Philadelphia Union Dominates 5-0 in CONCACAF Champions Cup First Leg

Philadelphia Union crushed Trinidad's Defence Force 5-0 in the opening leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup match Wednesday night. The decisive victory puts the Union in prime position to advance to face Club America in the round of 16 when they host the return leg on February 26.

Philadelphia Union delivered a commanding performance Wednesday night, overwhelming Defence Force 5-0 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, during the opening match of their CONCACAF Champions Cup first-round matchup.

The Union now holds a commanding advantage heading into the return leg scheduled for February 26 in Chester, Pennsylvania. Should they avoid a historic meltdown in the home match, Philadelphia will earn a spot against Mexican club powerhouse Club America in next month’s round of 16.

The scoring began in the first half when Milan Iloski bent a free kick around the wall and into the near post during the 30th minute. Just two minutes later, Ezekiel Alladoh found the back of the net with a well-placed header to make it 2-0.

Philadelphia’s offensive explosion continued after halftime. Olwethu Makhanya rose high to connect with Iloski’s corner kick service in the 64th minute. Substitute Bruno Damiani then took over the show, netting two goals to complete the rout. His first came in the 69th minute when he finished off a crisp feed from Cavan Sullivan, followed by a penalty conversion to the bottom left corner in the 81st minute.

The Union dominated the statistical categories as well, registering eight shots on goal compared to Defence Force’s single attempt. The Trinidadian squad struggled with discipline throughout the match, collecting four yellow cards before Joevin Jones received a straight red card during stoppage time for bringing down Sullivan on a breakaway opportunity.

Meanwhile, FC Cincinnati also secured a convincing 4-0 victory over O&M FC in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. The Orange and Blue scored twice in each half to take control of their first-leg encounter.

Cincinnati will look to seal their advancement when they return home on February 25. The victorious team from this two-leg series will advance to meet Tigres UANL, who already secured their spot with a 4-0 combined victory over Hamilton, Ontario’s Forge FC last week.

Substitute Ayoub Jabbari provided the finishing touches for Cincinnati with a pair of late strikes. He found the near post from a difficult angle in the 86th minute, then hammered home a half-volley from near the penalty area during the second minute of added time.

Tom Barlow got Cincinnati on the scoreboard early, firing home a rebound with his left foot from distance in the 12th minute. Kevin Denkey extended the lead in the 33rd minute when his 20-yard effort slipped between the legs of O&M goalkeeper Omry Bello.