Down to nine men on the road against the best team in MLS is not where anybody wants to be. But Philadelphia Union believed their captain had been done wrong, and they were determined to show Atlanta United that teamwork could overcome missing players. As the home side poured on pressure, the Union held strong until early in the second half when Josef Martinez doubled Atlanta’s lead.
Philly could have folded; they could have packed it in and saved their legs for the future. But Warren Creavalle’s workrate in the center of the pitch spurred his teammates on, and when the only midfielder on the pitch found Fafa Picault with a looping ball into the Atlanta box, the winger made no mistake, finishing with patience and confidence to stun the Five Stripes and re-energize his teammates.