Jesus Medina and Valentin Castellanos each scored their third goals of the season, and New York City FC comfortably saw off the 10-man Philadelphia Union 2-0 on Saturday night at Subaru Park.
Anton Tinnerholm picked up his second assist on Medina's early opener for NYCFC, which have now scored seven unanswered goals and picked up two wins following a loss away to D.C. in their season opener.
In a match played between the two legs of their Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal against Atlanta United, Philadelphia succumbed to a third loss in their last four home matches in all competitions, dating back to last year's playoff defeat to New England.
The Union's Jose Martinez was sent off following Video Review for throwing his elbow toward Castellanos' head area in the 15th minute.
Kacper Przybylko, Kai Wagner and Leon Flach were among the Union players who began the game on the bench for manager Jim Curtin as he kept one eye focused on Tuesday's home return leg, where his side will try to preserve a 3-0 lead and book a spot in the CCL semifinals.
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Martinez's sending off means he will now miss the Union's next two matches in all competitions, since he was already scheduled to serve a yellow card accumulation ban in Leg 2 of Philly's CCL quarterfinal against Atlanta. He'll serve the ban for this red next Saturday at Chicago, assuming he doesn't face further sanctions from the MLS Disciplinary Committee.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Medina already ensured NYCFC of a bright start. But Philadelphia's tall order became nearly impossible after referee Ismail Elfath went to the Video Review area and returned to tell Martinez his night was over.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Anton Tinnerholm. The red card made his task easier, but before that his early run down the right was what opened the space for Medina's goal, and he was a consistent source of pressure down the flank all evening.
Next Up
- PHI: Tuesday, May 4 vs. Atlanta United | 8 pm ET| FS1, TUDN | Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal Leg 2
- NYC: Saturday, May 8 at Orlando City | 6 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes | MLS regular season
