Ernst Tanner Sporting Director | Philadelphia Union
Ernst Tanner Sporting Director | Philadelphia Union
Philadelphia Union's Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Stars, Juliana Zacarias and Elijah Reed, delivered standout performances in Columbus. Zacarias started the contest while Reed scored a goal.
Reed was part of the Starting XI for the Eastern Conference side and capitalized on his minutes with a finish during first-half stoppage time. The George Washington High School student took a forward pass, raced into the box, and saw his initial shot saved by the keeper. Reed regained his footing and made a successful second attempt with the keeper out of position just before halftime.
"The emotion of the moment was evident from the very beginning as the forward raced to his team bench for the whole Eastern Conference squad to celebrate," an observer noted.
Last month, Philadelphia Union officially signed their two representatives, Zacarias and Reed, to their Unified contracts for the All-Star Game at George Washington High School. Each year, one Special Olympics athlete and one Unified partner are selected to represent their MLS club during MLS All-Star Week. The experience culminates in a competitive Special Olympics Unified All-Star match held on Tuesday at Historic Crew Stadium.
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