At the end of the first half, the Union had fewer shots on goal that New England Revolution. That hasn’t happened often this season.
The Revs were forcing Philly to play up the left, preventing Haris Medunjanin from picking up the ball above the midfield line, and using their big bodies up front of hold off defenders and bring additional bodies into the box when they got forward.
It was an ugly strategy but it was working. Philly racked up 13 fouls to New England’s 5 in the first half, and while not all of those were, let’s say, perfect calls, the referee was not the reason the Union looked out of sorts.