Ordinarily, there wouldn’t be a lot of positives to find in a 3-1 loss, but considering the circumstances the Philadelphia Union found themselves in when they went down to nine men in the 19th minute, the 3-1 final ended up being somewhat respectable.
Anyone who has followed the Union or the league would have been unwise to predict anything but a Union loss in Atlanta so while the result was expected the way it happened was anything but.
After a decent opening 15 minutes, the wheels fell off for the Union in the 19th minute when Alejandro Bedoya received a second yellow for a delay of game on a penalty kick he was protested.