Union snap losing streak in scoreless draw with New York Red Bulls overshadowed by fan protests

Protests by supporters’ clubs in the River End stands before and after kickoff overlooked most of the game action.

Leon Flach (center) knocks down a header during the first half.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

Published July 6, 2024, 10:04 p.m. ET

The Union finally stopped their five-game losing streak, but only did so with a scoreless tie against the rival New York Red Bulls on Saturday at Subaru Park.

The game was mostly one to forget, and not just because of the action. Protests by supporters’ clubs in the River End stands before and just after kickoff overshadowed most of what came afterward.

How the protests unfolded

The Sons of Ben supporters’ club announced Saturday morning that it would hold a protest during the game, and it did. But it wasn’t much of one.

The oldest and largest Union fan group — it existed before the team did and helped bring an expansion team here in 2008 — stood silent in the stands for the game’s first five minutes. When the group left its pregame tailgate to head to the stadium, it left a banner behind that read “HELP WANTED.”

The Sons of Ben’s statement Saturday said it had “heard the call for protests and statements regarding the current state of the team and the apparent lack of resources being put into the team.”

Though the statement referenced actions of past years, the organization said it aimed to “not do anything that would put the SoB, as an organization, “at risk,” and “there is not one answer or course of action that would reflect what all of our Membership Base wants done.”

Those turns of phrase drew criticism on social media from fans who wanted the group to be more aggressive.

One of the Sons of Ben’s leaders put out a separate individual statement, saying the period of silence will be extended by one minute “for every loss moving forward.”

That statement also said: “After the allotted time, we are asking for full voice and support for the players and coaches on the field to remind the team that we are still there for them. If things continue to stay at the current state, there is a plan of progression in place.”

Other fans in the River End were more demonstrative. There were two “SELL THE TEAM” signs, one a large banner and the other a small placard, with the former visible during pregame warmups and after kickoff. Both were confiscated by stadium staff in the game’s first few minutes.

The Keystone State Ultras supporters’ club, which has a corner section in the River End, mounted a large banner on two poles that read: “THE SUGAR AIN’T SWEET NO MORE SUGARMAN OUT,” a reference to Union principal owner Jay Sugarman.

It was confiscated in the fifth minute by Mark Evans, the Union vice president of season tickets, premium sales, and fan services — the same staffer who led the confiscation of the Sakiewicz tombstone banner a decade ago. The KSU group started the first “Sell the team!” chant of the night right after that.

These were the most vivid protests in the stadium since the two most famous ones a decade ago. In October 2014, the Sons of Ben raised a banner aimed at then-CEO Nick Sakiewicz with the message “Death Be Not Proud,” with an image of Sakiewicz and tombstones bearing the logos of the MLS teams he’d run over the years: the defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny, the New York/New Jersey MetroStars (now the Red Bulls), and the Union.

Team officials raced into the stands to confiscate the display.

In May 2015, the Sons of Ben made their most famous protest. They marched outside the stadium gates with a banner reading “UNION FANS DESERVE BETTER” and a large coffin with multiple messages: “WE DESERVE BETTER” and “#SAKOUT” on the outside, and a photo of Sakiewicz with the message “NICK SAKIEWICZ SERIAL FRANCHISE KILLER” on the inside.

As for the game

With centerback Damion Lowe back from the Copa América, Union manager Jim Curtin (who was booed by some fans during the starting lineup) switched his tactics to a defensive-minded 3-5-2 to try to stop his team from giving up so many goals.

Lowe, Jakob Glesnes, and Jack Elliott were the centerbacks, and Tai Baribo and Chris Donovan were the forwards. Jack McGlynn started in midfield and Nathan Harriel started at right wingback in the duo’s last Union game before leaving for the U.S. Olympic team. If the Americans advance from the group stage, the players will be gone through at least the first weekend of August.

Facing a Red Bulls team missing injured star playmaker Emil Forsberg, the Union (4-9-9, 21 points) were the better team for most of the first half, with an 8-7 shots edge and 58% of the possession. But they couldn’t finish their chances, most notably Donovan’s header over the bar from close range in the 44th minute.

Curtin’s first substitution was Quinn Sullivan for Donovan in the 55th. Seconds later, the Union created their best chance of the night up to that point, a breakaway where New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel stopped Dániel Gazdag and Baribo at close range.

Sullivan got his own breakaway in the 74th, but shot wide one-on-one. Five minutes later, Alejandro Bedoya subbed in for Leon Flach. Olivier Mbaizo was the last substitute to enter, replacing Elliott in the 91st as the Union sat deep to try to preserve the tie.

Andrew Rick made five saves in his first start since being promoted back over Oliver Semmle in the Union’s net. The biggest was a 93rd-minute dive after New York’s Elias Manoel pulled Glesnes into a one-on-one footrace.

Cavan Sullivan’s first pro goal

Cavan Sullivan, the Union’s top young prospect, scored his first professional goal on Saturday in the Union reserves’ 2-1 win at the New England Revolution’s reserves.

It was the 14-year-old’s seventh game with the reserve team since turning pro with the Union in early May.

Sullivan, fellow attacking midfielder David Vazquez, central midfielders CJ Olney and Sanders Ngabo, and centerback Olwethu Makhanya all were with the reserves Saturday.