What the Union need in their revival of the season is a little luck. Against Cruz Azul, it was nowhere to be found.

Jesús Bueno prefers to answer interview questions in his first language of Spanish.

Still, when it came to what he believed should have been a penalty kick for the Union in the 89th minute of their 1-0 Leagues Cup loss to Liga MX’s Cruz Azul on Thursday, the Venezuelan midfielder was comfortable dipping into his English vocabulary.

“Clearly [a] penalty,” Bueno said after the match. “Disgusting situation.”

The situation Bueno references seemed simple. As the Union pressed for an equalizer late Thursday night, Milan Iloski received a ball from Frankie Westfield inside the 18-yard box and tried to center it for a teammate.

» READ MORE: Union drop their opening match of Leagues Cup to Cruz Azul

Iloski’s back-heeled cross contacted the wrist and lower forearm of Cruz Azul’s Gonzalo Piovi. Play stopped as the ball trickled out of bounds, but as the Union shouted for a handball, referee Juan Gabriel Calderon Pérez awarded a corner instead.

Brothers Quinn and Cavan Sullivan both stayed mum on the non-penalty post game, but interim head coach Ryan Richter’s summation of the incident was even more straightforward than Bueno’s.

Did the interim manager think it was a penalty?

“Yes,” Richter said.

Simple enough.

Richter’s side wouldn’t get the benefit of a golden opportunity to equalize. If the Union had converted from the spot, where they are 3-of-4 this season, it would have sent the game to a penalty shootout to decide the winner thanks to the tournament’s “no ties” format.

Taking the match to a shootout would have secured the Union at least one point in Phase 1 of the Leagues Cup, potentially two had they won in penalties.

Instead, the Union walked away without any points for a regulation loss, likely quashing their run in the Leagues Cup before the club’s second game. They’ll get back to work quickly as Necaxa, complete with former Union striker Julian Carranza, comes to Subaru Park on Sunday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV, UniMas).

The Leagues Cup, which features 18 Liga MX teams and 18 qualified teams from MLS, adopted its current format in 2025. After each team plays three Liga MX vs. MLS matchups in Phase 1, the top four teams from each league’s standings advance to a knockout bracket.

» READ MORE: Ryan Richter balances wanting a deep Leagues Cup run for the Union with a packed August

The Union can earn a maximum of six points from their next two Leagues Cup matches, starting with Necaxa on Sunday. But even if the Union were to win out, it would not ensure that they advance.

“We obviously know the two games coming up are big,” Cavan Sullivan said. “At the end of the day, it still might not be enough. That’s just the reality of the Leagues Cup. But the Philly mentality is to go out and win no matter what, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

In 2025, none of the MLS teams with losses in Phase 1 earned enough points to qualify for the knockout rounds.

Ahead of Thursday’s match, Richter said he planned to approach the tournament with his first team until “it’s not possible.”

Then perhaps having their first match come against Cruz Azul, the tournament’s No. 4 seed and the third-ranked team in the Concacaf Club Ranking Index, was a blessing for the Union.

The club is not mathematically eliminated from the Cup, but it has slim odds of advancing to the knockout rounds. The remaining Leagues Cup fixtures could be an opportunity for Richter to rotate his squad before the club returns to MLS play, especially considering the Leagues Cup allows for an expanded 30-man roster.

» READ MORE: Cruz Azul set social media ablaze by putting its flag on the Rocky statue before Leagues Cup opener against Union

“We have to be smart,” Richter said. “If we look at it, and it doesn’t look possible to advance to the next round, then we have to play these games the way we do, try to win and approach them with the right energy and keep building on the positive momentum that we had from the first three league games.

“We don’t want to lose that base. That’s really important for us, that we don’t just use these two games and throw them to the side … But we also have to be realistic. We have a very busy stretch coming up in the season. We have to make sure that we’re not setting ourselves back by the way we approach these next two games.”

Despite his age, 16-year old Cavan Sullivan looked at times like the best player on a pitch full of professionals during Thursday’s match.

Sullivan completed 22 of his 32 passes and was credited with two chance creations by soccer stats platform FotMob.

He also took two shots, the better of which came in the 59th minute. Iloski played Sullivan through on goal in the left side of the penalty area, but Sullivan’s left-footed, driven shot veered wide of the right post.

Aside than the unawarded penalty, it was the Union’s best scoring chance of the evening.

“I want to take responsibility,” Sullivan said. “I think there were two that I missed. I’m not happy about that. They need to be put to bed … In the Leagues Cup, every chance matters. It could affect us in the future. That one, those ones are going to keep me up at night. Can’t dwell on it. I’ve got to move on.”

Sullivan and the rest of the Union will need to shed Thursday’s loss quickly. Necaxa will come to Subaru Park on Sunday fresh off a 2-0 loss to Chicago Fire FC in its first Leagues Cup match.

“I think we’ll have to rotate guys,” Sullivan said. “It’s been tough on the bodies. You know that these teams are going to come in strong, and come in with some away fans. The dark arts, they’re going to try and get in your head, little fouls. Just got to deal with it and, of course, try and get those three points.”

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