Philadelphia Union played their second match abroad on Friday, taking on FC Nordsjælland for 135 minutes at Marbella Football Center.
Head Coach Bradley Carnell and Nordsjælland gaffer Jens Olsen agreed in advance to add another 45 minute period to the competition, allowing for meaningful minutes across the roster.
“To get this deep already in terms of minutes, progression is really vital for us,” Carnell said after the final whistle.
“To get everybody in and out, as we did, that’s first and foremost, and then to compete against a really quality opponent was excellent learning for us.”
Recap
25 different players appeared in this one — Andre Blake, Andrew Rick, and George Marks each earned a 45 minute shift in net, while the majority of field players played for 67.
In the third period, Indiana Vassilev and Sal Olivas, who were part of the second group, were swapped for Eddy Davis III and CJ Olney Jr., giving the pair of 19-year-old Philadelphia Union Academy products time in the final 20 minutes.
Nordsjælland ultimately came away with the win, but Carnell and his players agreed the experience was a valuable exercise for the group in their ramp up to the season’s start.
“I’m not gonna lie, it was a really good challenge. We ran a lot, it was a very good opponent, they kept us shifting,” Makhanya said.
Between the two different field lineups and his late subs, Carnell sent out multiple new partnerships on Friday, especially in the first 67 minutes, but after the match, he said at this point of camp, that isn’t a main focus of his.
“‘Im not looking too much at that right now. It’s two mixed groups. Everyone’s competing for a couple of positions here,” Carnell said.
“Probably over the next couple of days, we’ll start going through the individual process of game reflection for each guy, and really then trying to lay out a plan for them to succeed and excel in each of those positions. But right now, it’s really about guys getting the volume, the minutes, the load, and I thought both sets of groups gave a really good account of themselves.”
Union Abroad | Friendly vs FC Nordsjælland
Per Carnell, the team found about 35 shots over their 135 minutes on the pitch, playing forward into the box and creating meaningful moments in the final third, but ultimately the lone Union goal of the match came off a set piece in the 129th, when Milan Iloski took a corner from the left against his former team. The 26-year-old, who was a player for Nordsjælland this time last year, sent the ball into the box to find Olwethu Makhanya for a header goal to make it 2-1.
“In the second half, it was a good response, and the guys came in taking the instructions, and we got one goal back,” Makhanya said.
“It’s always good to score, such goals from a set piece because it’s something that we always practice, you know, and if we’re able to come in a game and be able to execute it, then it’s always a good feeling.”
The first two matches of camp came quick, and now five days to recover and continue training before their next outing against FK Budućnost Podgorica on Thursday.
Union Lineup
Andre Blake (Andrew Rick 45′, George Marks 90′); Frankie Westfield (Ben Bender 67′), Japhet Sery Larsen (Olwethu Makhanya 67′), Finn Sundstrom (Nathan Harriel 67′), Trialist (Olivier Mbaizo 67′); Alejandro Bedoya (Indiana Vassilev 67′, CJ Olney 115′), Danley Jean Jacques (Jesus Bueno 67′), Jovan Lukic (Jeremy Rafanello 67′), Cavan Sullivan (Milan Iloski 67′); Bruno Damiani (Sal Olivas 67′, Eddy Davis III 115′), Ezekiel Alladoh (Stas Korzeniowski 67′).