PREVIEW: Union vs Chicago Fire
The Philadelphia Union will look to get back to winning ways on Saturday night when they host the Chicago Fire at Talen Energy Stadium in week 20 at 7:30 PM EDT kickoff on PHL17.
Philadelphia has only won three of their last 10 games while the Fire have won just once in their last 10 league matches. The Union are on the backend of a 4-0 defeat to Real Salt Lake this past Saturday night in Andrew Wooten’s highly anticipated MLS debut. Meanwhile, the Fire have failed to earn a victory since the middle of May and could not change their luck this past Wednesday night when the Columbus Crew spoiled a win as the game ended in a 2-2 draw at SeatGeek Stadium. Heading into Saturday’s match, both teams will be planning to turn their woes to the side and begin a winning streak.
Important conference stretch ? CJ Sapong returns to Talen ?Union Injury Updates#DOOP | 90 in 90 presented by @Advocare pic.twitter.com/IAylAeYuOS
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) July 20, 2019
Philadelphia is currently in first place in the Eastern Conference despite the fact that D.C. United and Atlanta United FC have closed the gap to one and three points, respectively. Since defeating the Red Bulls at home prior to the Gold Cup break, the Union are 1-3-2 and have been outscored 14 to nine by those opponents so it is crucial that they get back on track against the struggling Fire.
The Union’s overall record stands at 10-6-6 with 36 points and a home record of 6-2-3 while the Fire sit in 10th place in the East with a record of 5-9-8 with 23 points and a winless record of 0-7-3 on the road this season. Prior to last week’s match, Kacper Przybylko had recorded a goal in four straight games and has proved to be the team’s best striker at the moment with nine total goals this season. The pairing of Kacper and Wooten up top could potentially serve to be a dangerous attacking front line for the Boys in Blue and allow them to capitalize on most or all of their scoring chances.
Water bottles? No dogs? Get the important deets for tomorrow’s match in this week’s #DOOP Download presented by @VSPC! pic.twitter.com/Jg8CwcZRCy
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) July 19, 2019
C.J. Sapong and Fabian Herbers will square up against their former team on Saturday night in hopes of seeking revenge by taking down the Union in Chester. Sapong scored the second most goals of all-time for the Union in his time with Philadelphia as he also set the record for most goals in a single season in 2017 with 16 including a hat trick in the second half of the Red Bulls at home that year. Unfortunately Philly dealt him to Chicago before the 2019 season began due to an overcrowded room of strikers. Sapong has scored 9 goals for the Fire this season and will be hungry to score many more as the season goes on. Herbers spent three seasons with the Union but only played in 21 games in his last two seasons with Philadelphia as he only scored a total of four goals and added nine assists in his unsuccessful tenure with the Union. The team simply could not find a role in the squad for Herbers and he simply did not live up to expectations after being selected sixth overall in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.
Looking to extinguish the Fire tonight ? #DOOP | Presented by @Xfinity pic.twitter.com/jeYFlrRgzC
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) July 20, 2019
The heat will play a substantial role in determining the winning team of Saturday’s match as temperatures are expected to soar to 100 degrees in Chester, PA. It will be interesting to see how each team can deal with the hot or unbearable weather and perform at their highest level considering the Fire just played 90 minutes on Wednesday evening and suffered a demoralizing tie while the Union have been training outside throughout the entirety of the scorching heat wave that swept through the East coast this week. Defender Kai Wagner did not play in last week’s game due to a failed pregame fitness test after he had an issue with his quad so he is expected to be back in action on Saturday night. After signing a multi-year contract to stay with the Union as the manager on July 10th, Jim Curtin will look to lead his team to a much needed him victory against some of their former teammates.
Union Injury Report
Out: midfielder Warren Creavalle (right foot fracture), defender Olivier Mbaizo (left knee meniscus/LCL sprain), and midfielder Jamiro Monteiro (left ankle sprain).
Questionable: forward Michee Ngalina (lower body injury), goalkeeper Carlos Miguel Coronel (right adductor strain), and midfielder Ilsinho (left adductor strain).
Here’s hoping that Ilsinho will be good to go on Saturday night and ready to make an impact on the offensive side of the ball as the Union have certainly missed his presence and attacking ability to create chances during these past few games.
Fire Injury Report
The Chicago Fire do not have any injuries to report.
Philadelphia plan on claiming their 11th all-time victory against the Fire and potentially improving to 7-2-2 against Chicago at Talen Energy Stadium. The Union have matched up evenly with the Fire and played some tightly contested matches over the years, but the Boys in Blue have won the past three battles including a dominating semifinal win in the U.S. Open Cup and a dramatic 4-3 win on the road last season.
Here’s hoping that the Union can continue their recent success over the Fire in fiery weather conditions and get back to winning ways at home while wishing to extend their first-place lead in the East.
Featured Image: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports/Hot Time in Old Town
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