The Union showed fight (literally) after being shown ‘a real lack of respect’ from Inter Miami. Will it spark a playoff run?

The city of Philadelphia has always understood sticking up for your brother.

In that respect, some might say the Sullivan brothers made Philly proud Wednesday night.

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In front of a sold-out crowd of over 19,000, the Union put on a show against Inter Miami and the greatest player ever, Lionel Messi.

And calling Messi “the greatest player ever:” That’s how Union interim head coach Ryan Richter described the Argentinian star, when discussing Messi’s sixth goal in six games against the Union, during his postgame press conference.

“I don’t know how he gets it out of his feet to find the finish,” Richter joked. “But that’s why he’s the greatest player ever, because he doesn’t need space to find a goal.”

Despite a display that amounted to a 2-2 draw after close to 115 minutes of soccer, what happened in the final nine-plus minutes of second-half stoppage time became the night’s story.

In the 101st minute, Quinn Sullivan, still in recovery from an ACL tear, went down hard in the box. Ian Fray, who defended Sullivan’s attempted ball into the box, got up and tried to step over the Union star by placing his hands on the back of Sullivan’s head and pushing him through his legs.

And it was no surprise that he was quick to let Fray know he wasn’t a fan of that courtesy of a single-leg takedown in the box.

“I thought the action that kicked off that whole situation in scrum was the real lack of respect from Fray,” Richter said. “When he comes over on top of Quinn, goes out of his way to do this … Quinn’s reaction is totally normal of what you would do in that situation. It’s a real lack of respect, and things like that happen when people behave like that.”

A scuffle ensued with Cavan Sullivan, Quinn’s 17-year-old brother, coming to his aid in an attempt to pull people off his sibling and getting punched in the face for his troubles.

In the end, Major League Soccer will have the final say on fines and suspensions that are sure to be levied. As it currently stands, Cavan, who has been the engine in the midfield for this Union club, will miss Saturday’s road match against Austin FC (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).

Quinn is on a yellow; Yannick Bright, who took a swing at Cavan, is also out with a red, but it would be tough to find a world where the league’s disciplinary committee doesn’t extend his suspension.

Messi probably won’t receive any discipline for his slap at the back of Quinn’s head during a heated conversation because, well … does it even need to be said?

Suspensions aside, what was on display at Subaru Park Wednesday night is the type of fire that invigorates an entire team.

No soccer match needs to conclude with punches being thrown — in this case by an Inter Miami team that MLS prides itself on viewing as the class of the league, with its mix of high-priced global stars.

But it’s the type of fire that adds a bit more relevance to the argument that, despite the rough start to the season, this Union collective can push through and gain a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. It’s even more believable when you consider that the club, in dead last heading into the World Cup break, is now a mere four points out from the final playoff spot and it’s only mid-August, with two full months of MLS games still to play.

“When we’re on the field, we have to stand up for each other, we have to,” said Richter. “As a team, we have to always stand up for each other and yet not go across the line where it’s [getting] suspended for games and getting red cards. But that wasn’t the case in this one. So hopefully [it] can be reviewed and [we] get what I think is the fair outcome from it.”

In the moment, Wednesday’s scuffle was a stain on an otherwise evenly matched affair between the Union and Miami, with the fallout anticipated to be worse after MLS’ review. The Union made it clear that despite their place in the standings, a payroll that’s dwarfed by most of the league, and players who aren’t world-renowned like Miami’s, they’re not about to take disrespect.

Fewer things are more Philly than that.

What could be lost in Wednesday’s game is that the goals and assists — on both sides — arrived from many players whose ages still end in “teen.” Westfield, 20, played the perfect ball into Indiana Vassilev, who volleyed home the game’s first goal. The pass into space for Westfield? Cavan Sullivan.

Neil Pierre, the 18-year-old, 6-foot-7 tree trunk along the Union’s backline, scored on a diving header to tie the game, and would have had an assist on what looked to be a go-ahead goal from Milan Iloski in the 61st minute that was called offside.

Even Miami’s first goal was scored by 19-year-old Daniel Pínter, his first in MLS. In a league long classified as a retirement destination for aging global stars, its future stood out in Chester.

“I think my confidence has slowly been going up,” said Pierre. “[But] I think it’s really from my teammates and them pushing me forward, not so much the games. I think they believed in me the whole time. They said you should have confidence, you should be able to push yourself. And, obviously, it’s been a great result so far.”

Are we starting to see a method to the Union’s madness in believing that they can get first-team results from a grassroots methodology? A few older, experienced pieces aside, the Union surge comes largely from the effort of baby-faced kids.

Westfield, Pierre, Quinn and Cavan Sullivan: four names that started as youngsters on the fields at WSFS Sportsplex when it was still a brainchild. They’ve now not only become Richter’s supporting cast to the more experienced names on the roster, but in some cases they’ve been the show during this up-and-down Union campaign.

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At least when late-game mayhem doesn’t steal the headlines.