Saturday's matchup at PPL Park is the first of three regular season fixtures between the Philadelphia Union and Columbus Crew.
Robert Warzycha's side comes to Chester with a 2-2-0 record. The Crew lost their season opener at Colorado but earned back to back clean sheets in weeks two and three, defeating Montreal at home and Toronto on the road. Last weekend Columbus tripped up against New York, conceding a pair of braces to Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper in a 4-1 home loss.
Philadelphia are 1-3-0 all-time against the Crew. Columbus won 2-1 at Crew Stadium last season after Andres Mendoza converted a second half penalty kick. The controversial call was made after Robbie Rogers' point blank cross appeared to strike Sheanon Williams' shoulder inside the box. The Union won September's return leg 1-0 after Sebastien Le Toux got behind the Crew defense on a terrific long ball from Roger Torres.
Crew Attack
It starts up top with Emilio Renteria and a pair of new faces, Olman Vargas and Milovan Mirosevic.
The 27-year-old Renteria joined the Crew in 2009 at the tail-end of the Guillermo Barros-Schelotto years. He's started every game this season and does a bit of everything for the Crew. Renteria might not be the biggest player on the field, but he positions himself well and uses his body effectively. The Venezuela native pressures defenders and always seems to be around the ball.
Vargas was acquired in the offseason from Costa Rican side Herediano. He scored a great header goal against Montreal and looks to be a handful inside the box. At 6-2, he's always dangerous in the air and looks to be a prime target for Crew set pieces. The 26-year-old received his first call up for Costa Rica this week, but will return from Wednesday's match against Honduras ahead of Saturday's league game.
Mirosevic will sit behind Vargas and Renteria in an attacking midfield role. The veteran Chile international joined Columbus after a second stint with Santiago based club Universidad Católica. Mirosevic opened his scoring account with a penalty kick against Montreal. He leads the team with five shots on goal through four games.
Columbus have typically been a 4-4-2 team over the years. eteran Eddie Gaven has been playing on the right this year, with Bernardo Anor on the left. Gaven can play both centrally and wide, but the addition of Mirosevic has forced him to the wing this year. He's an important piece of the Crew offense. Columbus went through a slump last year after Gaven picked up a late-season injury.
Bench options are a bit limited due to injuries. Dilly Duka is recovering from a hamstring injury, while Tommy Heinemann is out with a knee problem. Ethan Finlay has seen time coming off the bench.
Crew Defense
The Crew are also without veteran defenders Julius James and Carlos Mendes, as well as holding midfielder Rich Balchan.
Warzycha has been using rookie Kirk Urso in a holding role, with Danny O'Rourke and Tony Tchani also able to play the position. O'Rourke played in central defense for the first two games before picking up an ankle sprain. He's listed as questionable for Saturday.
Captain Chad Marshall anchors the defense from the other center half slot. The American international recently reached 200 caps for Columbus and has been a Crew mainstay since 2004. Marshall is a prototypical MLS defender - six foot four, 190 pounds, and especially talented in the air.
In place of O'Rourke, backup center half Eric Gehrig started against Toronto and New York. Columbus is extremely thin at central defense right now, with Josh Williams likely the next player on the depth chart.
At fullback, Shaun Francis will play on the left with Sebastian Miranda on the right.
The Crew are also missing first choice goalkeeper William Hesmer, who's been in and out of action going back to last season. Backup Andy Gruenebaum has played every minute this year.
Keys to the Game
Columbus had difficulty dealing with New York's possession game at home. The Red Bulls outpossessed the Crew 57 percent to 43 percent on the afternoon.
Columbus managed to create scoring chances but didn't keep their shots on target. Vargas and Renteria only put two of their seven shots on frame. Mirosevic didn't get off a single shot.
With rookie Urso in the holding role, and Mirosevic in front of him, the Crew midfield looks to be a work in progress. For years, Emmanuel Ekpo and Robbie Rogers provided consistency in the middle for Columbus, but New York was able to win the midfield battle last week and smother service to the forward line.
Conversely, the Union will look to repeat the defensive performance they showed against Vancouver. Philadelphia's backline earned a shutout against the Whitecaps and returned to a four-man look that included captain Danny Califf.
If the Union midfield can isolate Mirosevic and win the individual battles with Urso, Gaven and Anor, the Crew defense can be challenged directly. With the more experienced James and O'Rourke listed on the injury report, Columbus will be more thin than usual in front of Gruenebaum.
NBC Sports Preview: Union vs. Crew
