Philadelphia Union opens an important July slate of matches tomorrow evening as they host New York Red Bulls. Ahead of the latest chapter of the rivalry showdown, Head Coach Jim Curtin previewed the matchup and how the club is looking to bounce back after another tough setback late in a match.
Windy City Reflections
Curtin started off his press conference taking a quick look back at the Union's midweek which saw the team conceed three goals in the final 10 minutes to see the Fire grab the three points.
"A strong 82 minutes from the group but then let ourselves down on some restarts with our defending that led to corner kicks. Had opportunities to clear the ball and we didn’t defend the box as well as we should have and we paid for it," Curtin said on Friday afternoon. "Another really tough loss, a heartbreaking loss that hurts but we have to pick ourselves up quickly because with a big rivalry game with Red Bull coming to town. They are a really strong team in good form. We recognize that our home form has been poor but we will need our home fans behind us to push us on. Hot day, third game in a week and a lot of things going against us but it’s time now for us to step up and find a way to get a win."
Rolling With Rick
With the loss on Wednesday to Chicago which saw Oliver Semmle return between the sticks, Curtin was asked if another change would be coming to which he firmly responded that homegrown Andrew Rick would resume the duties in net. The homegrown started two matches for the Union before the club went back to Semmle and now the job returns to the homegrown as the Union look for a spark.
"We’ve put them [both] in an unfair situation and we aren’t stable and strong defensively," Curtin said. "We’ve conceded 14 goals now in our last four games so that is not acceptable. I don’t like going back and forth and that wasn’t the plan but at the same time we have to make a decision that gives us a spark and the best chance to win so that’s our decision."
Who’s In & Who’s Out
With the decision made in goal, the options in front of Rick have been thin due to injuries and various international competitions this summer. Curtin had quick the list of names to provide updates on as they gear up for the rivalry battle against Red Bull. On the positive front, Curtin announced that team captain Alejandro Bedoya would be back in the matchday roster as a substitute option. Forwards Markus Anderson and Tai Baribo are both available as well for selection on Saturday night while center back Damion Lowe has returned to the group after playing every minute of Jamaica's Copa America run.
With a long list of players of back there are still a few options that will continue to be off on the sideline for the contest including a new addition in Jesus Bueno.
"Bueno will miss tomorrow, that tackle at the end of the game put his ankle in a bad way. X-rays were negative so nothing is broken. He tried to push things through a test this morning because he’s a tough kid but he isn’t right so he’ll be held out."
Curtin also noted that expectation is that Andre Blake will resume training with the squad next week if things go to plan while forward Mikael Uhre is "not quite ready" to join the group yet.
Roaring Red Bulls
Red Bulls under the direction of first-year Head Coach Sandro Schwarz have enjoyed a strong 2024 campaign, tied for fourth in the table with 35 points collected in 21 matches. The bulk of their points have come in front of their home crowd as they own the Eastern Conference's only unbeaten form this year with six wins in 10 matches. Away from Red Bull Arena, the squad hasn't seen much in a dip in form with four losses in 11 road contests entering Saturday. While the Union played on Wednesday, the opposition is fully rested for the contest against the Union and are coming off a 2-2 home draw against D.C. United. Red Bulls had to battled back in the match after conceeding a sixth minute goal but Elias Manoel tied it up three minutes after D.C. United was shown a red card. Forward Cameron Harper again found a Red Bull's equalizer in the second half to extend their home unbeaten streak to 10.
“Incredible coach and you can tell his players are really bought in and are very organized. They’ve added a little bit more quality in the attacking part of the field. Is Forsberg a direct link to that as well, for sure but they have a lot of really good attacking pieces. The way that they combine in the attacking part of the field is different in years past. It is always going to be a hard game against Red Bull and there is no doubt about the intensity and the first they have. What they have sprinkled in is the team goals that they are scoring now. They are in quick transitions but the quality of passes and finishing has been ramped up to a new level and that’s why they are in the table.”
