The Union’s biggest win of the season so far had many heroes

When the opening whistle blew Saturday night, it didn’t matter how the Union could get a result in Cincinnati.

Nor did it matter when Andrew Rick’s two first-half saves and Nathan Harriel’s goal-line clearance kept things scoreless at intermission, while Tai Baribo and Danley Jean Jacques missed big chances at the other end.

It didn’t matter when Milan Iloski shot wide in the 48th minute, or when he lofted a chip up for Bruno Damiani to head in to the far corner seconds later.

It mattered somewhat when Olwethu Makhanya earned his second yellow card of the night in the 60th minute, walking off the field right away because he knew what he’d done.

Not only would the Union have to play the rest of the night a man down, but Makhanya had landed a two-game suspension: one for the ejection, and one for card accumulation over the season.

The centerback will miss the Sept. 13 game at Vancouver and the Sept. 20 home game vs. New England. (He can play in the Sept. 16 U.S. Open Cup semifinal at Nashville, because suspensions don’t cross competitions.)

But it unquestionably did not matter at the final whistle, when the Union had their biggest win of the season.

» READ MORE: A huge win at FC Cincinnati earns the Union control of first place and a playoff berth

The 1-0 victory gave the Union a commanding five-point lead atop the Eastern Conference, and a four-point lead in the leaguewide Supporters’ Shield race before San Diego FC’s late Sunday game at Los Angeles FC. It also clinched a playoff berth before the end of August, with five games to go in the season.

“There’s nothing that this team wants to stop at now, and we’re taking nothing for granted,” Union manager Bradley Carnell said. “It’s an enjoyment just to watch this group go from not knowing in the beginning of the season where it’s going to go, and how it’s going to end, just to see the confidence, the swagger, and the positivity of this group growing every single day, and sticking together. It’s a season for me already to cherish, but we want to make sure that these memories last for years to come.”

This was a well-fought game between two teams that have built a spicy rivalry, one more authentic at this point than some of the concocted ones elsewhere in MLS. The Union outshot Cincinnati, 14-12, including 4-3 in shots on target; and referee Sergii Boyko called 30 fouls, 17 on the visitors and 13 on the hosts.

(It bears saying that Boyko, one of the less-experienced refs on the MLS circuit, did a fair job in the middle of such a hotheaded night.)

» READ MORE: The Union’s game at Cincinnati was a big one even though MLS’s big stars weren't in it

As the tackles flew, Makhanya walked off, and Cincinnati botched a remarkable number of late chances, the night became a test of mentality as much as soccer talent.

Plenty of past Union teams would have folded in such circumstances, at least giving up a tie if not an outright loss. In fact, plenty of teams around MLS would have folded against the stellar attacking trio of Brenner, Kévin Denkey, and Evander — and Kei Kamara upped the ante further with his late entry.

But the Union refused to yield, all the way through five minutes of stoppage time.

“Resilience,” Carnell said afterward. “I mean, to shut down Brenner, Denkey, Evander, the names just roll off the tongue. … I saw our boys suffer, and [they] enjoyed the suffer[ing]. They really took it personal, and did it with a smile on their face and almost emotionless.”

» READ MORE: The Union will have to fight back in a loaded playoff race without Andre Blake

Lots of people deserve credit for this. The first is Damiani, for throwing himself at a header to score his sixth goal of the year — and his first in seven games since July 12.

He’s been underwhelming as a finisher, especially as the most expensive signing in team history. But this goal earned a lot of goodwill. Damiani’s teammates knew exactly how big a moment it was, swarming him to celebrate as he let out a roar of relief.

The second is Carnell. As soon as Makhanya was sent off, he made two subs for defensive fortitude: Indiana Vassilev to replace Quinn Sullivan, and Frankie Westfield to replace Baribo and move to right back, shifting starter Harriel to Makhanya’s centerback spot.

Later in the second half, as the game opened up some, Carnell sent in Mikael Uhre and Jeremy Rafanello to refuel the Union’s high press. It was a gamble to sub Rafanello for Iloski, who had played a terrific game, but Carnell won the bet. Rafanello ran all over the field, including a dash to nearly block a punt by Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano in the next-to-last minute of stoppage time.

» READ MORE: Jakob Glesnes’ remarkable turnaround this year earned him a new contract from the Union

Third on the honors list is Rick. As great as his four saves were, that stat doesn’t fully measure the 19-year-old’s control of his 18-yard box throughout the night.

“One, as a young goalkeeper, you need to win the trust of your teammates, and Andrew does that every single day in training,” Carnell said. “And then two, you have to perform under pressure, but you have to learn how to thrive with the pressure, too. … You can just see the confidence growing within the group, and [they] know that Rick’s got their back.”

The last honoree, but definitely not the least, is Harriel. He had a whopping 13 clearances, to go with four defensive recoveries, three interceptions, one block, and four duels won out of 10 contested.

Harriel’s performance didn’t just come in a key moment for the Union. He’s now off to U.S. national team camp, as one of manager Mauricio Pochettino’s controversial roster picks from the MLS ranks.

» READ MORE: Christian Pulisic returns to the USMNT, but there are questions with the rest of the squad

Right back Joe Scally of Germany’s Borussia Mönchengladbach won’t be there. Or centerback Mark McKenzie from France’s Toulouse, one of Harriel’s former Union teammates. Or Antonee Robinson of England’s Fulham, though he’s excused for having just overcome an injury.

That Harriel will be didn’t just surprise critics of Pochettino, or critics of MLS. But Saturday’s game showed his value.

Before that caucus of critics floods my inbox, I’ll be clear about this: Praising his game Saturday doesn’t mean he’s a better player than the three named above.

Pochettino said clearly when he announced the September squad that he wants to see some of the Gold Cup squad play against higher-level opponents. South Korea and Japan certainly qualify. He was also clear that this camp is the last one for testing newcomers.

» READ MORE: The USMNT players under pressure as Europe’s big soccer leagues begin new seasons

If you can play right back, centerback, and left back (as Harriel has also done in his career), hustle all over the field, and be a selfless teammate, that’s of value to lots of coaches, not just Pochettino.

“He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever seen in our locker room, and that’s the way he portrays himself off the field and on the field,” Carnell said. “You see he dug deep, as the whole back line did, and he has a really good performance. … To shift, and step, and to block the shots and the passing lanes, those guys had to really go out of their comfort zones tonight, and Nate was one of those for sure.”

Wherever Harriel actually is in the race for the World Cup, that’s why he’ll share a field with Christian Pulisic and other stars when camp starts Monday in northern New Jersey.

And it’s all the better that he’ll arrive fresh off a statement win for a first-place club.

» READ MORE: The first World Cup 2026 tickets go on sale soon — but there’s a catch

Here’s what the standings looked like at the end of Saturday’s games. San Diego FC plays at Los Angeles FC late Sunday (10:45 p.m., Apple TV), but will finish the weekend in second place leaguewide no matter the result.

The first standings tiebreaker is total wins, followed by goal difference.

1. Union: 17-6-6, 57 points, 29 games played

2. San Diego FC: 16-7-5, 53 pts., 28 GP

3. FC Cincinnati: 16-9-4, 52 pts., 29 GP

4. Minnesota United: 14-6-9, 51 pts., 29 GP

5. Charlotte FC: 16-11-2, 50 pts., 29 GP

6. Nashville SC: 15-9-5, 50 pts., 29 GP

7. Vancouver Whitecaps: 14-6-7, 49 pts., 27 GP

8. Orlando City: 13-7-8, 47 pts., 28 GP

9. Inter Miami: 13-5-7, 46 pts., 25 GP

10. Columbus Crew: 12-6-10, 46 pts., 28 GP