Down Goes the Timbers

Down goes the Timbers. The Philadelphia Union took on the Portland Timbers at home at Subaru Park on Sunday, May 30th. The Union earned three points extending their unbeaten run to five games. With the win, they are now second in the Eastern Conference with 14 points heading into the international break. In the first half, Kacper Przybylko wasted no time making his impact felt. After multiple chances, he was able to head the ball into the back of the net in the 26th minute from a free-kick.

The goal put him in sole possession of third on the all-time scoring list with 26 goals. Breaking his tie with Jack McInerney. Five minutes later, during a corner kick, he registered an assist for the Union’s second goal. He helped the ball and Sergio Santos finish for his first goal in the MLS regular season. The Union continued to dominate in the second half, rewarded with their third goal of the night. Jack Elliott scored his first goal of the MLS season in the 63rd minute with an assist from Cory Burke.

In the match’s final minutes, Union homegrown Paxton Aaronson made his first appearance for the first team when he was subbed on in the 88th minute. Andre Blake made key saves in the second half to extend his clean sheet streak to three. It would be Blake’s sixth clean sheet in the MLS regular season and the 50th of his career.

Andre Blake. That's it. That's the tweet. pic.twitter.com/aKmLLY4PR8
— PhilaUnion🛡 (@PhilaUnion) May 31, 2021

Jersey Swap

Following tonight’s match, all 20 players on the Union roster participated in a special jersey swap with their limited edition PRIMEBLUE jerseys. As part of a league-wide initiative, from May 20-28, fans nominated those they believe made a positive impact in their communities on Twitter using the hashtag #JerseySwapEntry, tagging the club, and sharing a brief description of why their nominee should be recognized, with four ultimate winners. Building off this idea. Down goes the Timbers.

Union players decided to expand from the five jerseys to do a full 20-man roster swap. The remaining jerseys were given to those who kept the team running behind the scenes, especially during this past trying year and the team’s return during the pandemic such as: groundskeepers, culinary staff, stadium workers, security, covid testers, doctors, and more.

The Union are set to return after the international break away at Mercedes Benz Stadium on Sunday, June 20, where they will face Atlanta United FC. (2:00 p.m. ET / ESPN).

Eric Williamson

Eric Williamson is the host of the Union podcast Full Time Philly and also contrinutes to many of the Union coverage. He is a huge fan of all the 4 major Philly teams on top of music too.