Union advance to Leagues Cup quarterfinals following penalty kick thriller over Red Bulls

The Union and the Red Bulls finally took the pitch for their Leagues Cup round of 16 game Tuesday, after postponing the match originally scheduled for Monday till the thunderstorms had cleared and the weather was perfect.

In the 42nd meeting of the two Eastern Conference rivals, it was the Union who yet again had the upper hand, winning a riveting penalty kick shootout at Subaru Park, 4-3, after the teams played to a 1-1 draw in regulation. Midfielder Jesús Bueno clinched the game in the fifth penalty round, beating Red Bulls goalie Carlos Miguel Coronel to the bottom left corner.

The victory advanced the Union to the quarterfinals of the remodeled Leagues Cup, which for the first time features every team from MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX competing in a World Cup-style tournament. It also extended the Union’s unbeaten streak against the Red Bulls to 11 games.

The Union and Red Bulls will meet again in MLS play on Sept. 3 at Subaru Park.

Leagues Cup rules dictate that after a tie game, the usual extra time is bypassed and the teams immediately head to a decisive penalty shootout.

It was the second such game for the Union, who also went to penalties in their win over D.C. United in the Leagues Cup round of 32 on Thursday.

Goalie Andre Blake got the Union off to a great start, diving to his right to stop an attempt by Lewis Morgan. The three-time MLS goalkeeper of the year clapped his hands in celebration, but also was observed shaking out his right shoulder. Jack Elliott followed by beating Coronel to put the Union up, 1-0, after one round.

With Union fans sitting in the Sons of Ben section loudly chanting his name, Blake was beaten on the Red Bulls’ second attempt by Franuel Amaya. Mikael Uhre followed by blasting a ball off Coronel’s fingertips, keeping the Union up, 2-1.

Neither team found the back of the net in the third round. Daniel Edelman clanged the Red Bulls’ try off the crossbar, prompting Blake to let out a roar. Jack McGlynn’s shot was saved by Coronel.

The teams traded scores in the fourth and fifth rounds. Red Bulls captain Sean Nealis beat Blake, before Julián Carranza went down the middle to put the Union up, 3-2. John Tolkin responded for the Red Bulls before Bueno stepped to the spot for the winner. Just as he had against D.C. United, the Venezuelan midfielder volunteered himself to take the Union’s fifth penalty.

“You need someone with confidence and [who is] ready to take the responsibility,” Bueno said through an interpreter. “Luckily, it came up to me again, and I was able to convert.”

After declaring on Sunday that he was “100% back” from a hip injury, midfielder Leon Flach made his first appearance in the Leagues Cup Tuesday. Flach was available off the bench for the D.C. United game but was not subbed in.

Flach and McGlynn were both added to the starting lineup as Curtin switched to a 3-5-2 high press formation to begin the game. Elsewhere, Nathan Harriel got the start at right back over Olivier Mbaizo, while Uhre began on the bench.

“[Uhre] is a striker that runs hot and cold,” Union manager Jim Curtin said. “We want him to be a little more consistent.”

The Red Bulls quickly put the Union in a 1-0 hole, as Elias Manoel finished off a cross from Omir Fernandez in the fourth minute. It was the Union’s first deficit of the Leagues Cup.

Curtin said Sunday that games with the Red Bulls generally are decided on the margins. In the case of the Red Bulls’ first goal, it was a turnover in the midfield and poor transition defense that led to a two-on-one opportunity for Manoel and Fernandez.

The Red Bulls should have gone up, 2-0, in the 15th minute, but Dante Vanzeir misfired wide left on a one-on-one opportunity in the box. Nonetheless, the visitors looked like the more energetic team for much of the first half, prompting the crowd to chant, “Hey, Union, wake up!” — with an expletive in the middle.

The Union picked up their intensity as the first half progressed and outshot the Red Bulls, 8-3, though only one was on target. In the 31st minute, a turnover led to a chance for Dániel Gazdag, who blasted a shot wide right. A 39th minute attempt by Harriel went off a defender but was handled by Coronel, a former Union backup.

Early in the second half, Gazdag went down in the box with a knee injury and immediately began pounding the turf in frustration. After attempting briefly to walk it off, the Union’s leading scorer walked gingerly to the locker room and was replaced in the 55th minute by Uhre.

Immediately, the Danish striker made his presence felt. In the 58th minute, he helped generate a corner opportunity, which ended with a Jakob Glesnes shot sailing just over the crossbar. Shortly thereafter, Uhre found himself in a transition opportunity but sent a cross behind Carranza.

Gazdag limped back out on the field after regulation to watch penalty kicks.

After the game, Curtin said initial testing indicated “everything is structurally sound” with Gazdag’s knee, but the team is awaiting the results of an MRI before making a timeline on when he’ll return.

“He’s a little nervous because he hyperextended it, and it was a feeling he wasn’t used to,” Curtin said. “I think it caught him off guard.”

» READ MORE: Union survive in Leagues Cup with penalty kick victory over D.C. United

Harriel evened the game, 1-1, during a corner chance in the 68th minute, out-jumping a crowd of players near the box and heading in his second goal across all competitions. On July 26 against Querétaro, the 22-year-old scored his first goal of the season — also off a corner kick, also on a header. It was the Union’s first goal in nearly 160 minutes.

“I gotta say, I have one of the biggest verticals on the team,” Harriel said. “So when I have the opportunity to get in the air, I’m just gonna jump.”

Harriel nearly struck again in the 85th minute — this time with his feet — but Coronel made a diving stop on a blast from outside the box.

The Union will host Querétaro on Friday in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals at Subaru Park. The time of the game has not yet been announced.

The Union already faced Querétaro in the tournament’s group stage, winning handily, 5-1, on July 26. While part of the draw of the Leagues Cup was to produce novel matchups between MLS and Liga MX teams, the quarterfinals will mark the Union’s third straight game against a team previously seen this season.

» READ MORE: Dániel Gazdag’s hat trick leads Union to Leagues Cup victory over Querétaro

Still, the Querétaro game will be compelling in part because it is the Union’s final hurdle to a potential showdown with Lionel Messi. If the Union win their quarterfinal game, and if Messi’s Inter Miami side defeats Charlotte FC on Friday, it would set the stage for the Argentine superstar to visit Chester in the Leagues Cup semifinals on Aug. 15.

Click here to view the full knockout stage bracket.