Chris Pontius scored his 12th goal of the season and added an assist on Fabian Herbers' 15th-minute strike, but his Philadelphia Union fell to the New York Red Bulls, 3-2, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., on Saturday evening.
The win catapulted the Red Bulls to the top of the Eastern Conference and left the Union in sixth place but still in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Union wrap their season with consecutive home games -- against Orlando City on Oct. 16 and then in a rematch with the Red Bulls in the regular-season finale on Oct. 23.
I wasn't originally scheduled to photograph this game, but I made a last-minute trip to watch Chris after missing him when he played NYCFC in June and when he came to New York as a member of DC United in 2015.
Chris spent seven seasons with DC United from 2009-15, including the 2011 season when he played alongside friend and current Red Bulls captain Dax McCarty, who scored the winning goal on Saturday.
In the second half, I sat behind the Red Bulls' goal, below the section of the stadium where Chris family and friends were sitting and below where the traveling Sons of Ben supporters' group were cheering. I figured that if he scored, he would run toward that corner of the pitch to celebrate.
After the match, he applauded the Union fans and climbed into the crowd where his girlfriend was. As a result, he was the last player back into the dressing room, but he still stopped to sign every single autograph and take selfies with the fans. It was very cool to see and I hope to see Chris in the playoffs.
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia UnionMLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., USA on Oct. 1, 2016. Photo: Ashley Marshall
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