Philadelphia Union is back at home on Tuesday night to resume their rained out match against Seattle Sounders. Their Western Conference opponent has made the cross-country journey again to resume the action in the sixth minute, this time on a warm and dry night on the riverfront. After their final training session before the match, Head Coach Jim Curtin met with the media previewing the matchup.
Bouncing back from a loss against Real Salt Lake
Curtin’s crew picked up their first loss of the year on Saturday, falling 2-1 to Real Salt Lake, but they’ll have a chance to bounce back quickly with another match just three days later.
“Now, it's about having a good response against a Seattle team that has a ton of experience, has a ton of winners in their group, is led by a great coach in Brian Schmetzer. They’ve been, I think, really, really unlucky this year with a variety of red card calls that have gone against them in quite a couple of games, and injuries, and they have had to manage that,” Curtin said.
One of those red cards he mentioned is a recent one; on Saturday, goalkeeper Stefan Frei was shown discipline in the 28th minute of their 2-1 loss to D.C. United. The result was their fifth loss of the year, but despite their recent misfortune, Curtin ensured those listening that he hasn’t counted them out.
“Still a really, really strong opponent. A team that is much better than the record shows right now. An opponent that we respect a great deal. Both teams are on pretty short rest, we'll have to regroup, and put a team out there that can get a result. “
The Lineup
Major League Soccer rules state that in the event a match is suspended after first kick, both teams must field the same lineups when it resumes on the rescheduled date. There are some exceptions to this rule, however, that take into account roster changes and injuries, meaning that both Sounders and Philadelphia Union will field starting groups that aren’t identical to those they had on March 9th.
Several injuries could impact the home team’s line, as Markus Anderson, Andre Blake, and Damion Lowe are all dealing with ailments. Curtin stated the latter two will be game-time decisions, while Anderson, who officially made his first Major League Soccer start against Sounders, will be out for three-to-four weeks.
On a positive note for the Union, Anderson’s absence, along with Matt Real’s loan to Colorado Switchbacks opens spots for Julian Carranza and Leon Flach to join the matchday roster. Both were not part of the former crew due to injury.
Curtin said: “Those are two guys that will be involved. One will likely start, I think you know who that'll be.”
