Philadelphia Union will take on Nashville SC on Saturday night, this time hosting their opponent under the lights at Subaru Park. Don't miss the action with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Head Coach Jim Curtin' squad put on a dominant 5-1 performance on Wednesday against New England Revolution, breaking a longstanding winless streak. Now, fans, staff, and players are eager for more, and they’ll have another chance to add three more points to their total before Leagues Cup play begins.
The midweek match was a full team effort, featuring a hat trick from Tai Baribo, a Jakob Glesnes header goal, three assists from Kai Wagner, and a late-game golazo from Quinn Sullivan that led to his brother, Cavan Sullivan’s historic debut. By the final whistle, Subaru Park was in hysterics, making for an atmosphere similar to what had been custom in their recent years of dominance.
Another positive result is essential – the bottom of the Eastern Conference table is extremely congested, and just three points separates the Union, currently at at 14th, from the final two teams above the playoff line.
At long last, Curtin has a fully healthy roster for back to back matches. On Wednesday, he welcomed Andre Blake to the starting crew for the first time in months, and his presence made all the difference.
The only players he’s expected to miss are starters Nate Harriel and Jack McGlynn, who will begin their Olympic campaign with Team USA on Wednesday. Midfielder José Martinez made his triumphant return from Copa America on Wednesday, fortifying the team for their most complete game this summer.
Oppositely, Nashville SC’s injury report is deep, and it's contributed to their five-game losing streak that’s landed them 10th in the standings with 26 points.
The most recent of their losses came against Orlando City SC – they weren’t able to score a single goal despite hosting their opponent at home. In May, the team announced the departure of the club’s first head coach, Gary Smith, and since then, Rumba Munthali has taken over at the interim, though former assistant coach of the United States men’s national team BJ Callahan is set to take over at the helm.
The last time the pair met was at Geodis Park in April; Philadelphia Union became the last undefeated team in Major League Soccer, securing all three points with a 90th minute game-winner from Daniel Gazdag. Nashville’s English striker Sam Surridge put one past Union keeper Oliver Semmle that night -- he’s their leading goal scorer with eight goals, but missed their last match due to an ankle injury. Another player to look out for on the injury report is winger Tyler Boyd, who was taken off the field in a stretcher after suffering a no-contact injury in stoppage time against Orlando.
Saturday is shaping up to be another battle at Subaru Park -- click here for tickets!
