Fresh off of a coach-extinction level event at Audi Field against Toronto FC and 3 friendlies all won 1-0, United get back in the swing of things by traveling to meet Philadelphia Union for a stiff test of where the club measures up in the Eastern Conference. The Union, currently in third place in the Eastern Conference, are winless in 3 games and will be looking to do the double on United early in the season.
In case you’ve blocked it out, United were beaten by the Union 1-0, despite outshooting Philly 17-7 on May 23rd at Audi Field. Both teams have taken shape, with the Union settling in with some new players added in the offseason and United learning a new style of play and level of pressing required under Hernan Losada.
(If you haven’t, make sure you listen to our preview with DOOP By The River Podcast before the game)
If you want to feel bad about the game tonight, here’s a nice stat courtesy of MLSSoccer.com: The Union are unbeaten in nine straight games against D.C. United (W8 D1) dating back to the beginning of the 2017 season. The current nine-match run equals the longest unbeaten run for Philadelphia against any opponent in its MLS history (9 straight including playoffs vs. New England from 2018 to 2020). Cool. Fun times.
Recent history aside, United are playing with confidence and are looking to end the run of dominance by Jim Curtin’s boys. United will be missing Paul Arriola and Donovan Pines, who are both with the US team in the Gold Cup. Also missing is Brendan Hines-Ike who was put on the injured list today, meaning he will be out a minimum of 6 games while he recovers from a hip injury that may require surgery. Fortunately for DC, long term injured Captain Steve Birnbaum has returned to action, getting minutes in the friendlies over the past 2 weeks and will be available for selection according to Hernan Losada. Losada also indicated that he would likely not be ready for 90 minutes or consecutive starts at this point, but that he will be able to cycle Birnbaum with Fred Brilliant, Andy Najar and Tony Alfaro. Edison Flores was supposed to appear in one of the friendlies last week, but did not and is not available for selection on Saturday.
The Union are also missing a considerable compliment of players, with the Jamaican trio of Andre Blake, Corey Burke, and Alvas Powell at the Gold Cup. Jack De Vries and Anthony Fontana are out with concussions and GK Matt Freese and Jamiro Monteiro are serving red card and yellow card accumulation suspension respectively. Union fans are waiting for new Designated Player Daniel Gazdag to take the reigns and midfield and put his stamp on the team (sound familiar?), and will be hoping he can step up as the Union are missing some key pieces.
Prediction: Union 1, United 2
The Union are not firing on all cylinders offensively, which is good news for a DC United defense suddenly playing 2 pieces down. United will keep the good times rolling, coming back from an early deficit in the second half, with Kamara scoring off of the bench and a late penalty converted by Yamil Asad. Let’s get weird.