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

Here are our day-after takeaways on the Union’s come-from-behind 2-2 tie at Charlotte FC on Wednesday, which clinched a playoff spot thanks to other results around MLS at the same time.

Quinn Sullivan. This was his first appearance for the Union (14-8-6, 48 points) since Sept. 4, and his longest run in a regular-season game since July 16. It helped that it was a night for rotating the lineup, thanks to it being a midweek contest, but Sullivan showed his stuff in 34 minutes on the field — 24 of second-half regulation and 10 of stoppage time.

The Bridesburg native’s 70th-minute goal to start the Union’s comeback was big, and superbly taken. There were also little moments, like the passing combination with Olivier Mbaizo that produced the game-tying penalty kick.

Sullivan totaled 15 touches, 10-of-12 passing, and three defensive recoveries. Those aren’t huge numbers, but they’re enough to remind everyone that he deserves more playing time.

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30: The number of passes completed by Mbaizo, out of 39 attempts. He had a good game overall: 56 touches, three passes into the attacking third, one tackle, two interceptions, five defensive recoveries, and five duels won out of eight contested.

8: The number of clearances by Damion Lowe, who started at centerback with Jack Elliott suspended. He also had two tackles, two blocks, three interceptions, and six defensive recoveries, and won six of the 11 duels he contested. He was in the middle of both Charlotte goals, but it’s hard to say either was his fault.

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“Making the playoffs, which I believe we’ve clinched, used to be, I’ll just say, a big celebration from this group. But it’s not anymore, which I think is a good thing.”

— Union manager Jim Curtin, who wasn’t sure of the math right after the final whistle but was correct.

“We’ve had different discussions, myself and Quinn, [on] positionally, what’s his best spot? He feels it’s midfield, which is fair, and it’s good … I thought his minutes would be more as a striker, and we talked through that. He got some opportunities, probably not as many as he wanted, but it was good to see him on the side of the diamond, make a big play for us [to score], and also help set up the second one as well.”

— Curtin on the continuing dilemma of where to play Sullivan, whose most natural position is as a winger, in a setup that doesn’t use wingers.

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St. Louis City SC 0, Los Angeles FC 0. Wednesday night’s biggest game leaguewide turned out to be a dud. But it’s to St. Louis’ credit that it kept LAFC scoreless, and as a result kept a firm hold on first place in the Western Conference.

Los Angeles FC visits Subaru Park on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV, free) for a game that everyone has had circled all year. When the schedule first came out, it was to be the first rematch of last year’s MLS Cup final, and LAFC’s first trip to Chester since 2019. Then they met in the Concacaf Champions League semifinals, which commanded a lot of the spotlight.

But it remains the case that the Union have never beaten LAFC, with an 0-4-3 record so far.

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