What: Preseason Match in Suncoast Invitational When: Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.
Where: Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex
TV: None Radio: None Online: Philadelphiaunion.com/live
Social: Follow the action via Twitter: @TheUMatchDay
With a win and a tie under their belt, the Philadelphia Union will face New York Red Bulls at 7 p.m. Wednesday night at Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex in Clearwater, Fla. The game will be streamed live on philadelphiaunion.com.
The Red Bulls are the Union’s biggest rivals and won the 2015 Supporter’s Shield. The two teams faced each other four times last season, including the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals in which John McCarthy made vital saves during the penalty kick shootout to secure the Union a place in the tournament.
The Union opened their Suncoast Invitational stretch on Feb 17. against D.C. United with a 1-1 tie. Sebastien Le Toux scored in the seventh minute from Chris Pontius’ assist giving the Union the early lead. D.C. United equalized in the 56th minute with a penalty from Fabian Espindola.
Last Saturday, the Union defeated tournament hosts Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-0 with goals from Ken Tribbett and Leo Fernandes. Trailist Ilsinho gave both assists in the victory.
Defender Ray Gaddis, who missed the past two games due to tendonitis, returned to practice today and will hopefully see some minutes.
In preparation for the game, the team started training with the usual warm-ups but soon went into a game that has made a frequent appearance at training in which the green team has seen quite a bit of success during the past couple of weeks.
In essence, two teams play against each other and try to score on the goals with the winning team alternating with a third team. In today’s practice, the orange team won for the first time in preseason much to their pleasure. The orange team went 2-1-1 with goals from Le Toux, Walter Restrepo and Roland Alberg.
