Philadelphia Union II began their season with a 1-0 win over Toronto FC II at Subaru Park on Saturday. The only goal of the match came in the eighth minute from forward Malik Jakupovic, who scored unassisted. Goalkeeper George Marks made three saves and secured his first clean sheet of the season.
Eight players made their debut for Union II during this match, including six current members of the Philadelphia Union Academy. The lineup featured George Marks, Kaiden Moore, Rafael Uzcátegui, Oliver Pratt, Jordan Griffin, Kellan LeBlanc, Timo Mendoza, Óscar BenÃtez Cobo, Willyam Ferreira, Malik Jakupovic, and John Ruf. Substitutions included Finn Sundstrom, Lennon Harrington, Matheus De Paula, Theo Reed, and Nehan Hasan.
Disciplinary actions included cautions for several players: Malik Jakupovic (26’), John Ruf (35’), Willyam Ferreira (69’), Matheus De Paula (90’), and George Marks (90’+2) for Philadelphia Union II; Tristan Blyth received a caution for Toronto FC II in stoppage time.
The referee team consisted of Luis Diego Arroyo as referee with Sharon Gingrich and Nicholas Seymour as assistant referees and Cedric Cook as fourth official.
Union II will play their next home game against FC Cincinnati 2 on Sunday, March 8 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Philadelphia Union is part of Major League Soccer and represents the city in top-level competition while engaging fans through youth programs and community initiatives. The club operates a roster of professional players on its main team according to its official website. In 2020, Philadelphia Union won the Supporters’ Shield for best regular-season performance in Major League Soccer as noted by the club. The team’s facilities include Subaru Park—a soccer-specific stadium located on a waterfront site in Chester—and additional training fields according to the organization.
Fans can find information about tickets and team lineups through the club’s resources on its website.
###
