Philadelphia Union II is back in action on Wednesday night as they face off against MLS NEXT Pro newcomers Crown Legacy FC on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
The Boys in Blue enter the contest looking to bounce back from their 4-3 setback against New England Revolution II on Sunday afternoon at Subaru Park. Marlon LeBlanc's side showed the ability to find the back of the net with a trio of goals coming after the visitors opened the scoring in the 10th minute. The offense came from the standout performance of Union forward Chris Donovan. After picking up his first MLS assist less than 24 hours prior, Donovan bagged a pair of goals with the equalizer in the 17th minute before picking out Academy forward CJ Olney seven minutes later. Donovan made it a 3-1 lead for the squad with a timely finish in the 51st minute but the visitors rallied back to steal all three points courtesy of the club's first MLS NEXT Pro hat trick from Esmir Bajraktarevic.
Wednesday's match will be the first time Union II and Crown Legacy FC have faced off with the Charlotte affiliated squad new to the league in 2023. There have been few growing pains for the franchise as they currently sit atop the Eastern Conference with 22 points in their first nine matches of the season. The squad has only gotten victories when facing any other side besides Huntsville City with those two matchups sees a 2-2 draw in the season opener followed up by Huntsville snapping Crown Legacy's unbeaten streak with a 2-1 win in their home opener over the weekend.
Crown Legacy FC has been productive on both sides of the pitch with 21 goals scored by the team led by Iuri Tavares' who has five in just over 500 minutes of action. David Poreba will be the focus for the Union II defense as the 20-year-old midfielder has set up three goals and is the key force for setting up dangerous chances with 21 key passes registered, more than double the next player on the squad. On the defensive side, four different goalkeepers have featured for the side with Isaac Walker the current keeper in form with four straight starts but has yet to collect a shutout with six goals allowed. Overall the squad has allowed just 10 in 2023 so it will be key for the Boys in Blue to continue their scoring ways as they look to hand Crown Legacy their first home loss in franchise history.
Kick off from the Mecklenburg Country Sportsplex at Matthews is set for 7pm ET with the action exclusively on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
