Ezekiel Alladoh's Stoppage-Time Winner Caps Union's Wild 3-2 Comeback Over 10-Man Atlanta United

Kai Wagner swung in one more cross from the left, Ezekiel Alladoh met it first time with his left foot, and the ball found the bottom left corner. That was the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time at Subaru Park, exactly one minute after Neil Pierre had headed in the equalizer, and it completed one of the most ridiculous finishes of the MLS season.

The Philadelphia Union beat 10-man Atlanta United 3-2 on Saturday night after trailing 2-0 with 24 minutes to play. Atlanta spent more than an hour a man down and still looked like it might steal three points. Then Philadelphia scored three times in the final stretch, and Atlanta left Chester wondering what just happened. According to the AP, the Union became the first team to score the tying and winning goals in consecutive minutes of second-half stoppage time since the LA Galaxy did it on July 14, 2018.

Ten Men, One Lead

The night turned in the 26th minute, or at least it should have. Enea Mihaj was shown a red card for a challenge on Milan Iloski, a dangerous slide near the right sideline according to the Union, and Atlanta was down to 10. Four minutes later, the visitors were ahead anyway. Miguel Almirón got on the end of a move up the middle and squeezed a left-footed finish from the center of the box into the bottom left corner. Atlanta said it was his third straight match with a goal, a first in his MLS career.

Philadelphia spent the rest of the half camped in Atlanta's end and kept finding the woodwork. Pierre headed a Wagner cross off the bar after a corner in the 43rd minute. Lucas Hoyos dove to stop a Cavan Sullivan shot in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, and a minute later Frankie Westfield smashed a left-footed shot off the crossbar from the center of the box. Atlanta took a 1-0 lead into the break with the kind of luck you cannot schedule.

The Siege, and the Sucker Punch

The second half started the same way. The Union piled up corners, Westfield had a header blocked and another go wide, and Danley Jean Jacques skied a header from point-blank range in the 58th. Ryan Richter went to his bench in the 56th for Quinn Sullivan and Jesús Bueno, but Atlanta's back line kept clearing everything.

Then, on one of its rare forays forward, Atlanta struck again. Tristan Muyumba found space outside the box in the 66th minute and curled a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner, with Alexey Miranchuk credited with the assist. Two shots on target, two goals. Atlanta was operating at maximum efficiency.

Iloski Starts It, Wagner Finishes It

Richter responded in the 71st minute by taking off center back Nathan Harriel and striker Bruno Damiani for two attacking options, Alladoh and Augustín Anello. Two minutes later, Iloski fired a right-footed shot from the middle of the box into the bottom left corner. The Union said it was his sixth consecutive MLS match with a goal, a new club record.

From there, it was a shooting gallery. Hoyos saved Cavan Sullivan again in the 81st, Sullivan pulled another just wide in the 82nd, and Iloski headed wide in the 89th and again in the third minute of the eight added on. Pierre missed a header from very close range in the fifth minute of stoppage time. A minute later, he did not miss, heading Wagner's cross into the bottom left corner. Sixty seconds after that, Wagner delivered again and Alladoh, who per the Union and mlssoccer.com had never scored in MLS before, finished it off.

Who Showed Up

Kai Wagner, recently reacquired by the Union according to mlssoccer.com, had two assists in the final two minutes. The Union attempted 53 crosses on the night, and his last two were the ones that mattered.

Milan Iloski took seven shots, put two on target and extended his record streak. According to mlssoccer.com, he is up to 10 goals and two assists this season.

Neil Pierre took six shots, hit the bar in the first half and scored the equalizer in stoppage time.

Ezekiel Alladoh had one shot all night. It was the winner.

Lucas Hoyos made four saves and did everything he could to keep a 10-man team in front.

The Turning Point

Richter's 71st-minute double change. Pulling a center back while trailing 2-0 is the soccer equivalent of pushing all your chips in, and it worked. Alladoh, one of the two players sent on, scored the winner, and the extra attacking body kept Atlanta pinned for the final 20-plus minutes.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Philadelphia 30, Atlanta 4.
• Shots on target: Philadelphia 6, Atlanta 2. Both of Atlanta's went in.
• Possession: Philadelphia 70.9 percent, Atlanta 29.1 percent.
• Corners: Philadelphia 12, Atlanta 2.
• Clearances: Atlanta 58, Philadelphia 11.

What It Means

The Union moved to 4-4-10 with 16 points and won their third straight. mlssoccer.com said the result lifted Philadelphia to 13th in the Eastern Conference, seven points shy of a playoff spot, and that the Union have won all three of their games under Richter, who took over in May. "I hope at least that the guys believe in each other," Richter said. Philadelphia turns to Leagues Cup next, hosting Cruz Azul at Subaru Park on Thursday.

Atlanta fell to 3-3-12 with 12 points and has not won a league match since beating CF Montréal 3-1 on May 2. The 5-Stripes get two weeks off before hosting Red Bull New York at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Aug. 15.

Rocky Would Approve

This is Philadelphia, so of course the comeback needed a montage. Richter said afterward that his message to the team never involved settling for a point. "That was the mentality. That was the clear target for the game. Not come back and tie; get three points out of this," he said. Atlanta played more than 70 minutes with 10 men and led from the 30th minute until the sixth minute of stoppage time. Philadelphia needed two stoppage-time minutes to make all of it irrelevant.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by mlssoccer.com. Match details from the AP via ESPN, the Philadelphia Union (philadelphiaunion.com) and Atlanta United (atlutd.com).