Daniel Gazdag joined the Philadelphia Union in 2021 from Budapest Honvéd FC, in the capital of Hungary. He made his debut on May 23rd, playing 23 minutes off the bench in a 1-0 victory over DC United. By his third match with the club, Gazdag became an every match starter. It took him a little while to settle in, though he became unstoppable once he did. On August 4th, he scored his first MLS goal. It was from a penalty kick, but we'll talk more about that later. Gazdag's first DOOP contributed to a 3-0 win against Toronto FC, in a game in which he also recorded an assist. For the remainder of his first season, it was pretty quiet, until the back end of the campaign. On October 20th, Gazdag equalized Minnesota United with a spectacular first-time curler. While not as pretty, he then scored a second consecutive goal to snatch the lead and put Philly in front. Ultimately, his team would not hold on, and they lost in 3-2 fashion. In a Halloween victory over FC Cincinnati, Gazdag scored with the slightest of redirections on an Olivier Mbaizo shot. In the playoffs, he also scored perhaps the most important goal of the entire season. Down a goal against Nashville, his standing overhead kick equalized at one, leading the Union to an eventual win in PKs. NYCFC would knock them out in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Coming off a blazing hot end to the 2021 season, Daniel Gazdag was ready to show MLS his abilities across an entire season. He played just shy of 3,000 minutes, starting every single game. Between March 5th and April 2nd, Gazdag scored a goal in four consecutive starts. His paneka against San Jose served as a prime example of the confidence the Hungarian midfielder was gaining. In a May 7th MLS Cup preview against LAFC, Gazdag struck first and assisted the next in a 2-2 draw. In Philadelphia's next MLS match, Gazdag played a lovely one-two before smashing his shot into the upper 90. Even though his start to the season was rather effective, it was once again the latter half in which he came alive. In a UEFA Nations League match in June, Gazdag scored a capper in a 4-0 win for Hungary against England. He has 4 goals in 20 caps for his country. Back in MLS play, during a truly remarkable stretch, Daniel Gazdag scored 12 goals in 12 matches from July 13th to September 10th. Truly pure consistency for two straight months.
On July 23rd, Gazdag notched an impressive flick in front of goal to defeat Orlando City. August 27th held perhaps his best match he's played in a Union shirt. Gazdag scored a hat trick in a 6-0 win against the Colorado Rapids, finishing it off with a cool chip. The 6-0 result was the second consecutive win with that scoreline in as many games, and the third 6-0 win in the last month. Perhaps he was not content with that hat trick, so he did it again about a month and a half later. Against Toronto FC on October 9th, he made perfect contact with a volley to open his first of three goals. His 22 goal and 10 assist season was up with the likes of MVP Hany Mukhtar and runner-up Sebastian Driussi. In the 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs, it was once again Gazdag scoring the crucial goal. He scored the match-winner in a revenge victory over NYCFC to advance to MLS Cup. Then, in the 59th minute of MLS Cup, Gazdag scored again. Now, before we mention the penalty shootout, it's important to note that Gazdag is 23/23 on pens for the Union during matches. Unfortunately for Philly fans, he missed the exact wrong penalty to miss. He slipped and blasted his attempt over, and his teammates did not pick up the slack.
There is no denying that 2022 was absolutely devastating for the Philadelphia Union. Here in 2023, Daniel Gazdag is already doing his best to make it back to MLS Cup. In the season's very first match against Columbus, he made an early statement with 2 goals and 2 assists. He contributed to all four goals in a 4-1 win. In a May 20th match against New England, Gazdag blasted a shot off the near post and in against Chelsea's new goalkeeper, Djordje Petrovic. He would finish the match with a brace. Against Nashville SC in mid-July, Gazdag netted yet another brace. In Leagues Cup, Liga MX club Queretaro felt his wrath when they conceded another hat trick to the hungry Hungarian. In his most recent match against the Red Bulls, he scored a simple breakaway goal. For the second straight season, Gazdag has hit double digit goals and assists, and he's still got eight matches to play. Yes, nine of his eleven goals were from the penalty spot. At the end of the day, you still have to put them away, which he's done every time of asking except for that.. one. Look away Philly fans. Regardless, his efficiency in creating chances and making things happen for the Union's attack is so valuable, placing him at #94 on the list.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2023 | PHI | 2,058* | 11* | 10* |
2022 | PHI | 2,939 | 22 | 10 |
2021 | PHI | 1,337 | 4 | 5 |
Comentarios