Philadelphia Union II kicks off the final stretch of its 2020 USL Championship season with a rematch against Hartford Athletic on Wednesday night. Kick off from Dillon Stadium is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The two sides squared off on Sunday with the veteran visitors making Union II pay for defensive mistakes in route to a 3-0 victory at Subaru Park. Interim Head Coach Marlon LeBlanc said those mistakes were the turning point for the match but the club is eager to move and showcase their true potential in the midweek affair.
“We saw early on in the match mistakes that came back to punish us against a some more mature, more physically stronger, older team and then it took us a little bit too long to grow into the game,” LeBlanc said. “We did grow into the game, we missed some really good chances to be in it, but, that’s part of the process with a young group and we accept that we know that and we look forward to the next opportunity to go back out and try again.”
Wednesday’s match is the second of what will be three matches in a 10 day span between the two sides. Sunday night saw Hartford secure the club’s first USL Cup Playoff appearance with the win over Union II but LeBlanc thinks things could change on the road after making the club work harder than they expected or wanted to do against a side lower than them in the standings.
“The great thing right now with these [games in hand] that we have to make up if they come fast and furious and we don't have a whole lot of time to feel sorry for ourselves,” LeBlanc said as the team continues a furious 10 game in 32 day span. “We’ve got to roll up our sleeves and get back out on the pitch and play them again.”
