Philadelphia Union concludes its September homestand with another showdown against Atlanta United FC on Saturday afternoon. The contest presented by BIMBO will also be Hispanic Heritage Night with numerous activities for fans ahead of the 3:30 p.m. ET kick off on TUDN, Univision and Twitter.
Head Coach Jim Curtin in his pregame press conference said now is the time for the Union to get on a winning streak with a bunched Eastern Conference making every remaining contest worth six points. Currently the Boys in Blue sit one point above the playoff line but have a game in hand with clubs around them. The Union are looking to build off a 3-1 win against Orlando City SC on Sunday. Kacper Przybylko had a breakout performance, netting a brace and adding an assist as the forward became the third player in Union history to reach 30 goals in league play.
Saturday's match will be the fourth time the Union and Atlanta United have faced off in 2021. The Boys in Blue got the momentum started in April with a 3-0 road win in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions League Quarterfinals. In the home leg, Atlanta snapped the Union's shutout streak but Przybylko answered once again with a 4-1 win on aggregate. In league play, the intensity remained high with Atlanta United jumping out to a two-goal lead late in the contest. The Union fought back with a rebound goal from Cory Burke and then another long-range blast from Jakob Glesnes that broke the internet again.
While Saturday's match is the fourth time the two sides have crossed paths, it will be the first time the Union face off against the Five Stripes new Head Coach Gonzalo Pineda. Since taking over, ATL has been on fire taking wins in seven of their last eight matches. Their undefeated run in September has seen a 3-0 win against Orlando, followed by a 4-0 win against FC Cincinnati. Last weekend it was a battle with the club holding on to defeat D.C. United by a 3-2 scoreline. The majority of their recent success though has come at home, with Saturday's match at Subaru Park their first road match in over a month.
