Philadelphia Union concludes the inaugural Leagues Cup on Saturday night hosting the final Liga MX side in the competition, CF Monterrey, with big stakes on the line in the tournament's third place match. Catch the action on MLS Season Pass!
The Union seek redemption and to put their Semifinal loss in the rear view mirror after conceding early goals from some of soccer’s biggest names that proved to be difference into a 4-1 result. The visitors brought some Messi magic and headlines and delivered with Josef Martinez opening the scoring in the third minute followed up by a long-distance goal from the Argentinian himself in the 20th minute. Just before the halftime break Jordi Alba extended their advantage with a counter attack finish to make it 3-0. Philly dominated the second half with a formation swap but were denied with heroic stops in net by goalkeeper Drake Callender to keep the lead for the visiting side. Midfielder Alejandro Bedoya returned to the pitch as promised by Head Coach Jim Curtin and three minutes later injected some more energy to Subaru Park with a 73rd minute goal. With a huge offensive push to build off the momentous goal, Inter Miami CF put the match away with a substitute goal of their own from David Ruiz to finish the match off.
While the Union are coming off their first loss of the tournament, Saturday's match has major implications for the club as a would see the Boys in Blue qualify for next year's Concacaf Champions Cup as a Round One team – hoping to build off CCC semifinal performances from 2021 and 2023. Further, a Union victory ensures Leagues Cup's top three finishers would be solely MLS teams as Nashville SC host Inter Miami CF in the Final later Saturday evening.
Saturday's match also sees the Union attempting to defeat a third Liga MX team during their Leagues Cup run, something no other MLS side would be able to tout. In the Group Stage, Philly routed Club Tijuana and Querétaro FC by a combined 8-2 scoreline but needed a 101st-minute winner in the quarterfinal rematch against Querétaro to secure a 2-1 victory.
On the other side the Liga MX giants looked unbeatable throughout their Leagues Cup run but saw it come to an end on Tuesday night at Nashville SC to earn the third place playoff contest at Subaru Park. Knocking off four MLS teams on their journey, Rayados dropped a 2-0 result in the Music City where injuries and tired legs one could argue finally caught up to the side. Fans can expect a different looking Monterrey side on the pitch when they face off against the Union with Head Coach Tano Ortiz having told media he'll give starters time off to recover before the club resumes league play. While that might sound like promising news for the Union, Philly will have to prepare for a hungry bunch of players looking to make an impact as they seek more minutes for the side that has already secured their spot in the CCC.
While the Union might not be able to prepare for the exact players they could face, Philly can take a look at the blueprint Nashville SC provided in their Semifinal victory. Monterrey had a healthy dose of possession with 61% on the night which forced the hosts to be clinical on the counter attack which is at the heart of the Union gameplan. With Daniel Gazdag back in the lineup and the possible return of Julian Carranza, the Boys in Blue won't have much of the ball but will need to convert when they get the chances provided.
