The game in 100 words (or less): If you’re an MLS fan not already familiar with Andre Blake’s work, you might want to catch up to the rest of us and familiarize yourself with the 25-year-old Jamaican international before it’s too late — he’ll be off to Europe in the not-so-distant future. On Saturday night, it was the no. 1 overall pick in the 2014 SuperDraft who almost singlehandedly kept the Philadelphia Union close before Cristian Maidana lashed home a free kick in the 95th minute to hand his former team a 1-0 loss courtesy of the Houston Dynamo. The loss sees the Union’s lead atop the Eastern Conference shrink to just two points over the Montreal Impact, while the Dynamo grab three vital points in their race against the Chicago Fire to avoid a 20th-place finish in MLS this year.
[ MORE: MLS on tap — Tim Howard returns, another NYC derby ]
Three Four moments that mattered
21' — Blake’s quick reaction saves a goal for Philly — Andre Blake is an absolute stud of a goalkeeper, unfortunately for Giles Barnes in this instance.
.@andreblake29 robs his fellow countryman to keep it deadlocked. #HOUvPHI https://t.co/maPHEuH2tY
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 3, 2016
29' — Blake does it again to keep it 0-0 — As stated above, Blake does a pretty good Bill Hamid impression.
HT: @andreblake29 comes up huge twice to keep it scoreless in Houston. Timeline: https://t.co/BSggBXmLli #HOUvPHI https://t.co/QNXzCLrxDd
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 3, 2016
81' — Fabinho boots the ball off the line — So, you finally beat Blake with an attempt on goal, and the man covering the post makes a goal-line clearance. Sometimes soccer be like that.
95' — Maidana serves up the pain — In fairness, it was far from undeserved for Houston, and this is a stunning free kick by Maidana, off the underside of the crossbar.
FT: Cristian Maidana hits a 94th-minute free kick to down the @PhilaUnion! #HOUvPHI https://t.co/FSYLq6aKBs
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 3, 2016
[ FOLLOW: All of PST’s MLS coverage | Standings | Stats | Schedule ]
Man of the match: Andre Blake
Goalscorers: Maidana (95')