Philadelphia Union return home on Wednesday for a midweek matchup against New England Revolution for their first of two contests at Subaru Park this week. Don't miss the action with coverage on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV starting at 7:30PM ET.
Wednesday's matchup marks the second time in 2024 the Union and Revs have squared off. Their last contest came on May 18th, when the Union defeated New England 3-0 on the road at Gillette Stadium. Defender Ryan Spaulding picked up a 14th minute red card to leave his team down a man early, and from there, an opening score from former Union striker Julian Carranza plus a brace from midfielder Daniel Gazdag secured the win for the Boys in Blue. Although the team’s personnel has changed since then, they’ll look to claim a similar result – this time on their home turf.
It’ll be a momentous day at Subaru Park for the home team, as Head Coach Jim Curtin announced in his press conference that both Andre Blake and José Martinez are expected to return to the matchday roster. Blake, the team’s starting goalkeeper, was out recovering from a meniscus injury, while Jose Martinez was away from the group representing Venezuela at Copa America.
The team has been shorthanded all summer, but with their return, the only absentees will be Nate Harriel and Jack McGlynn, who are away representing Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In addition to the return of standout vets, there will be a brand-new face on the 20-man list, as 14-year-old Cavan Sullivan will join the team on gameday for the first time since signing his professional deal. He put pen to paper on May 9, 2024, making him the youngest player in club history to be added to the first team roster, and the fifth youngest player to sign a first-team contract in Major League Soccer history.
If he makes his debut on Wednesday night, it’d be a historic night on the riverfront, as he would become the youngest-ever to play in an MLS match.
“Tomorrow he will be in the 20 because he's earned it, if you look at his performances in the Union II games and the goals that he scored," Curtin said.
Things are starting to look up availability-wise for Curtin’s squad, while the opposite is the case for New England Revolution. Though they have taken a step forward from their early-season form, claiming five wins since hosting Philadelphia, they've been hit with injuries that stifled the momentum made through a strong stretch of games.
“Unfortunately for them, Carles Gil has a big injury. We talked about a player of his quality and MVP type player. Caleb's done a great job navigating a ton of injuries and guys in, guys out. It's really hard to get in a rhythm. You saw them when they had their full group of guys go on a pretty good winning streak there in this league,” Curtin said.
“They've had some injuries since then and setbacks. So again, it's been tough for them just like it's been hard for us but I still know that Caleb's an incredible coach. He'll have his group ready to go. Vironi’s come to life. Some of the injuries they've had to great playes, like Gil, like Chancalay have Borerro..they've been hurt and they've been missing,” Curtin said.
Availability aside, both teams enter the match determined for points ahead of the league's pause for Leagues Cup that will see all of Major League Soccer pause their season for a month.
