CHESTER, Pa. (May 29, 2019) – Don’t ever say Sergio Santos and Jonathan Lewis can’t do it on a rainy Wednesday night in Stoke. The two wide players scored goals in a wet game on Wednesday night. The Colorado Rapids inevitably held on to get a 1-1 draw with Philadelphia Union.
Sergio Santos and Jonathan Lewis Trade Goals in Rainy Wednesday Draw
The match was delayed an hour due to lighting in the area, with rain coming down hard on the pitch at Talen Energy Stadium.
Mother Nature didn’t appear to damper the spirits of the home side, as they came out strong in the first half with several good chances on corners. Just three minutes into the match, Ilsinho sent a shot wide of goal on a second chance off a corner from the middle of the box.
Philly got on the board in the 26th minute. A crowd battled for the ball in the Colorado half. Jamiro Monteiro came out with it and fond Santos running into space. The Brazilian got behind everyone and beat goalkeeper Clint Irwin. The match got chippy after that with both sides tackling hard and the officials letting them get physical. The half ended 1-0.
The Union slowed the game down in the second half playing with a lead. They built slowly out of the back. Nicolas Mezquida had a great opportunity in the 60th minute, sending a shot wide after Tommy Smith had a chance himself. Raymon Gaddis nearly scored in the 71st minute. He got forward and shot first-time in a low cross right in front of goal, but it took a deflection out of play for a corner.
Substitute Jonathan Lewis tied it up in the 72nd minute completely against the run of play. Andre Shinyashiki ran onto a throw in and crossed the ball into the box, leaving it on a platter for Lewis. The winger volleyed it into the back of the net. Kacper Przybylko had a great chance in stoppage time but sent the ball over the bar.
Neither team found a winner in the final 20 minutes and the match ended 1-1.
The ball from @AShinyashiki9 ?
The finish from @Jon_lewis710 ?#Rapids96 | #PHIvCOL pic.twitter.com/jQpmWj6JlV— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) May 30, 2019
Three Takeaways:
Wingers impress: Neither of the goalscorers played 90 minutes in this game, but both impressed. The Union played to Santos throughout the first half to create chances. Lewis was the super sub the Rapids needed as he provided the only real offensive sparks.
Mother Nature: The weather was a massive factor in this match. The weather delay and soggy grass didn’t make for good play on the ground. It forced both teams to play short high percentage passes or play long balls.
Set pieces: With the beautiful game negated by the environmental conditions, set pieces were critical. Both sides created shooting chances on corners, but neither could score.
