Player of Matchday

MLS NEXT Pro Player of Matchday 18: Stefan Stojanovic

Philadelphia Union II picked up three points from a road trip to face Columbus Crew 2, with a huge performance from several key players in a 6-2 win.

Stefan Stojanovic's brace brought Union II the lead by the 49th minute, after which Union II broke open the floodgates to score six goals, the highest single-game output from the team this season.

Stojanovic brought his 2023 goal total to seven. The 22-year-old forward had four shots with two shots on goal and three key passes in the match.

Stojanovic opened scoring in the 27th minute, anticipating Nelson Pierre's cross perfectly to tap the ball in at the back post.

Crew 2 went down a man in the sixth minute, but showed early on it would not fade easily. Crew 2's Noah Fuson equalized in the 33rd minute, and gave the home side the lead in the 45th minute.

Union II found an equalizer early on in the second half, with Pierre finding the net.

Stojanovic made another excellent off-ball move to find space in the middle of the 18-yard box. He scored into the lower right corner with a first-time shot from Chris Olney's cross.

Stojanovic is enjoying an excellent season with seven goals and one assist. His role with Union II is expanding, with 12 starts and 20 total appearances in 2023 after seven starts and 16 total appearances in 2022.

Stojanovic had already played the 2022 season with Union II when he was selected 57th overall in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. He finished his college career at Georgetown with nine goals in 18 appearances in the 2021 season. He previously played college soccer at St. Louis University, where he played in 29 matches. He also participated in a U-20 U.S. national team training camp in January 2020.