Philadelphia Union returns to Subaru Park on Wednesday to take on Columbus Crew for the second time in a week. Last Wednesday, Head Coach Jim Curtin’s squad visited Lower.com Field in Ohio for a 3-1 loss in the Leagues Cup semifinals. The result sent Philadelphia to the Third-Place match, while Columbus went on to hoist the trophy, defeating LAFC in the Leagues Cup Final. The midweek matchup ahead will give Philadelphia Union another chance to try and get the best of their Eastern Conference opponent, this time for Major League Soccer points.
Wednesday marks Philly's first league clash since they defeated Nashville SC on July 20th -- tune in for coverage on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV starting at 7:30PM ET.
Philadelphia Union currently sits at 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings, which is one spot below the playoff line. With nine games remaining, each match ahead is essential as the Eastern Conferfence table is a congested one, especially near the bottom. Atlanta is one spot above Philadelphia with 28 points, while Montreal sits at 11th with 27. New England, Chicago, Nashville, and D.C. United all trail close behind from there with 26 points apiece.
Leagues Cup gave Head Coach Jim Curtin's squad an opportunity to shake off their early summer slump, and they rose to the occasion, finishing in fourth place among 47 teams across Liga MX and MLS. Tai Baribo was a star of this year's tournament, finishing play with more Leagues Cup goals than any other participating player with seven. His total earned him top scorer honors, and although his good form began in regular season play, Baribo's Leagues Cup campaign boosted his momentum, and he'll look to carry it into MLS play. Wednesday's match will be Baribo's first time lining up against Columbus Crew as he missed the semifinal due to suspension after picking up two yellow cards against Mazatlán.
During Head Coach Jim Curtin's pregame press conference, he outlined some of his team's takeaways from their tournament run and how they'll use what they learned in the upcoming final stretch.
"I think we did take some things from Leagues Cup. I think we improved, didn't end the way we wanted to, but at the same time, the guys know what we're capable of when we are sound defensively and finish off our transitions, which are our two key things of how we want to play in," Curtin said.
As for Columbus Crew, they'll face Philadelphia just three days after a dominant 3-1 win in the Leagues Cup Final against LAFC. Cucho Hernández was the star of the showdown, scoring two of the teams three goals to help lift Columbus Crew to their second trophy in less than one year. When Crew topped Philadelphia last week, he and Diego Rossi combined for three goals, overcoming Daniel Gazdag's 32nd minute equalizer with a second half score each.
