Top young talent could make difference in Toronto for first place Union

Jim Curtin has never been afraid to play his teenaged talent. Brenden Aaronson’s first start was in front of a noisy Atlanta United crowd (he scored) and former Union homegrown Anthony Fontana famously knocked off New England in the 2018 home opener. 

This year, Curtin has installed Nate Harriel at right back and handed Quinn Sullivan a start without blinking an eye when Ale Bedoya was out. 

Curtin’s former coach, Bob Bradley, has never been afraid to play his kids either, and last weekend two 19-year olds helped Bradley and TFC secure a 2-2 draw with RSL. 

While Lorenzo Insigne’s impending arrival from Napoli may turn Toronto’s attack into such a juggernaut that Bradley won’t need to rely heavily on a youth movement, for now he is in a position that Curtin knows well. Both coaches know that if they get consistency out of their younger corps, they likely have enough veteran talent to throw down with the best in MLS. 

The Union, of course, have already proven they are a force to be reckoned with. They allow the opponent to have the ball, they work relentlessly to allow only low quality shots, and their entire midfield contributes on both sides of the ball. Even at home, expect Toronto to pick their own counterattacking moments carefully because of the danger Philly presents in open space. 

The biggest question going into the match involves Toronto’s defense against Philadelphia’s attack. As good at the Union have been, they are still waiting on Mikael Uhre to notch his first MLS goal. Uhre has shown an incredible knack for putting himself in one-on-one situations with the opposing goalkeeper, and it’s only a matter of time until he finishes such a chance off. 

Meanwhile, Carlos Saucedo picked up a red card against RSL and leaves a big hole in the middle of TFC’s defense. Bradley could lean on Chris Mavinga and stick with a three-man back line or he could flip to a four-back set and hope that a Shane O’Neil-Lukas McNaughton partnership has enough strength to contain Uhre and the crafty, deceptive Julian Carranza. 

The Union have scored within 12 minutes in their past three matches, so it has been quite some time since they had to play at an even scoreline. Opponents have had to come out of their shape early to chase games, and that plays into the Union’s hands as a counterattacking monster. 

Expect Bradley and TFC to try and slow the match down early and see if Philly becomes frustrated when they can’t establish that early advantage. 

But also expect Mikael Uhre to get his chances — he’s simply too good to go goalless much longer. 

Philadelphia Union faces off against Toronto FC on Saturday, April 16th. Kick off from BMO Field is set for 7:30 p.m. ET with coverage on PHL17 and PhiladelphiaUnion.com.