MIAMI, Florida – Round One of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup is now complete, leaving behind memories of great matches, spirited comebacks and fantastic individual performances. Many players stood out over the course of the first four weeks of the tournament, but none more so than Julian Carranza of the Philadelphia Union.
By virtue of his four-goal performance over the two legs against Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica, Julian Carranza is the 2024 Champions Cup Roune One Game-Changer.
The Champions Cup was already a tournament in which Carranza excelled. Just last year in the 2023 edition he scored a pair of goals in a 2-2 draw for Philadelphia at Liga MX side Atlas in the quarterfinals.
Julian Carranza hit the ground running in this year’s tournament, starting with the first leg of their Round One series against Costa Rican giants and three-time Concacaf champions Deportivo Saprissa.
With his side facing a 1-0 halftime deficit, Carranza came through in a big way for his side, scoring three goals in a span of 25 minutes to turn the series in the Union’s favor.
It started with Carranza thumping in a header off service from Kai Wagner to equalize at 1-1 in the 55th minute. The Argentine’s goal shifted the momentum in Philadelphia’s favor and in the 76th minute he linked up with Daniel Gazdag for an easy touch into net.
Three minutes later in the 79th minute the hat-trick was complete off another pass from Gazdag, allowing Carranza to finish into net in what was ultimately a 3-2 Union win.
Overall, he finished the night with three goals from four shots, a steal and 10 of 12 passes completed to collect Player Of The Match honors.
Carranza was an important figure as well in the second leg at home in Philadelphia. Once again with his side staring at a 1-0 deficit in the first half, Carranza scored to bring his side even, this time in the 17th minute off a header.
Carranza would go on to play 85 minutes, making two steals and completing 15 passes in helping the Union advance to the Round of 16 after a 3-3 draw in extra time.
All told, Carranza scored four of his team’s six goals in the series, embodying the mark of a Game-Changer in every way.
