The first half was played on Philly’s terms. Early indecision by makeshift left back Amro Tarek led to early Union pressure that broke the New York resolve quickly when Cory Burke scored in the 9th minute. After the Red Bull press failed to address a bouncing ball in the Philadelphia half, quick circulation led to Burke chipping a relatively simple through ball over Carlos Coronel, who had come out in a less-than-confident lurch.
Tarek’s indifferent night came to an early end with a leg injury about 30 minutes in. After being replaced by debutante Tom Edwards, the team found a bit more energy and even pinned Philadelphia back for a series of corners, but were unable to make a breakthrough before the interval.