Molino and Defence Force overwhelmed in 5–0 defeat to Philadelphia Union

The visitors took control of the match midway through the first half. In the 29th minute, Milan Iloski opened the scoring for Philadelphia by curling a beautiful free kick over the wall and into the back of the net. Just three minutes later, Ezekiel Alladoh powered home a header to double the advantage and send the Union into halftime with a comfortable 2–0 lead.

The onslaught continued in the second half as Olwethu Makhanya skied high to head in a corner kick in the 64th minute. Substitute Bruno Damiani then put the game completely out of reach, scoring off a sharp pass from Cavan Sullivan in the 69th minute before converting a penalty kick in the 81st minute to finalize the 5–0 scoreline. To cap off a frustrating night for the hosts, Joevin Jones was shown a straight red card deep into second-half stoppage time.

Molino’s performance

The former Minnesota United playmaker captained his side in front of their home supporters for the highly anticipated continental clash, playing the full 90 minutes.

• The shift: Kevin Molino was heavily involved in the midfield, registering 53 touches but failing to record a single touch inside the opposition box.

• The distribution: He completed 25 of his 36 pass attempts for a 69 percent completion rate, pushing the attack forward with 10 passes into the final third. While he completed both of his dribble attempts, he struggled at times to maintain possession, being dispossessed on three occasions and completing only one of his four long balls.

• The battles: Molino was in the thick of the physical midfield battles, winning four of his nine ground duels. He contributed defensively with one tackle and two recoveries, while committing two fouls and being fouled once over the course of the match.

Up next

Molino and Defence Force face a massive uphill battle as they travel to Pennsylvania next week for the second leg of the series, needing a historic comeback to keep their CONCACAF Champions Cup hopes alive.