Philadelphia Union returns to Subaru Park on Satruday night looking to use the energy of a rivalry night battle against New York Red Bulls to fight their way up the conference table. Don't miss the action with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV starting at 7:30PM ET.
The Boys in Blue are coming off another tough setback on the road as Chicago Fire FC rallied back with three goals in the final 10 minutes to nab a 4-3 win. The loss for the Union was another tough blow to the squad is it marked the fourth time in five games they'd conceeded a stoppage time winner to the opposition. While the road contest in the Windy City didn't snap the club's winless streak, it showed signs that the Union are right on the cusp of climbing up the table with a dominant first half performance. Chris Donovan made the most as the only healthy forward on the evening as he scored his first MLS goal of 2024 in the 38th minute. The Drexel University graduate kept moving in the box and was perfectly positioned to redirect a pass from Leon Flach into the net to open the scoring. Daniel Gazdag made history on Wednesday night as the Hungarian became the club's all-time regular season scorer with his 51st MLS goal just before the break. The goal pushed the midfielder past Union Ring of Honoree Sebastien Le Toux on the scoring chart, giving Gazdag both scoring titles in club history.
Fans can expect another thriller this weekend as Philly versus Red Bulls have produced classic after classic that have gone the way of the Boys in Blue since 2019. The Union currently own a 12-game unbeaten streak against their rivals from New Jersey that include two MLS Cup Playoffs extra time winners and a memorable Leagues Cup shootout win. While the Boys in Blue have emerged with three points in nine of those 12 matches, all but one have been decided by a single goal as the clashing styles always lead to end to end clashes all over the pitch.
Red Bulls under the direction of first-year Head Coach Sandro Schwarz have enjoyed a strong 2024 campaign, tied for fourth in the table with 35 points collected in 21 matches. The bulk of their points have come in front of their home crowd as they own the Eastern Conference's only unbeaten form this year with six wins in 10 matches. Away from Red Bull Arena, the squad hasn't seen much in a dip in form with four losses in 11 road contests entering Saturday. While the Union played on Wednesday, the opposition is fully rested for the contest against the Union and are coming off a 2-2 home draw against D.C. United. Red Bulls had to battled back in the match after conceeding a sixth minute goal but Elias Manoel tied it up three minutes after D.C. United was shown a red card. Forward Cameron Harper again found a Red Bull's equalizer in the second half to extend their home unbeaten streak to 10.
Midfielder Lewis Morgan is having a breakout campaign so far for the opposition with nine goals and four assists. After featuring for Scotland at EURO 2024, Morgan returned in the second half of their last match and should be fully back in the lineup on Saturday against the Union. Red Bulls captain Emil Forsberg also entered their last match as a substitute, with the first-year Swedish playmaker second on the team with six goals.
