Union and LAFC play to a rainy, ugly scoreless tie in MLS Cup, Concacaf Champions League rematch

It was cold, rainy, ugly, and another non-win for the Union against Los Angeles FC. The teams combined for just six shots, setting a new MLS record for the fewest total attempts in a regular-season game — remarkable for the teams that contested last year’s title game.

But the home team was the better team for much of Saturday’s scoreless tie at Subaru Park, even as the visitors saved their big stars to bring off the bench in the second half.

The Union (14-8-7, 49 points) remained fourth in the Eastern Conference. There is a four-way tie at the 49-point mark with Columbus, Atlanta, and New England. But the Union and Revolution have played fewer games (29 each) than the Crew (31) and United (31).

A week after Jakob Glesnes became just the second non-goalkeeper in MLS history to start 100 straight regular-season games, his streak ended with a night off. Union manager Jim Curtin hinted it was possible on Friday when he said Glesnes has been battling a long-term groin injury.

So Damion Lowe and Jack Elliott started at centerback, as Curtin decided to not get too fancy about it and stick with the 4-4-2 that his team has succeeded with for so long.

The bigger absence was José Andrés Martínez, whom Curtin said has been dealing with a bone bruise. Jesús Bueno started at the defensive midfield spot instead, a big assignment with Timothy Tillman and Mateusz Bogusz in front of him.

At least John McCarthy wasn’t in goal for LAFC this time. The Northeast Philly native got the night off. Maxime Crépeau, whose injury late in last year’s title game led to McCarthy haunting his old club, started this time.

Los Angeles also kept its two top attackers, Carlos Vela and Dénis Bouanga, on the bench. So when the teams headed to the locker room at halftime scoreless, LAFC (12-9-9, 45 points) had the upper hand.

» READ MORE: Why the Union-LAFC game wasn't as big of a deal as it was expected to be

It wasn’t so much the rain from the edges of Tropical Storm Ophelia that produced an ugly first half, but the swirling winds.

The Union completed just 73% of their passes, and Los Angeles a surprisingly low 65%. The Union had 62% of the possession, a higher total than usual. LAFC didn’t seem to mind, because while the Union took all three of the half’s combined shots, none went on target.

The most dramatic action came in the second minute, when LAFC defender Aaron Long slammed into Julián Carranza with head-to-head contact and drew a yellow card. Carranza stayed down for a while and was checked for a concussion, but was cleared to return to the game.

Carranza ended up leaving the game at halftime, replaced by Tai Baribo. Curtin said after the game that while Carranza felt good initially, the Argentine reported at halftime that he felt dizzy. That immediately was enough to take him out of the game. Los Angeles manager Steve Cherundolo also made a substitution, and this one wasn’t surprising: Bouanga entered for Stipe Biuk at left wing in their 3-4-3 setup.

» READ MORE: American soccer was against artificial turf long before it became a big problem in the NFL

It sure looked like a nice play in the 50th minute when Baribo spun and pinged a shot off the crossbar, and Dániel Gazdag headed the rebound into an open net. But referee Allen Chapman was quickly summoned to the fieldside replay monitor to be shown an offside infraction in the buildup, and indeed there was.

Baribo had received the ball from Mikael Uhre, who was offside when Kai Wagner crossed to him in the buildup. Chapman didn’t need long to take the goal off the board, and, while the Subaru Park crowd was upset, it was the right call.

» READ MORE: Meet Kathryn Nesbitt, the Philly referee who recently officiated the World Cup final

As the rain grew steadier, Cherundolo made a double substitution in the 71st minute: Vela entered for Cristian Olivera at right wing, and Ilie Sánchez entered for U.S. national team veteran Kellyn Acosta in central midfield. Four minutes later, Sergi Palencia replaced Ryan Hollingshead at right back.

The Union’s attacking options on the bench were Quinn Sullivan, Joaquín Torres, Jeremy Rafanello, and Chris Donovan — obviously not quite the same. But Sullivan’s good outing as a substitute last Wednesday in Charlotte made him worth Curtin’s call. The Bridesburg native got his chance in the 79th minute, entering for Jack McGlynn. Just over a minute later, Donovan entered for Uhre.

» READ MORE: Union takeaways: Quinn Sullivan steps up to spark comeback at Charlotte

The final shots tally was 4-2 to the Union, with the combinedneither team officially putting a shot on target. The Union completed 403 passes at 73% accuracy to Los Angeles’ 220 at 65% accuracy, which meant the visitors’ second half was pretty ugly, even with Bouanga and Vela on the field.

But while the Union didn’t win, the Eastern Conference got something out of the night: LAFC lost two points in the overall league standings that determine the host of the MLS Cup final.

» READ MORE: Tropical Storm Ophelia brings gusty winds, heavy rains, and road-closing floods to the Shore