Julian Carranza scored his fourth goal of the season early in the second half after setting up an equalizer late in the first to help the Philadelphia Union rally for a 2-1 victory against the Colorado Rapids in Commerce City, Colo., on Saturday night.
Kai Wagner added his first goal of the campaign as Philadelphia (5-4-2, 17 points) won its third straight league match amid recent elimination from the CONCACAF Champions League and the U.S. Open Cup.
Andre Blake made four saves for the Union, who also won a second straight on the road after losing their first three away from home this season.
Connor Ronan scored from the penalty spot in the 38th minute to give Colorado (2-4-6, 12 points) the lead after Diego Rubio earned the opportunity by inducing Damion Lowe to commit a foul.
But the Rapids conceded twice in the next 14 minutes as they continue to search for their first win at home, where they’re now 0-2-3.
Philadelphia’s Jesus Bueno and Colorado’s Braian Galvan were both sent off in second-half stoppage time in the aftermath of a scuffle involving Blake and Rapids attacker Michael Barrios.
The Union leveled the match just before halftime after a crafty right-to-left. Alejandro Bedoya and Carranza led the sequence, with the latter eventually laying a pass into the path of Wagner.
The fullback ran onto it and unleashed a first-time strike from just beyond the penalty area that sailed beyond the diving William Yarbrough and inside the right post.
Carranza doubled the lead on another slick move down the right side seven minutes into the second half.
After a Philadelphia defender deflected a Colorado pass, Jack McGlynn reached the loose ball near the center circle and sprayed the ball wide to Olivier Mbaizo.
Carranza ran onto Mbaizo’s early cross and hit a first-time shot. Yarbrough got his hands to it but might have been unsighted by traffic in front of him as it caromed off his gloves and into the net.
–Field Level Media
