CHESTER, Pa. - For a little over 45 minutes, the Union, and their two teenage centerbacks, held the LA Galaxy and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in check.
Then something changed.
In a brief lapse, Ibrahimovic tied the game with a clutch assist to Ola Kamara in the 48th minute, then buried a goal in the 63rd minute for the lead. The Galaxy didn't look back to take the 3-1 win on Saturday at a rainy Talen Energy Stadium.
"Up until that point, we did a good job with him," said Union manager Jim Curtin. "But that is what world-class strikers do. They can pick their moments and dominate and win games. He is about as special a player as there is."
On his goal, Ibrahimovic accepted a short pass from Romain Alessandrini inside the Union box. The 6-foot-5, 36-year-old shuffled briefly, picked his head up and fired off a right-footed shot that thread between Union defenders and past Andre Blake.
He was given space, and took every bit of it.
"He's a world-class striker, one of the best players our league has ever seen and one of the best strikers are game has ever had," Curtin said. "He's less likely to dribble and run by you now, so we preached to get close. On that instance, I think we did give him a little bit too much space."
The Union knew it could happen. Since signing with the Galaxy in late March, Ibrahimovic has 12 goals in 15 games. He put that skill on display Saturday. Despite the consistent downpour and wind, the Swedish legend was dangerous on the ball and threatened the Union at will.
"I just keep doing my job," said Ibrahimovic, who finished with six shots, three on net. "[MLS is] lucky I did not come 10 years ago because I would be the President."
The would-be President still had good things to say about the Union. Despite padding the stat sheet, Ibrahimovic liked what he saw from the Union's teenage centerback duo of Auston Trusty and Mark McKenzie, who was born in 1999, the year Ibrahimovic turned pro.
"I think they did a good job," he said. "It's not easy, two young guys, not so much experience and then the weather conditions were not the best. I think they did a good job."
