By Tony Álvarez
José Paradela's third-minute goal proved to be the difference as Cruz Azul earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union to begin its Leagues Cup campaign on Friday at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania.
La Máquina took the early lead as Paradela sent the ball out wide to Omar Campos before continuing his run into the penalty area. Campos returned the pass, and Paradela finished first time into the bottom-left corner for the opening goal.
The Liga MX side thought it had extended its lead in the 13th minute, when Campos put the ball in the back of the net on a second chance at the far post, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Milan Iloski had one of the better chances for the hosts in the 51st minute when he received a ball in transition as he came into the left side of the box, but his left-footed shot went just wide.
Iloski was involved in another attempt at the equalizer when he back-heeled a ball to the 16-year-old midfielder Cavan Sullivan, but the shot was saved by Kevin Mier in the 58th minute.
Sullivan had another chance a minute later, but his shot went wide on a night that was not meant for the Philadelphia side.
Kevin Mier was a factor late as the goalkeeper saw out the clean sheet, and the early goal proved enough to give the reigning Liga MX champions a winning start.
REACTIONS
- Cruz Azul Head Coach Joel Huiqui
- “It wasn't going to be an easy match; there are very complex games where the opponent forces you to alter certain structures—especially regarding substitutions—and today we are very happy with the result; it is a very important result for us.”
- Cruz Azul Forward José Paradela
- “(Winning) gives us confidence; we came here with the goal of taking all three points. It was a tough match on a difficult pitch, but we knew how to dig deep and step up at the crucial moments.”
- Philadelphia Union Head Coach Ryan Richter
- “They’re a good team, and they had the momentum for the first 29 minutes of the first half, but I think we settled in ok but I think we didn’t finish the plays we had.”
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH
- Cruz Azul
- José Paradela was chosen as the Man of the Match. He scored the only goal with a first-time finish and continued to be involved in the attacking transitions.
- Kevin Mier got the clean sheet and collected four saves.
GAME NOTES
- José Paradela scored his first-ever Leagues Cup goal just three minutes into the match.
- Cruz Azul recorded its second-ever victory over Philadelphia Union, the other was in the 2024 Leagues Cup.
- Kevin Mier recorded his third Leagues Cup clean sheet
- Philadelphia Union had 13 shots in the game but weren't able to capitalize.
CARDS/INJURY REPORT
- Yellow Cards
- Cruz Azul: José Paradela, Érik Lira
- Philadelphia: Jesús Bueno
LOOKING AHEAD
- Philadephia: Aug. 9 vs. Necaxa
- Cruz Azul: Aug. 9 vs. New York City FC
