Milan Iloski Rescues Union in 1-1 Draw With Columbus Crew, but Philadelphia's Winless Run Reaches Seven

Augustín Anello had been on the field for 25 minutes when he finally found the moment. Ben Bender won the ball near midfield, Anello raced down the flank and slid a low ball into the middle, and Milan Iloski met it first time, steering a left-footed finish through the middle of the goal. Subaru Park, starved of home goals for weeks, finally had one to celebrate.

That 70th-minute equalizer earned the Philadelphia Union a 1-1 draw with the Columbus Crew on Saturday night, canceling out Hugo Picard's 10th-minute opener. According to the Union, it was their first goal at home since March and their third straight home draw. The point was welcome, but it did not end the slide: per the AP, the Union are now winless in seven straight. Columbus, meanwhile, stretched its own winless run to four.

Picard Strikes Early

The Crew needed only 10 minutes to go ahead. Bender was booked in the ninth minute for a foul that gave Columbus a free kick on the right side, and when the delivery was cleared, Picard kept the move alive and hit a right-footed shot from outside the box into the top right corner. Andre Blake had no chance.

From there, the first half settled into a scrappy, foul-heavy affair. Sean Zawadzki headed a Diego Rossi corner wide in the 20th minute, and Philadelphia's best spell of the half came in transition around the 25th, when the Union's club site said Nathan Harriel, Cavan Sullivan and Iloski combined before a Columbus defender got a foot in. Iloski and Rudy Camacho were booked within four minutes of each other, Bender sent a shot from distance just wide after a corner in the 36th, and Olwethu Makhanya picked up a yellow card right before halftime. The Union said that caution means Makhanya will miss the next match through yellow card accumulation.

Turning Point: Carnell's Halftime Change

Head coach Bradley Carnell made one move at the break, sending on Anello for Jovan Lukic. It changed the game. Philadelphia came out with more purpose, and Sullivan forced Patrick Schulte into a save from long range in the 58th minute. Iloski fired high and wide in the 60th, and Carnell added Ezekiel Alladoh for Bruno Damiani in the 65th.

The pressure built quickly. Iloski had a shot blocked in the 67th minute, and Alladoh headed just wide from the six-yard box a minute later. Then came the equalizer: Anello's ball, Iloski's first touch, 1-1. The halftime substitute had the assist, and the Union had their first home goal in weeks.

Sullivan Versus Schulte

If the goal belonged to Iloski, the rest of the second half belonged to a duel between a 16-year-old and an established goalkeeper. Sullivan, who the Union said scored his first MLS goal midweek at Orlando, finished with five shots and put four on target. Every one of Schulte's four saves came on a Sullivan attempt.

There was the long-range effort in the 58th minute, a header in the 73rd, a first-time shot off a Bender pass in the 85th that Schulte got down to at the bottom right corner, and finally a left-footed free kick in stoppage time, which the Union said came after Iloski was brought down on a counter, that Schulte saved at the bottom left. Sullivan did everything but score.

Columbus had its own late looks. Andrés Herrera, a 67th-minute substitute, missed to the left from outside the box in the 78th minute and again from the center of the box in the 88th after a Taha Habroune through ball. The Crew managed only five shots all night, and only one on target. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, that one was the goal.

Star Watch

Iloski led the Union attack with four shots and the equalizer, and he was a constant presence up top. Anello earns the assist and the credit for changing the tempo off the bench. Sullivan's night was the most impressive in terms of volume and nerve, and Schulte's was the most impressive in terms of results. For Columbus, Picard's finish was the one moment of real quality in front of goal, and the back line held up well enough under the second-half pressure to protect a point.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Columbus 62.1 percent, Philadelphia 37.9 percent.
• Shots: Philadelphia outshot Columbus 12-5.
• Shots on target: Philadelphia 5, Columbus 1. Blake did not have to make a save.
• Passing: Columbus attempted 530 passes to Philadelphia's 317.
• Discipline: Philadelphia was shown three yellow cards to Columbus's one.

What It Means

Philadelphia moves to 1-4-9 with seven points. The Union arrived having lost two straight, at New England and then 4-3 at Orlando on Wednesday, and their only win of the season remains the 2-1 result at CF Montréal on April 11. Over the seven-match winless run, they have drawn with D.C. United, Toronto, Nashville and now Columbus, and lost to Columbus, New England and Orlando. Too many points have slipped away. The Union close the pre-break schedule at Inter Miami on May 24, and they will be without Makhanya.

Columbus sits at 3-4-7 with 13 points. The Crew came in on a three-match losing streak, including a 3-2 defeat at Red Bull New York on Wednesday, so a road point counts as progress. It was also a step down from the last meeting between these teams, a 2-0 Columbus win at home on April 25. The Crew host Atlanta United on May 24.

Closing Take

Pennsylvania gave the world Groundhog Day, and the Union's home schedule is starting to feel like the movie. Third straight home draw, same frustrations, same need for a breakthrough that never quite arrives. The difference this time was the energy after halftime, a teenager who kept testing the keeper and a substitute who changed the game. Philadelphia still needs a win, badly. But if the Union can bottle that second half and carry it into Miami, the loop might finally break.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Match notes from the Philadelphia Union (philadelphiaunion.com) and the AP recap via ESPN.