Shorthanded Union finally run out of answers at Columbus

The Union had a bit longer than usual to stew on the first-half goal that lifted Columbus to a 1-0 victory Sunday night at Lower.com Field.

The Crew’s Mohamed Farsi scored in the second minute of first-half stoppage time to beat the visiting Union (12-4-4, 40 points). Shortly after the teams returned to the field to warm up for the second half, the game went into a lightning delay. The second half kicked off after 58 minutes had passed.

With the Union trailing for the first time in three matches, Bradley Carnell looked for some lightning of his own with the insertion of Cavan Sullivan into the lineup. The 15-year-old midfielder played 45 minutes, his MLS career high.

But neither Sullivan nor his other substitutions challenged Wilfried Nancy’s Columbus team. Teenagers Sal Olivas and David Vazquez, both products of the Union’s academy system, made their debuts as substitutes in the 63rd and 71st minutes, respectively.

“They should all be proud of themselves,” Carnell said of his young players. “They created a bit of havoc. They created a buzz. I didn’t feel that they got lost in the moment.”

The shorthanded Union could not overcome Columbus, which trails the Union for first place in the Eastern Conference by three points. The Crew possessed the ball for 59.8% of Sunday’s match, while the Union failed to register a shot on net. The Crew’s keeper, Evan Bush, needed no saves to secure Columbus’ first clean sheet since March 22.

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The loss snapped the Union’s club-record 11-game unbeaten streak in MLS play, and it was the Union’s first loss since April 12 at New York City FC.

“We certainly didn’t expect to go through the rest of the season unbeaten,” Carnell said. “So, to put ourselves in contention here, at this place … Probably, deservedly, [we] could get a point out of this. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.”

Through the FIFA international window, which lasted from June 2-10, and the Concacaf Gold Cup, Carnell and the Union have stayed unbeaten while navigating injuries and absences.

Frankie Westfield, Ian Glavinovich, Olivier Mbaizo, Tai Baribo, and Mikael Uhre were out with injuries, while Nathan Harriel and Quinn Sullivan sat as substitutes for the U.S. men’s national team in its Concacaf Gold Cup win over Costa Rica. Jakob Glesnes, the Union’s All-Star centerback, served a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation.

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Alejandro Bedoya, typically a midfielder, made a second consecutive start at right back. Jovan Lukić, also usually a midfielder, joined Bedoya on the team’s back line.

“The back line played really well,” Carnell said. “We didn’t give too much away out of the run of play. Really proud of those guys, proud of everyone. They’ve dug deep tonight, and every week they dig deep for us.”

Columbus attacked Bedoya from the game’s opening moments. The captain picked up a yellow card for grabbing the shirt of a Columbus attacker 30 seconds into the game.

When the Union did concede Farsi’s goal late in the first half, it stemmed from an attack targeting Bedoya. The Crew’s Lassi Lappalainen beat Bedoya to a pass down the left side of the field, which allowed Lappalainen to loft a pass toward Farsi in the box.

As the Union approach a match at Nashville SC (11-4-5, 38 points) on Saturday, they have reason to believe they will not be shorthanded for much longer.

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Baribo and Mbaizo were listed as questionable for Sunday’s match at Columbus, and Carnell maintains that both are getting closer to a return. Glesnes will be back against Nashville after serving his one-game suspension.

If the U.S. beats Guatemala in the Gold Cup semifinal, Quinn Sullivan and Harriel will miss the Nashville match. At the latest, the pair will return after the tournament’s final, which is scheduled for Sunday.