Columbus Crew 2 took on the Philadelphia Union II for the team’s second game in four days. After going up 2-0, Crew 2 eventually fell to Philadelphia Union II 3-2 for their second straight loss.

This was the first meeting between these two teams this season. Last year, the Black & Gold reserve team went 2-1-0 against Union II and went 1-1-0 at Subaru Park.

Columbus had the first good chance of the game when captain Marco Micaletto had a shot from in front of the net, but the midfielder pulled the ball wide.

Two minutes later, Union II had the opportunity to take an early lead, but that shot went high.

The next 10 minutes were a midfield battle, with neither team able to get a hold of the game. But Crew 2 found a little bit of fortune to take the lead.

A series of one-touch passing and good interplay forced a mistake from the Philadelphia defense, resulting in an own goal. Midfielder Taha Habroune played the ball into the penalty box, resulting in Union II defender Anton Sorenson putting the ball into his own net.

Two minutes later, the Black & Gold looked to double their lead. Sorenson fouled attacker Gibran Rayo in the 18-yard box leading to a penalty kick. Rayo made no mistake, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and burying the ball in the bottom right-hand corner of the goal for a 2-0 lead.

Philadelphia regained the momentum after conceding the penalty kick, however. A shot from 35 yards out went wide of Columbus’ goal but it was a sign of things to come in the match.

Eight minutes after Crew 2 earned its penalty kick, the Black & Gold then gave one up. Defender Abdi Mohamed fouled Union II attacker Christopher Olney in the 18-yard box. Philadelphia forward Jeremy Rafanello made no mistake, tucking home the penalty for his first goal of the night.

Two minutes later and Columbus no longer had the lead, as Rafanello scored his second of the game to draw level at 2-2. A shot from just outside the penalty box beat Crew 2 goalkeeper Brady Scott into the bottom left-hand corner.

Rafanello’s second goal was the last real chance for either team in the first half.

Union II started the second half on the front foot with two chances in the first five minutes. The first was a shot from outside the penalty box that went high and wide of the Black & Gold goal. The other came from close range but was put over the goal.

Four minutes later, Columbus had its first chance of the second half when midfielder Thomas Roberts fired a shot high.

The second half turned into a midfield battle as the game progressed with few chances for either team. Micaletto had another shot from long range in the 62nd minute, resulting in a corner, but nothing came from it.

The next chance for either team came 10 minutes later when defender Jacob Erlandson had a shot go wide of the post.

Crew 2 remained on the front foot, looking for the go-ahead goal. Roberts had a good opportunity from a good position but skied the shot.

Everything changed nine minutes from full time.

Union II took a 3-2 lead in the 81st minute on the foot of Rafanello, who completed his hat trick with a shot from about 30 yards out that beat Scott. Philadelphia then had the chance to put the game to bed in the 87th minute, but Olney’s shot went wide of the post.

From that point, the Black & Gold pushed for the late equalizer. Rayo had his shot saved two minutes from the final whistle but the attempt was saved. Attacker Noah Fuson also had the chance to draw level, but his shot was denied by Union II goalkeeper Brooks Thompson.

Columbus’ last chance of the match came in the third minute of stoppage time when Erlandson again got into a good spot but put his shot over the bar.

Better use of possession

Just like the majority of this season, Crew 2 was dominant in possession with 70 percent of the ball. It just so happened that Union II had the player of the match in Rafanello who was able to take the chances that came his way. The Black & Gold moved the ball much better and created more chances than in the last match but the finishing was not there against Philadelphia.

Learning as they go

It is important to remember that this is a very young Columbus side. Facing adversity at the beginning of the season may prove to be a good thing as Crew 2 spends the latter part of the year gearing up for another MLS NEXT Pro Cup run.

The group is led by Fuson and Micaletto, two key players on last year’s championship team, but a majority of the Black & Gold players this year are Academy players getting their first taste of professional soccer.

What’s Next

Crew 2 returns home to play the Chicago Fire II at Lower.com Field on Sunday. This will be the second meeting between these teams this year, with the Black & Gold winning 1-0 in early April. The game kicks off at 2 p.m. ET and can be streamed on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.