Saturday’s match is Philadelphia Union’s last before the league-wide international break commences, and in that two-week span without a game, at least eight Philadelphia Union first team players are expected to depart and join their respective National Teams.
They'll represent their countries in various competitions within global soccer's busy summer schedule, including Copa America, the UEFA European Championship, and the Paris Olympics. Regardless of each individual's upcoming contests, the team’s focus remains locked on finishing Saturday’s match against CF Montreal with a three-point result at home.
“There's motivation there going into a break. You want to have a good taste in your mouth, so we want to have a really strong performance and there's no better place to do that than Subaru park,” Curtin said.
Philadelphia’s last win at home was at the end of March against Minnesota United, and the team is eager to return to dominance on the banks of the Delaware River, not just to bolster their point total before a shorthanded stretch, but for the fans who pack Subaru Park in support week in and week out.
“At home now, we know the onus is on us to push the game. We'll need our fans again to be as incredible as they have been all year, we know that we're in for a tough run of results at home. But during those results, we've played some good stretches of soccer. But again, now we need to perform, find a way to get a goal, and then do what we do best, which is play with a lead,” Curtin said.
Daniel Gazdag is among the lot that’ll be away representing his country, playing with Hungary in the Euros for the first time in his career. The Magyars have an exciting slate of games in Germany on the horizon, starting against Switzerland in the group stage on June 15th, but despite mounting anticipation, his first priority is getting a favorable result at Subaru Park on Saturday.
“Obviously, my full focus is on the game against Montreal tomorrow. I want to win that game and we want to win that game – it will be important for us to go to the international break with three points. So we want to do everything for that,” Gazdag said after the team’s matchday -1 training session."
