CHESTER, Pa. -- As Union manager Jim Curtin put it, Saturday night at PPL Park was a roller coaster affair for 18-year-old Eric Ayuk.
In just his sixth start, the speedy Cameroonian opened the match against the Montreal Impact with an impressive goal (see game story). Accepting a one-touch pass from C.J. Sapong, the Union rookie placed a rocket shot past Evan Bush for his second of the season.
“I watched the goalkeeper and took my chance,” Ayuk said
That chance was decisive and struck with authority, leaving Ayuk’s teammates impressed with what some called a golazo.
“He took his goal very well and we were all pleased and happy for him,” Union captain Maurice Edu said. “He’s a guy that works hard in training and he deserves every bit of success that he gets.”
But while Ayuk rode the high of scoring a go-ahead goal, he also saw the low.
With the Union up a man as a result of a red card ejection to Patrice Bernier, and the match tied at two in the 77th minute, Ayuk slid roughly into Ignacio Piatti, clipping the Impact player’s legs.
It was an aggressive play that earned Ayuk his second yellow and ejection — a bad break for the Union, who were mounting pressure and in need of three points.
“It was not too good because the team was 11 and Montreal was 10,” he said. “I was so disappointed because of the red card. I let my team down. We worked so hard to get to that point. I was real disappointed with the red card.”
The effort was there but the thinking wasn’t. It was a lesson in lack of experience and the cost of playing a teenager.
“He’s a young player who will hopefully learn from this,” Curtin said. “It's a tough tackle to take. When you know you have a yellow card, you can't leave your feet like that and put it in the referee's hands."
Yet, while Ayuk may have cost his team points with an overzealous play, his teammates, led by Edu, were supportive of the young standout. They dished out advice accordingly.
“You grow from it,” Edu said. “It shapes you and it creates character. He makes a silly mistake there toward the end of the game. So you help the team but you also hurt the team a little bit. It’s one of those games. We’ve all been in those situations before. He’s a young kid, so he’ll learn from it.”