Philadelphia Union will host Charlotte FC at Subaru Park this weekend for their third match in eight days, continuing their pursuit of points as they enter the second half of the Major League Soccer season. Don't miss the action with the game broadcast on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Saturday’s matchup will be the pair’s second meeting this year – Head Coach Jim Curtin’s squad emerged from their Memorial Day Weekend visit to Bank of America Stadium with just one point after finishing in a scoreless draw thanks to standout performances from German duo Oliver Semmle and Leon Flach.
This time, they’ll take on Head Coach Dean Smith’s squad on their home pitch, where they’ve faced difficulties as of late. The Boys and Blue have struggled in the face of national team absences and injury, picking up a draw and a pair of losses since their trip to Charlotte. The results have caused the team to fall to 10th place in the Eastern Conference Standings with 20 points. Meanwhile, Charlotte has been in productive form, claiming two wins, a draw, and a loss since hosting Philadelphia.
Their leading goalscorer now just past the season’s midway point is Kerwin Vargas with four, scoring one in each of the team’s past two matches. Charlotte is one of the lowest scoring teams in Major League Soccer, but they make up for it in locked-down defense, boasting the second lowest total in goals against behind only Columbus Crew.
Philadelphia Union hasn’t had a three point swing since May 18th against New England Revolution, but there’s still been some promising moments on the pitch in that span. Most recently, Israeli striker Tai Baribo scored his first-ever Major League Soccer goals against FC Cincinnati, equalizing twice to keep his team competitive in a playoff-esque environment at TQL stadium. Jesus Bueno was a first-time goal scorer in the match too, stepping up in a big way during his third start this season.
With Damion Lowe, José Martinez, Daniel Gazdag away with their respective countries and team captains Alejandro Bedoya and Andre Blake injured, Head Coach Jim Curtin will continue to lean on depth in the match to come.
