At long last, Philadelphia Union is home after a lengthy three-game away slate as they'll face off against rivals New York City FC on Saturday night for Military Appreciation Night presented by Primepoint. Don't miss the action – tune in on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV!
The Boys in Blue enter this weekend’s contest with confidence after handing Nashville SC its second straight loss in a contentious battle in Music City. Jim Curtin’s squad fought gritty, persevering through yellow and red cards, sweltering southern weather, and of course, Nashville’s unrelenting defense that has conceded the least amount of goals among all Eastern Conference teams this season.
Two penalty goals from the ever-dangerous foot of Daniel Gazdag secured the team’s lead on the scoreboard – he’s now eight for eight from the spot so far in 2023. But it was ultimately a united unabating effort from players in all corners of the pitch and off the bench that ensured the victory.
The midweek was a massive six pointer for the Union as they rank fourth in the Eastern Conference and only three points out of second place with the Leagues Cup break on the horizon. Through 22 league contests the Boys in Blue have amassed an 11-7-4 record for 37 points, soaring above their upcoming opponent in New York City FC. Nick Cushing’s squad holds a 5-11-7 record so far this season, and favorably for the Union, they’ve earned only one win away from their unique home-field advantage. The Union's two-time Eastern Conference Final opponent instead find themselves in 2023 near the bottom of the Eastern Conference at 13th, above Toronto FC and Inter Miami FC, but only three points out from a playoff spot.
Saturday’s match will be the pair’s second meeting this season. The opening match of their 2023 fixture was not long ago on Saturday, May 27 – it was their first time facing off since the Union’s momentous 2022 Eastern Conference Final victory. The Union won again with a decided 3-1 score at Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets reimagined into a soccer pitch.
An aggressive attack from forward Julian Carranza and midfielder David Gazdag overcame New York’s defense – Carranza recorded a first-half brace and Gazdag complemented the effort, opening the second with a perfectly placed score from the penalty spot. Barring an appeal from the Union, the Union will be without their Argentinian forward who was sent off late against Nashville SC. Philly will be rested as best as a team can be in the midst of three games in eight days with Alejandro Bedoya and Kai Wagner only playing 60 minutes midweek. Starters Olivier Mbaizo and Jose Martinez didn't play at all while forward Mikael Uhre came on in the final half hour and drew the second penalty kick of the evening. Saturday's match also could see the return of Andre Blake and Damion Lowe after they guided Jamaica to the Semifinals of the Concacaf Gold Cup and returned to the team on Friday.
21-year-old midfielder Gabriel Pereira scored the only goal for NYCFC in the 30th minute when they faced off against Philly in May. In his second year in Major League Soccer, the Brazilian has recorded six goals, on pace to surpass his 2022 season high of eight. He leads the team in that category, above 23-year-old midfielder Santiago RodrÃguez who trails with four and 21-year-old forward Talles Magno with three. As for the rest of the New York City FC squad, there hasn’t been a bounty of balls hitting the back of the net through this year’s campaign. They’ve totaled 24 all season which is just over half of the league’s goal leader Columbus Crew, whose total is 43. New York City FC’s squad is a young one that has faced a discouraging season so far, but they didn’t lose a single game in June and haven’t lost in July. Instead, they’ve picked up a staggering seven draws and one win.
The Union and NYCFC are 9-2-10 all-time and Philadelphia has a chance to equalize the history books should they claim a win on Saturday.
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