Philadelphia Union are back at Subaru Park tomorrow night where they look to extend their impressive winning streak at home! The Boys in Blue battle the Chicago Fire on Saturday, March 11th. Kick off is set for 7:30 with limited tickets still available! Can't make it to down tonight? Then catch the action on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app!
The first half of Chicago Fire FC’s 2022 season was rough. In the latter 17 matches, however, they were 6-7-4 and not so much on the struggle bus as floating about on the good ship Inconsistency. There were pairs of 2-0 losses quickly followed by more demoralizing 3-2 losses. When the attack — second worst in the league — finally found its way out of first gear, the defense suffered.
This isn’t too surprising given how Chicago built its roster. There are some stars in their 30s who get worn down by the epic travel MLS teams take on compared to European leagues. There were — they’ve been sold for eye-popping fees now — budding young superstars in Gaga Slonina and Jhon Duran who have a ‘greatness’ switch but hadn’t learned how to keep it on for a full season. And there was an attack that underperformed its Expected Goals by 5.3 goals, according to AmericanSoccerAnalysis.com.
This year, they have a young core in front of veteran goalkeeper Spencer Richey but an experienced front line that will look to accelerate Homegrown talent Brian Gutierrez’s development on the wing. But just like in 2022, as goes Xherdan Shaqiri, so go the Fire. If the Swiss playmaker is the best player on the field for both teams, Chicago has a shot in every match. If he’s not, they are going to win scrappy, or not at all.
The Union’s plan will be to dominate the middle of the park in order to overwhelm the Fire’s holding midfielders and keep bodies close to Shaqiri after turnovers. Chicago’s defense is solid when set, but in transition it gets stretched easily and Philly’s speed up front should have the back line in cautious mode.
Next Home Match
The Eastern Conference Champion Philadelphia Union are back at Subaru Park as they battle Chicago Fire FC on Saturday, March 11th! Tickets are going fast so don't wait miss out.
A key match for Philly will be Mikael Uhre’s ability to disorient Carlos Teran. The talented but raw Colombian center back needs to be massive for the Fire to keep the Union out of the net, and Uhre has to become more influential if the Eastern Conference Champs want to defend their title.
Although the Union are likely to use many of the same players that faced Columbus and Miami, Jim Curtin may call on a few names from Tuesday’s Alianza matchup as he keeps an eye on March 14’s rematch against the El Salvadorian side. Jack McGlynn and Damion Lowe could see minutes with Jack Elliott and either Ale Bedoya or Leon Flach resting the legs for that big Concacaf Champions League showdown only 72 hours after the Fire game.
Philly has fallen behind in both of their MLS games thus far this season, so a big part of the team’s prep will likely revolve around coming out of the gate strong and landing a quick jab or two early to disrupt the visitors’ rhythm. Columbus’ first half goal sparked the Union to life, but Miami’s golazo stunned the Union and they couldn’t recover. Playing from in front helps Philly force the opponent to play into their hands: When a team pushes numbers into attack, the Union are aggressive and relentless in transition.
The Union and Fire kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET at Subaru Park. Limited tickets remain, and fans can catch all the action on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
