Brian Schwake and Nashville SC Hold Philadelphia Union to 0-0 Draw at Subaru Park

CHESTER, Pa. — The Philadelphia Union did almost everything on Saturday night except the one thing they needed most. Bradley Carnell's team outshot Eastern Conference leader Nashville SC 17-9, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, hit the post twice in the second half and kept a second straight home clean sheet, but rookie goalkeeper Brian Schwake kept the Union out and the teams played to a 0-0 draw at Subaru Park.

The result left the Union at 1-7-3 with six points, last in the East, according to the Inquirer. Nashville moved to 7-1-2 and 23 points and stayed on top of the conference, and stretched its unbeaten run against Philadelphia across all competitions to four matches. A crowd of 17,430 watched, according to theScore.

An Early Blow for the Union

The Union's back line took an early hit. Center back Japhet Sery Larsen, whose red card from the previous weekend's loss at Columbus had been rescinded on appeal, aggravated a shoulder injury and was replaced by Geiner Martínez in the 15th minute. "We knew there was going to be a gamble with having him on the field, but we just wanted the continuity," Carnell said, according to the Inquirer.

Bruno Damiani began on the bench. Up front, Carnell went with Ezekiel Alladoh and Milan Iloski, with Cavan Sullivan and Indiana Vassilev in midfield.

The Union still controlled the first half. Jovan Lukić went through on goal in the 11th minute but put his shot over the crossbar, and Schwake made his first save of the night on a Sullivan set piece just before the half-hour. Alladoh forced another stop before the break. The Union took five shots to Nashville's one in the first half, according to the club, but the teams went in level.

Three Posts in Twenty Minutes

The woodwork took over after halftime. Nashville's Woobens Pacius hit the left post in the 52nd minute, and a minute later Vassilev hit the right post at the other end on a Union counterattack, according to the Inquirer's account.

Nashville turned to its bench just past the hour, bringing on Hany Mukhtar and Cristian Espinoza. Carnell answered in the 69th minute with Agustín Anello and Damiani for Vassilev and Sullivan. Anello nearly made an instant difference, hitting the right post from the left side of the box in the 72nd minute.

Carnell said the decision to take off Sullivan was "not performance related," and was instead about matching up with Nashville's physicality. "I think you can see his qualities. I think this was his best game here," he said of the teenager, according to the Inquirer.

Blake and Schwake Hold Firm

Nashville's best chance came in the 74th minute, when Andre Blake kept out an Ahmed Qasem shot off the line. The three-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year finished with two saves and his second clean sheet of the season, according to the Inquirer, and the Union said it was the 86th clean sheet of his MLS career.

At the other end, Schwake stopped Iloski in the 77th minute, and Alladoh and Damiani each missed late looks. The Inquirer counted five Union shots on target to Nashville's two, while ESPN's box score credited Schwake with four saves. It was his fifth shutout in 10 MLS starts, according to the Associated Press, and Nashville SC named him its Man of the Match.

There were only two cautions on the night: Martínez in the 64th minute and Nashville's Daniel Lovitz in second-half stoppage time.

What Carnell Said

For a team stuck at the bottom of the standings, Carnell saw something closer to the version of the Union that fans saw a year ago. "On another day, this looks and feels more like us from last year," he said, according to the Inquirer. "We had waves of momentum. We had waves of control. We get the clean sheet, but not the reward."

He was also realistic about where the club stands. "It's not great, but it's better," Carnell said.

Nashville's Busy Week

Nashville arrived playing its third match in eight days and without injured striker Sam Surridge, the club's leading scorer. Head coach B.J. Callaghan rotated his lineup, keeping Hany Mukhtar and Cristian Espinoza on the bench until the 61st minute, and Shak Mohammed made his first start for Nashville, according to Philadelphia Soccer Now.

The bigger test was still to come. Nashville was set to travel to Mexico for Tuesday's second leg of its Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal against Tigres UANL, trailing 1-0 on aggregate. The Union, meanwhile, were scheduled to visit the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, May 9, still searching for a result to match the way they played on Saturday night.

Photo Credit: Dylan Aguilar/Undrafted