Philadelphia Union is headed up North once again -- they'll return to Canada for a Saturday night matchup against Toronto FC at BMO Field. All matches are free this weekend – tune in with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV to watch the action!
The upcoming match is a very important one both sides -- their first meeting this season resulted in a 0-0 draw at Subaru Park on May 29th, and since then, they've struggled to add points to their respective totals. Toronto currently holds a six-game losing streak in Major League Soccer play, and it’s caused them to fall to ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings, while the Union sit at 14th.
"Toronto is a big one for both teams. We're both struggling, both not where we want to be, I think both have more quality within their group than the point total shows. But I've said it before you are what your record says you are, and we have to find a way to get a result," Head Coach Jim Curtin said.
Philadelphia’s most recent match against New York Red Bulls was a step in the right direction, as the hard-fought scoreless rivalry night ended a five-game pointless stretch for the Boys in Blue. In net, 18-year-old backup goalkeeper Andrew Rick shined, earning his first Major League Soccer clean sheet at home.
The match also saw the return of centerback Damion Lowe who had been away with Jamaica in CONMEBOL Copa America. He the defense, joining Jakob Glesnes and Jack Elliott for a trio of centerbacks, while team captain Alejandro Bedoya made his return from a quadriceps injury as a second half sub.
Curtin will have more returned players to choose from this weekend, as his team is expected to welcome back another wave of starters who have been out due to injury or national team duty. In his Thursday press conference, Curtin announced that striker Mikael Uhre and midifelder Jesus Bueno are back from injury, while José Martinez, who represented Venezuela in Copa America, isn’t back yet, but could still rejoin the group in time to make the trip.
“Bueno will be back, Uhre will be back. Bedoya can play a little bit of a bigger role in the game, which is helpful,” Curtin said.
“Jose is still coming back from Venezuela. Hopefully he can make the trip and go with us there to at least help off the bench. So, we’re getting stronger, but not at full strength. That would be the best way to put it.”
Although things are starting to look up for Curtin’s squad, there won’t be any shortage of challenges to overcome. It’ll be the team’s first match without Homegrowns Jack McGlynn and Nate Harriel, who departed for Paris on Monday in anticipation of the 2024 Olympic games. The pair have appeared in 21 matches each this season, combining for 3,518 minutes played.
As for Toronto FC, they’ve had a busier week than the Union, falling 2-1 to Forge FC Hamilton in the Canadian Championship semifinals. Prior to that, their most recent result was a demoralizing 4-0 result against Columbus Crew.
Similarly to the Union, first-year Head Coach John Herdman has had to field a shorthanded squad as of late, as defender Richie Laryea and midfielder Jonathan Osorio helped push the Canadian National Team to the Copa America semifinal match, where they ultimately fell 2-0 to Argentina at MetLife Stadium.
With both teams hungry for points, it's shaping up to be a can't-miss match in Canada. Tune in for free on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV!
