It was a very predictable game with predictable results. Once the starting lineups came out, it was apparent that the Crew would quickly move to long ball offense. The team oblidged.

• The defense had relatively little work to do on the day. The Union only had 8 shots, 2 on goal. The penalty was an unfortunate play, but Philly had two legitimate handball claims, one was called.
• The Crew actually had the majority of possession, more passes, and more complete passes. The vast majority were in the middle third. The Crew hovered around 50% completion rate in the final third.

Gruenebaum (5): Wasn't asked to do much and a Panenka chipped PK makes any keeper look silly. Would rather see him play the ball short, but I think this is game plan rather than player choice.
Miranda (6): Philly got several crosses in off of his side, but they were often of low quality. Two crosses and 93 touches.
Marshall (6): Struggling to work with Gehrig, and did bail him out when he lost his marker. Often looked long when passing. 5 tackles, 4 interceptions, 4 clearances
Gehrig (5): A mixed game as he was rightfully called for a penalty and was pushed off the ball a couple of times. 2 tackles, 2 blocks, 4 interceptions
Francis (5):
Gaven: (3): Must be providing more offensive pressure. Even with 92 touches, he looked lost and only sent in one cross all game.
Mirosevic (4): Defensively adept, but little ability to move forward. A stat line of one shot and four tackles isn't what is needed from the offensive minded maestro.
Urso (4): Only had one tackle and two interceptions as the defensive midfielder. Often needed help to avoid getting overrun. Set piece service was solid.
Finlay (4): Didn't create much, but didn't see the ball often.
Schoenfeld (4): Struggled to see much of the ball and didn't do much with it when he got it. A good look at goal, one shot, but that was blocked
Vargas (5): Three shots and 58 touches. More successful at the long ball tactics than Schoenfeld.
Anor (5): A spark of energy off the bench. 2 shots, including a late miss. One unsuccessful cross.
Renteria (5): Not much of the spark that was needed, but
Vukovic (6): Was a spark, adding width to the left side as he pushed up often. His crossing was mixed, but he showed some defensive mettle as he tracked back well.
Warzycha (3): Confusing lineup and apparently tactics. Crew looked to go direct and comments about "second balls" made it sound like it was the strategy.

Note on Grades: Scale is out of 10. I have set 5 as an average performance. The player had both good and bad events on the field. Under 5 is a disappointing performance. Above 5 is a notable performance.