Julián Carranza perfected the art of stoppage-time goalscoring in Matchday 15, leading the Philadelphia Union's 3-1 come-from-behind win at New York City FC and earning MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire honors for good measure.
With the Cityzens up 1-0 heading into the halftime break, Carranza struck in the 45+1' and 45+3' minutes to completely shift the momentum Philly's way at Citi Field. Just a few moments into the second half, the Argentine striker drew a foul inside the box from Thiago Martins that allowed Dániel Gazdag to put the game away with a 53rd-minute penalty kick goal.
With his brace, Carranza reached seven goals and three assists on the season for a total of 21g/12a since the start of 2022. He's just one of four MLS players with at least 20 goals and 10 assists in that time span – joining current MLS Landon Donovan MVP Hany Mukhtar (32 goals, 18 assists) of Nashville SC, FC Cincinnati forward Brandon Vazquez (21 goals, 10 assists), and Union teammate Gazdag (29 goals, 17 assists).
This is the third MLS Player of the Matchday distinction for Carranza, who received the award twice in 2022 (Matchdays 19 and 26). He's Philadelphia's second winner this season after Mikael Uhre took home the prize in Matchday 9.
Riding a seven-game unbeaten streak (5W-0L-2D), the Union return home Wednesday night for a midweek showdown with Charlotte FC at Subaru Park (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
