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The Union laid a 3-1 rout down on perennial rival Red Bull New York on Saturday in north Jersey, with a highlight-reel goal from Cavan Sullivan<\/a> at the center of it.<\/p>\n Milan Iloski and Neil Pierre also scored to extend the Union\u2019s unbeaten run in league games to seven<\/a>, and edge them up to 12th in the Eastern Conference<\/a> at the final whistle (6-10-6, 24 points). They\u2019re now just one point back of ninth, the last playoff spot, now held by Toronto FC.<\/p>\n As pretty as Sullivan\u2019s goal was, Iloski\u2019s opener had to be described as all goals counting the same, no matter how ugly they are.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: What Philly got out of the World Cup, the nation\u2019s 250th, and the MLB All-Star Game<\/a><\/p>\n Sullivan worked out of a jam to spring Danley Jean Jacques down the right flank, he hit a hopeful cross, and Iloski crashed into Dylan Nealis as both men went for the ball. Neither got it, and the prize bounced away to an unmarked Indiana Vassilev.<\/p>\n From there, Vassilev either woefully scuffed a shooting chance, or made it look like he did while passing back to Iloski. But the end result was Iloski gratefully tapping in from near the goal line.<\/p>\n Andre Blake<\/a> made a fine save in the 31st, then got lucky when Ronald Donkor shot an easy rebound shockingly wide of the net. Blake made an even better one seven minutes later after Red Bull\u2019s young phenom striker Julian Hall pushed off Nathan Harriel, and was lucky once again when Harriel got up just in time to block Jorge Ruvalcaba\u2019s long-range attempt.<\/p>\n 38′ | Big save from Andre Blake<\/p>\n Red Bull play a long ball up top for Julian Hall (who gets away with a push on Nathan Harriel), who sees his shot saved by Blake. Jorge Ruvalcaba with the follow up shot, sees his effort headed away by Harriel.<\/p>\n RBNY 0-1 Philadelphia#doop<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/IPSqSEfavo<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Free Kick (@FreeKickPod) August 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The Union\u2019s turn for a shocking miss came in first-half stoppage time. Iloski settled a bouncing ball and squared it through the six-yard box for Pierre, but Justin Che beat him to it to clear off the line. The ball went back to Iloski, and his follow-up was blocked by a sliding Nealis.<\/p>\n The second half started with fireworks: Hall shot off the post with Blake stranded a mere 12 seconds after kickoff.<\/p>\n Nine minutes later, the big boom struck. Jean Jacques hit a superb cross-field pass to Sullivan on the right wing, he trapped it expertly, cut in, and lashed a shot to the far corner of New York\u2019s net.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: The Union are well-represented on The Inquirer’s list of the Philly area\u2019s 25 best athletes under 25<\/a><\/p>\n The traveling Union fans in the upper deck erupted, Sullivan ran to their corner to celebrate, and a whole lot of jaws elsewhere likely dropped.<\/p>\n New York (7-10-5, 26 points) looked flattened at that point, and Pierre put them in an even deeper hole off a free kick play in the 65th. <\/p>\n Iloski hit the service from the left flank, Bruno Damiani jumped to flick it in the box, and Pierre crashed the back post \u2014 losing his footing along the way, but doing enough to slide the ball in. Red Bull goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, a former U.S. national team regular, could only stand on his line and watch.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Neil Pierre played another huge game for the Union in Austin to keep the team\u2019s unbeaten run going<\/a><\/p>\n