Philadelphia Union is in the midst of another busy three game week as the head back on the road for a midweek matchup against Chicago Fire. Don't miss the Eastern Conference clash starting at 8:30PM on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Head Coach Jim Curtin will visit his former stomping grounds with a squad missing Andre Blake, Alejandro Bedoya, and Mikael Uhre due to injury, plus José Martinez and Damion Lowe due to Copa America play.
It’ll be a far different lineup than the one that tied Chicago 2-2 in their home opener at Subaru Park in February, but missing players aside, the team Curtin will travel to is one determined to add points to their total.
Philadelphia Union currently sits at 12th in the Eastern Conference standings with 20 points after their late-game loss to Montréal on Saturday. The team put on a strong first half performance featuring momentous goals from Homegrown Quinn Sullivan and 25-year-old midfielder Jesus Bueno, but in the end, they weren’t able to stifle the Canadian side’s second half push.
A bright spot for the Union is the return of Daniel Gazdag, who began his journey back to Philadelphia last week immediately after Hungary was officially eliminated from the 2024 UEFA Euros. He landed in the states on Thursday night, making the trip to Canada with the team the following day. Despite expected jet lag and travel exhaustion, Gazdag gave his all on the pitch, entering the match in the 62nd minute off the bench.
Saturday’s final result was one of many difficult moments for this year’s Union team, but their upcoming opponent has fared worse so far in 2024, sitting at the bottom stop in the East with 18 points.
A player to watch for their side is 27-year-old Belgian Designated Player Hugo Cuypers -- before their 2-1 loss to Seattle on Saturday, he’d scored in the previous four straight matches, finding his footing in his first MLS season. A familiar face Philadelphia Union should expect to see is midfielder Kellyn Acosta, who was part of the LAFC team that hoisted the 2022 MLS Cup before signing with Chicago Fire this February.
