After two road matches and a bye week, Philadelphia Union finally return to return to Subaru Park on Saturday night as they host Real Salt Lake in a cross-conference battle. Don't miss the action on MLS Season Pass starting at 7:30PM ET.
Head Coach Jim Curtin’s squad is the only undefeated team in Major League Soccer, as has been the case since their 2-1 win against Nashville on April 7th. In the match after that, they overcame a two-goal deficit on the road in front of a Mercedes-Benz crowd to secure a draw against Atlanta United. Both results contributed to the team’s massive momentum, and they’ll look to continue their streak with a result at home against Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni’s visiting side.
After a weekend without a game, Philadelphia Union sits at sixth place with 13 points, but they’ve played three less games than Inter Miami who’s claimed the top spot in the East with 18 points. As for Real Salt Lake, they hold the 3rd spot in the Western Conference standings with 15 points earned through nine games played and are unbeaten in their last five matches.
Real Salt Lake has scored 15 goals so far this season, with more than half coming from their star Designated Player, striker Cristian Arango, better known by his back-of-kit moniker Chicho. The 29-year-old Colombian #9 was named MLS Player of the Matchday for Matchday 10 after a lethal performance against Chicago Fire in which he contributed two goals and two assists to his team’s 4-0 shutout victory. Chicho leads the league’s Golden Boot race with one more score than Lionel Messi, and he’s also atop the assists leaderboard as well, knotted at six with both the Inter Miami star and New York Red Bulls' Dante Vanzeir.
Chicho will be the foremost threat for Curtin’s squad to contain; but favorably for the Union, starting goalkeeper Andre Blake was back to training with his team this week after exiting the Atlanta match early due to injury. Rookie Oliver Semmle replaced Blake in the final moments before halftime for his sixth appearance of the regular season, adding more minutes of valuable experience to his resume.
Three days after Saturday's match, the Union will host another Western Conference opponent at home when the Seattle Sounders return to Philly. Their March 9th contest was paused in the sixth minute due to torrential downpour on the riverfront and rescheduled for April 30th. Because play was halted after the first kick, the lineup will have to match the one that was sent out for those original opening minutes, which will be something for Curtin to consider while crafting his crew to take on the Utah side this weekend.
Regardless of lineup, Curtin’s squad is at their best when playing in their home fortress -- Head Coach Jim Curtin’s squad has only lost one of their last 39 home MLS matches including playoffs, scoring 86 goals, while only conceding 23. The last time they hosted Real Salt Lake was in 2018, and they won that match with an impressive 4-1 scoreline.
Want to watch the team host a Western Conference opponent for their only home game in April? Click here to purchase tickets!
Already coming to the game? Check out the grand opening of Union Yards, the club’s new pregame and postgame tailgating venue right across from Subaru Park. You don’t want to miss the festivities!
