Union Takeaways: Quinn Sullivan was a vital spark in the comeback against Chicago

CHICAGO — Here are our day-after takeaways on the Union’s 2-2 tie with the Chicago Fire on Saturday night.

Quinn Sullivan. Nathan Harriel’s wildly unlucky own goal had to be the low point of the season so far. When Mikael Uhre was upended for the penalty kick that cut the deficit in half, that seemed like a little momentum swing. But Sullivan’s arrival a moment later really turned the tide.

Within seconds of taking the field, Sullivan got on the ball, raced down the left wing, and launched a cross toward Dániel Gazdag. He cushioned a header perfectly, and Julián Carranza’s finish felt like it kicked a burden off his team’s shoulders.

There was still plenty of time left, and Chicago had its chances. But so did the Union, and Sullivan had one of the best: a 73rd-minute shot across the goal mouth that rolled just wide of the far post.

The 19-year-old from Bridesburg seems to like Soldier Field quite a bit. Two years ago, he scored his first MLS goal there on a bicycle kick. We’ll see if it takes him another two years to make his next impression there.

» READ MORE: Union rally for dramatic but unsatisfying 2-2 tie at Chicago Fire

0: The number of goals Gazdag has scored from open play this year. He actually played pretty well in this game, and his penalty-kick strike was an impressive blast. But his lack of open-play goals is as much of a concern as Uhre’s drought, since a goal-scoring attacking midfielder is a key part of the Union’s system.

8: The number of defensive recoveries by Alejandro Bedoya, who took a pounding all night and suffered a head injury at one point. There was no indication that he suffered a concussion, but he was still in some pain in the locker room after the game.

“The first half wasn’t good from us, but I think it’s the sort of comeback that when you’ve traveled so much, people don’t expect you to be able to pull that out from our schedule. The belief it took for us to come back from 2-0 down in the game, I think it’s huge for our mentality, and just shows the sort of players that we have on the team.”

— Union centerback Jack Elliott on the team’s comeback.

“It’s partly the way the games have gone; it’s partly things as a coach that maybe I can do to find them more minutes. ... I still think that there’s time for them to get acclimated and up to speed with things. … I know they’re both frustrated that they’re not playing as much as they’d like, but that’s how I want players to be. That’s natural; that’s normal, and I know they’ll still play a big role in the season.”

— Union manager Jim Curtin on Joaquín Torres not playing the last three games, and Andrés Perea not playing the last five.

» READ MORE: Jack McGlynn seized the spotlight again with a highlight-reel assist against Atlas

New York Red Bulls 1, Houston Dynamo 1. Normally this section is called the biggest result elsewhere. Not this time, though. While this definitely wasn’t the biggest or best game, it had some of the biggest ramifications.

Last weekend, New York Red Bulls striker Dante Vanzeir — a Designated Player signing who was the second-most-expensive arrival in team history — spoke a racial slur during a game against the San Jose Earthquakes. Many players heard it, and the game was stopped to investigate the matter.

There were indications that other Red Bulls players told manager Gerhard Struber to remove Vanzier from the game, as has happened in the past around MLS when racist words have been heard on the field. But Struber did not do so.

Vanzeir confessed to the act, apologized, and said he’d accept whatever punishment he was given. The Red Bulls apologized and said he stepped away from the team until further notice. Struber issued a statement that contained no apology and was widely criticized.

MLS suspended Vanzeir for six games, fined him, and mandated he undergo training. So far, no action has been taken against Struber.

This has not sat well with many fans and pundits, given the league’s vocal anti-racism campaigns over the years. Former Union player Charlie Davies, now an analyst for CBS Sports, spoke especially eloquently on the subject during one of the network’s recent studio shows.

On Friday, the Red Bulls’ supporters’ clubs issued a statement calling on MLS to “reevaluate their findings,” and calling on fans to boycott concession and merchandise stands at Red Bull Arena. They also said they’d walk out of the stadium after the national anthem, and they did so — chanting for Struber to be fired before leaving their seats.

“We plan to continue protesting RBNY and MLS until conditions are met or we feel the organization has made meaningful and acceptable changes,” the groups said.

As for action on the field, take your pick of St. Louis City SC giving FC Cincinnati its first loss of the year with a 5-1 rout; or the Portland Timbers beating their eternal Cascadia Cup rivals the Seattle Sounders, 4-1. Seattle scored first in the 59th minute, then Portland scored all its goals in the last 20 — starting with a bicycle kick by Dairon Asprilla.

The Union finally get to slow down with no midweek game, then host star-studded Toronto FC at Subaru Park on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV, paywalled). It could be Reds star Lorenzo Insigne’s first game against the Union, as the former Italian national team regular didn’t play in TFC’s visit to Chester last year.

» READ MORE: Julián Carranza shows again that he’s a big-time player in historic tie at Atlas