutes. Tai Baribo added the third in the 51st, and Gazdag scored again in the 70th.

The win helped the Union (9-12-9, 36 points) continue their push to make the playoffs, although other results leaguewide meant they’re still ninth in the Eastern Conference.

D.C. (8-13-9, 33 points) fell to 13th but is now one of three teams with the same record.

The big news before kickoff was that Andre Blake officially returned to the Union’s lineup after missing the last two games because of a groin injury.

He was called upon quickly, making a terrific diving punch of Mateusz Klich’s first-time smash from 23 yards in the 11th minute. In the 22nd, Blake went low to grab a loose ball in traffic, and in the 25th he jumped high to punch a deflected cross as D.C. star striker Christian Benteke charged his way.

There was another fine dive in the 81st to deny Benteke after he turned and shot on a dime from the top of the 18-yard box.

In all, Blake made four official saves. The Union put eight shots on target at the other end, and had a 17-16 edge in total shots.

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Along with two of the Union’s biggest stars getting on the scoreboard early, it mattered that Quinn Sullivan had a key role in both plays.

Starting the game in the right central midfield spot, Sullivan scampered down that side to set up the first goal, sprinting between Gabriel Pirani and Pedro Santos and beating Boris Enow one-on-one. That created enough space to slide the ball across the 6-yard box. Uhre was shockingly wide-open behind seven D.C. players — six field players and goalkeeper Alex Bono.

It marked Uhre’s fourth straight game with a goal. Just as important, it was Uhre’s 13th goal of the year, tying his single-season best with the Union set in 2022, his first season here.

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The play also gave Sullivan an assist for the second straight game, after he hadn’t registered one since June 1 and hadn’t scored since July 17. That is another sign of how the Union’s attack is clicking right now.

On the second goal, Sullivan played a tidy give-and-go down the right side with Nathan Harriel, whose cross was intercepted by D.C.’s Chris McVey. But McVey misplayed his clearance, and Gazdag ran right on it to score his 18th goal of the year.

Baribo’s goal came with a Sullivan assist that was a terrific bit of individual play. Stuck with Enow on his back and with Aaron Herrera closing toward his front, Sullivan was able to keep the ball in close quarters, then turn and beat Enow off the dribble toward the end line.

The 20-year-old Bridesburg native had just enough room to hit a cross back across the box, and he hit it with impressive power right to Baribo, who finished off a header. D.C.’s defense once again wasn’t paying attention to the open man, and Baribo had an easy finish.

That assist made Sullivan the first Union academy product to record 10 assists or goals in a single season.

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Union manager Jim Curtin made his first substitutions in the 65th: Danley Jean Jacques for Jack McGlynn in midfield, and Alejandro Bedoya for Uhre (moving Sullivan to forward).

Four minutes later, Baribo intercepted a poor back pass by Klich toward McVey. Gazdag took off as he saw the play unfold, and was in position for Baribo to tee him up for a thumped finish from 14 yards.

Curtin made his next substitution in the 72nd minute, sending in Olivier Mbaizo for Kai Wagner. The move was because Wagner is one yellow card away from a suspension for card accumulation, so this bought some time. Harriel moved over to left back.

The last Union substitutions came in the 86th minute. Sam Adeniran replaced Baribo, and Cavan Sullivan replaced Gazdag — or at least was supposed to, but he was initially held back from entering the field. Referee Filip Dujic told The Inquirer after the game that Sullivan’s entry was delayed because Gazdag took longer than rules permit to leave the field.

It’s a new rule, and a useful one for preventing time-wasting: a departing player must be off the field within 10 seconds of his number going up on the substitution board. If he’s late — and Gazdag took 26 seconds — the entering player must wait at least one minute, then take the field at the next stoppage.

When Sullivan finally arrived, he made his third first-team appearance of the year. He had a great look with an 18-yard curler in second-half stoppage time, set up by his older brother, but the shot was just wide.