Oliver Semmle- 6
Semmle making his debut to open the MLS season is something no one expected. He had no chance for Chicago's opening goal, as Brian Gutiérrez's fantastic strike flew into the back of the net. Semmle could not hold onto a ball that was directed towards the back post, which led to the second goal. One of those instances where Andre Blake perhaps would have claimed the ball, not allowing the scramble to lead to the goal. However, Oliver made a huge save late into the game when he came well off his line to save one-on-one. He made himself big, denying the Chicago player.
Nate Harriel- 8
Harriel had a fantastic game to open the 2024 MLS campaign. He looked solid defensively down his righthand side, with no Chicago attacks developing down his side. The right-back looked strong going forward and provided a constant threat. Harriel's passing and crossing has definitely improved over the offseason. Smart passes like the one in the direction of Uhre, who had been clearly fouled. He also provided a great cross towards the near post, which was unlucky not to find a Union player, as it went out for a corner. Nate was unlucky not to have an assist for Gazdag's offside goal, which was ruled out following a VAR review.
The right-back can consider himself hard done by because of VAR again when his low-driven effort was ruled out for offside. However, it was a great strike, squeezing beyond a cluster of players.
Damion Lowe- 6
It has been a big start to the season for Lowe, who has started the first two games. He made a big block to deny Fabian Herbers during the first half. He was unfortunate to have strayed offside for the Harriel goal. However, it was a great low cross back into the danger zone to cause some issues for the visitors.
Jakob Glesnes- 6.5
The Norwegian responded well following his performance in Saprissa. He did well in keeping Hugo Cuypers quiet throughout the match. Glesnes almost found a late winner when his flick-on from Wagner's free-kick had to be tipped around the post.
Kai Wagner- 6
The left-back got into some good areas going forward and was an out ball for the Union. He delivered some strong set pieces throughout. They looked much more threatening than last season.
José Martínez- 7
We saw Martínez playing in that six role however, he seemingly had more freedom to push forward and move into wider areas. As per usual, José showed the great passing depth he possesses, spreading the ball around. However, the most exciting aspect of his game from Saturday night was his work when in wide positions. For the Union's stoppage-time equaliser, Martínez went towards the ball, creating the space for Bedoya inside the box. However, the Venezuelan quickly spun away from his marker into the acres of space that had become available to become a quick option for the pass. His incredible off-the-ball work was capped off with an excellent cross for Gazdag to head home.
Quinn Sullivan- 8.5- Star Player
Sullivan continued his fine start to the season with another strong performance. He and Harriel linked up well down the right wing, providing solid width. Sullivan looked willing to try and get beyond players and make things happen. No moment better exemplified this than his brilliant low-drilled cross across the face of the six-yard box. A guaranteed goal if someone had gambled to get on the end of it. The US youth international is also willing to take shots at goal- almost scoring a stunning 20-yard effort in the second half. He tried his luck, shooting towards the far corner, with his effort carrying plenty of movement. It beat the Chicago goalkeeper and whistled just past the post.
For the assist of Uhre's goal, he made a darting run between Harriel and Gazdag, with the latter playing the ball into the space he had created for himself. Sullivan played a low pass in an area that only Uhre could get to, allowing the striker to prod home. He also played a crucial role in the second goal. Stood on the right wing with limited options, Sullivan had the confidence and vision to play an outside-of-the-foot pass to Bedoya, which in turn led to the Gazdag header.
My star player of the game has made a huge difference for the Union this season in attack after two games. I am looking forward to seeing him continue his development as a player, making that right-sided position his own. Sullivan is certainly doing his Olympic dreams no harm.
Jack McGlynn- 6.5
The young midfielder, another apparent shoo-in for the US Olympic squad, showed another calm and composed performance in midfield. His vision at this point is not a surprise, with two highlights of his performance being his pass from the middle of the park to play Harriel through down the righthand side. The young midfielder also made another great pass for Harriel, a reverse ball to find him inside the penalty area. He was replaced by Ale Bedoya in the 79th minute.
Daniel Gazdag- 7
It was great to see the Hungarian get off the mark for the season. A constant theme of this game was the Union's midfield and attackers' off-the-ball movement. They were creating space and getting into more attacking areas to become bigger threats. No player perhaps exemplified that more than Gazdag. It is arguably what he does best. He did well to peel away around the back of the penalty area to latch onto Carranza's flick-on. The Hungarian hit the post but was offside.
Gazdag was, unfortunately, a fraction offside during the second half when he thought he had brought the game back to 1-1. He did well to get between two Chicago defenders before making a short run towards the six-yard box. However, he timed his run just a second too early. He would not be denied a second time during stoppage time. Once again, his off-the-ball movement was key. Gazdag faked that he was going to run across his marker before slowly peeling off, allowing him to be unmarked and head into the back of the net. Positive early signs for the Hungarian, who struggled to recreate the form he showed in 2022 last season. If he can replicate these first two performances, he will be back on his way.
Mikael Uhre- 7
It was good to see Uhre follow up his assist from the Saprissa game with a goal. He did not stop running for the whole game, pressing from the front and offering an out ball for the Union. He did well to be in the right place at the right time for his equaliser. Another example of the team's off-the-ball movement was when he peeled away towards the back post from a corner. He found himself unmarked but rattled the underside of the crossbar.
Julián Carranza-6
Carranza had a much quieter game in comparison to the 3-2 win against Saprissa. However, his defensive work did not go unrecognised. He also posed an aerial threat.
Ale Bedoya- 6
Bedoya came on with a little over ten minutes remaining, and the main impact was his quick thinking to play the first-time pass towards Martínez for the assist.
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