The Philadelphia Union took more than three away goals from Atlanta in the first leg of their Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal last week. They also took a piece of Atlanta’s dignity, reducing the Five Stripes into Four.
Outplayed for much of the first half, withstanding barrage after barrage of Jürgen Damn and Marcelino Moreno down the flanks and the overall speed and intensity of Atlanta’s attack, the Union escaped with a 0-0 score going into the break thanks to numerous big saves from Andre Blake. But when the second half opened with a bit of the same one-sidedness, the Union dug deep into their training ground tricks and pulled out a piece of magic with a well-executed corner in the 57th minute that knocked the breath from every Atlanta fan in Mercedes-Benz Stadium and stole the psychological edge from a team that likely deserved more.