Philadelphia Union looks to secure their spot into the Knockout Round of Leagues Cup as they wrap up the Group Stage against Queretaro F.C. on Wednesday night. Don't miss the action from Subaru Park with on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV!
The Boys in Blue kicked off the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Liga MX side Club Tijuana on Saturday night with forward Julian Carranza continuing his strong form against clubs from Mexico with a pair of goals. The Union opened the scoring in the 21st minute behind a penalty kick conversion from Daniel Gazdag which was quickly followed up five minutes later by Carranza's first of the evening. Despite being down a man, Tijuana fought back into the contest early in the second half with a goal seconds into the final half. Three-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Andre Blake regained momentum for the Union in the 52nd minute with a penalty kick save to his left to deny Gonzalez. With a loaded bench for the competition, Mikael Uhre entered and had an instant impact as he drew Tijuana's second red card of the contest to make it 11v9 for the final half hour which saw Carranza nab the important insurance goal in the 71st minute.
Despite the result Head Coach Jim Curtin made it quite clear that the performance left a lot more to be desired as the Union generate countless scoring chances but couldn't break through in the first half. Overall the Union put up 27 shots with 17 on target against the defensive minded Liga MX side but they'll be looking to improve as they wrap up the group stage looking to secure their spot into the Round of 32.
Queretaro F.C. have only played a pair of matches in the the Apertura where they have started their campaign with a win and a loss. Los Gallos Blancos kicked off their season with a 2-0 road shutout against Santos Laguna with second-half goals from Federico Lertora and Camilo Sanvezzo. After having their home opener against Club America postponed due to pitch conditions, Queretaro suffered a 4-1 loss to San Luis on July 15th. Angel Sepulveda broke open the scoring in the 17th minute for the road side but San Luis grabbed momentum with a back-breaking goal just before halftime.
Limited tickets remain for Wednesday night's match at Subaru Park which will see the return of the fan-favorite postgame fireworks. Fans looking to secure tickets can click here to cheer on the Boys in Blue as they look to continue their journey in the inaugural Leagues Cup!
