PREVIEW: Union vs D.C. United
The Philadelphia Union registered one of their worst performances of the 2019 season last weekend when they fell to the 10-man Chicago Fire by a final score of 2-0.
The home team went up 1-0 in the 38th minute thanks to a tap-in goal from Nemanja Nikolic, as he then earned himself a brace in the 45th minute from the penalty spot after Aurelien Collin took down former Union striker C.J. Sapong in the box. The Union went into halftime with some hope, however, as Nicolas Gaitan was given a red card in the second minute of first-half stoppage time following his dangerous slide tackle on Jamiro Monteiro.
This slight window of optimism, for Union fans and most of the sports betting sites that raised their chances to win, gradually closed for Philadelphia as they failed to convert on all of their scoring chances in the second half and mightily struggled to put a shot on goal when inside or around the opponent’s penalty area. This dismal loss was both a disaster and a complete let down for the Union and their fans as they failed to generate a single goal while being up a man in the second half.
Now the Union will have to quickly put that game in the rearview mirror and focus on their next opponent, D.C. United. The match will be played on Saturday night at Talen Energy Stadium at 7:30 PM ET kickoff with JP Dellacamera and Tommy Smyth on the call. The last time these two teams met, the Union thrashed D.C. in the nation’s capital by a final scoreline of 5-1. This was a confidence-boosting victory for Philadelphia as they remained atop the Eastern Conference standings at the time and were rolling with momentum.
The circumstances are slightly different this time around as Atlanta United FC claimed the top spot in the East this weekend with a 2-0 win over the Portland Timbers on the road and dropped the Union to second place. While the Union and Atlanta have the same amount of points at 45, Atlanta has the edge in the standings due to more overall wins with 14 victories. Atlanta also has an advantage with a game in hand as they have played 26 games and the Union have completed 27 games. It is important to note that NYCFC is gaining ground on the Union with 41 points in only 24 games, which makes it crucial for Philly to seize more points on this three-game homestand.
Meanwhile, D.C. United dropped back a spot to fourth place in East with 39 points. They will be looking to gain some ground in the standings come Saturday night. D.C. United are coming off a 1-0 defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps after Yordy Reyna scored the lone goal for the Canadian side. D.C. must still be reeling from their blowout loss a few weeks ago at home and certainly, have revenge on their minds ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Philly.
Photo: MLSSoccer.com
The Union will need to be on top of their game and ready to compete after practically collapsing on the offensive side of the ball, just a week ago. Although coach Jim Curtin stated that Aurelien Collin had won the starting job at center back, it may be time to slot in Mark McKenzie or Auston Trusty after Collin was responsible for both goals against last week. Curtin may also need to go back with Kacper Przybylko and Andrew Wooten or Fafa Picault up top instead of Marco Fabian.
As we saw last week, Fabian up top did not work to fruition and he should be moved back to his natural center attacking midfielder position to maximize our chances of winning. Philadelphia plans to continue their dominance over D.C. in hopes of winning a sixth consecutive game against them. Look out for D.C. to have tired legs due to the fact that they play a midweek match versus the New York Red Bulls at home.
Here’s hoping the Union can get back on track at their home fortress and begin another winning streak with two more consecutive matches at Talen following this weekend.
Featured Image: Scott Taetsch
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