New England Revolution End Philadelphia Union's Club-Record Unbeaten Run as Carles Gil Seals Win

By the time the Philadelphia Union kicked off on Saturday night, the math had gotten very simple. Red Bull New York and Columbus had both already won, and the Union's playoff fate was in their own hands: win and they're in. Fifteen straight matches without a loss, a club record, suggested they would handle it.

New England had other plans. Dor Turgeman scored in first-half stoppage time, Carles Gil buried a VAR-confirmed penalty in the 91st minute, and the Revolution won 2-1 at Subaru Park in front of 18,524, snapping the Union's unbeaten run and leaving the clinch for another night. Neil Pierre's header in the 12th minute of stoppage time came far too late to change the ending.

Union Pressure, Turner Answers

Philadelphia came out flying. Inside the first 10 minutes, Milan Iloski fired wide twice, Quinn Sullivan had two efforts blocked, Indiana Vassilev went over the bar, and Matt Turner made his first save on Iloski from the center of the box. It was a lot of noise, and none of it went in.

New England settled through set pieces, winning three corners in quick succession around the 13th minute. Their best chances fell to Dániel Gazdag, the former Union midfielder, who forced Andre Blake into saves in the 27th and 33rd minutes. In between, Iloski was played clean through by Frankie Westfield in the 22nd and saw his close-range shot stopped by Turner.

Then came the moment that defined the half. Deep into stoppage time, New England worked a short free kick to Gil, who drew the defense and found Peyton Miller. Miller headed the ball back across goal, and Turgeman was waiting at the far post to finish from close range. According to the Revolution, it was his 10th goal of the season. The Union nearly answered immediately, but Turner pushed away an Iloski header from a Westfield cross.

Blake and Turner Trade Saves

The second half became a goalkeeping duel. Blake got a hand to a Gil shot in the 58th minute and denied Luca Langoni in the 72nd. Turner kept out Iloski again from very close range in the 78th. Philadelphia picked up two bookings in three minutes, including one for Bruno Damiani that, per the club, rules him out of the next match through yellow card accumulation.

Interim head coach Ryan Richter went for broke in the 82nd minute, taking off center back Nathan Harriel for 17-year-old Homegrown Malik Jakupovic. It almost worked. In the 86th, Jakupovic got on the end of a Sullivan cross, and Turner stopped it. Moments later, Pierre slid in on Gil inside the box. Gil had initially been flagged offside, according to the Union, but the review found him onside and the penalty stood.

Gil converted with his left foot in the first minute of 12 added. The Union kept swinging: Turner saved a Jakupovic header, Blake stopped Diego Fagúndez at the other end, Matt Polster hit the crossbar, and in the 102nd minute Pierre finally beat him with a header from a Kai Wagner cross. Agustín Anello forced one last save and Westfield's final shot drifted just past the top corner.

Stars of the Night

Carles Gil was the conductor. He started the move for the opener, drew the penalty and finished it, putting both of his shots on target. The club says it was the 19th goal-and-assist performance of his MLS career.

Matt Turner made seven saves and was beaten only in the 12th minute of stoppage time. Four of those stops came against Iloski.

Dor Turgeman and Peyton Miller combined for the goal that mattered most. Miller's header back across goal was the kind of set-piece detail that decides tight games, and Turgeman, who had already forced Blake into a save with an airborne backheel in the 42nd minute, was exactly where he needed to be.

Milan Iloski did everything except score. Seven shots, four on target, and a lot of frustration.

Andre Blake made six saves and kept the Union within one goal for most of the night.

Neil Pierre had a complicated evening. He conceded the penalty, then scored his fifth goal of the regular season, which the Union say extends his club single-season record for a defender.

The Turning Point

The 86th minute. Within seconds, the Union went from Jakupovic forcing a save that would have tied it to a VAR review that handed New England a penalty. Instead of chasing a winner at 1-1, Philadelphia spent stoppage time chasing two goals. Pierre's late header showed exactly how costly that sequence was.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Philadelphia 24, New England 12.
• Shots on target: Eight apiece, but New England's were the ones that counted.
• Saves: Turner made seven, Blake six.
• Clearances: New England cleared the ball 48 times. Philadelphia managed 19.
• Crosses: The Union attempted 36 and completed eight.

What It Means

New England move to 17-4-10 (wins, draws, losses) with 55 points and, per the club, into second place in the East. It was their third straight win and their seventh on the road this season, which the club says is the second-most in its history. They also swept the season series, having beaten Philadelphia by the same 2-1 score in May. Coach Marko Mitrović relished the test: "Philly is one very, very tough opponent." He added that "for us to grow, we need this type of opponent."

Defender Ethan Kohler said: "This is a tough place to walk away with three points and especially given that they had such a good record going into this."

Philadelphia fall to 13-7-11 with 46 points and are still waiting on the result that clinches a playoff place. It was the Union's first loss since the World Cup break, per the club.

The Closing Take

Fifteen matches is a long time to be the protagonist. On Saturday, the Union walked into their own season finale scene expecting a celebration, and New England rewrote the script with a twist in the last act and a cliffhanger for the next episode. Kohler put it plainly: New England have shown they are "a team that has no problem with being tested."

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by the New England Revolution; additional match details from the Philadelphia Union and MLSsoccer.com.