Philadelphia Union is back on the road this weekend to take on Atlanta United in an Eastern Conference matchup. The Sunday matinee will be a competitive one, between two teams who’ve compiled three wins each since the start of the season so don't miss the match free on Apple TV!
Head Coach Jim Curtin’s squad is the only undefeated team in the entire league, and they’ll look to capitalize on their recently built momentum and extend their three-game win streak to four. Favorably for Philly, the group is back at near-full strength. Starting goalkeeper Andre Blake was cleared from the league’s concussion protocol after picking up a knock against Minnesota United at home two weeks ago, and forward Mikael Uhre was back on the pitch too. The Dane also missed the match against Nashville SC due to plantar fasciitis, but he returned to full training this week.
As for Gonzalo Pineda’s crew, they haven’t been as fortunate on the injury front. Atlanta finished their last match against New York City FC in a draw without Giorgios Giakoumakis, Stian Gregersen, and Xande Silva, who were all unavailable due to respective injuries. During the match, Jamal Thiaré and Derrick Wills both joined the injured list, and early this week the team announced that they’d each miss the next two to four weeks.
Giakoumakis and Thiaré lead the team in goals scored this season, totaling for 7 of the team’s eight of the team’s 10 scores in 2024. The other two came from Thiago Almada, Major League Soccer’s 2023 Young Player of the Year, and 29-year-old Designated Player Saba Lobjanidze.
On the Union side, their top goal scorers are rolling, as Daniel Gazdag and Julian Carranza have scored in each of their past three appearances. The duo is on the cusp of making history; should the two of them both score in an upcoming match, they’ll become the first pair of teammates to score in 16 different regular season games.
Personally, Gazdag could set another record with a goal on Sunday. He’s one score away from tying Sebastian Le Toux’s total for goals scored across all competitions.
Philly’s road match against Atlanta last season was one of their toughest, as the July 2nd match finished in a 2-0 win for the home team with goals from Thiago Almada and Brooks Lennon. They were without Blake that match, and when he was back in net for their home match against Atlanta in October, Philly defended their home pitch for a 3-2 scoreline.
They finished the series level last year and the all-time series is locked at 5-5-5. You can catch the action on Sunday with the match broadcast nationally on FOX and also free on Apple TV to see which team will end up on top in their first meeting of the 2024 season!
