Philadelphia Union will play host to the Eastern Conference leaders, New England Revolution, on Friday, September 3 at Subaru Park. It will mark their first meeting since early August when the Revolution bested Philly 2-1 at home.
Philadelphia Union vs New England Revolution
When: Friday, September 3 – 19:30 EDT
Where: Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania
Weather: Sunny, 21°C
Philadelphia Union will host New England Revolution in Subaru Park on Friday, in their 23rd match of the season. It will mark their first meeting since August, when the Revolution bested Philly 2-1 at home, adding their second head-to-head win across the last five clashes (2-1-2).
Union last won this bout in November 2020, when they bested New England Revolution 2-0 at home, but have since lost twice and forced one 1-1 draw in May 2021. With the regular season drawing to a close and Philly only five points clear of Columbus Crew in eighth, the hosts need at least a point tonight; otherwise, they might find themselves in danger of dropping out of the top-seven and lose their spot in the playoffs.
International Duties Weakens Philly’s Squad
Seeing players leave for international duty isn’t too surprising in the MLS, and the teams are usually ready to deal with such situations. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that Philadelphia will have a lot of holes to fill ahead of tonight’s match.
Jim Curtin will not be able to count on nine of his players, including Andre Blake, Cory Burke, Alvas Powell, Daniel Gazdag, Jose Martinez, Jamiro Monteiro, and Olivier Mbaizo. What’s more, Philly’s Jack de Vries has been loaned out to Venezia in Serie A, while Jack Elliott has to serve his suspension after receiving a yellow card last time out.
To make matters worse for the hosts, Sergio Santos and Ilsinho are both injured and questionable.
Obviously, the situation isn’t ideal, and since Santos and Burke won’t feature, it’s fair to start questioning who Curtin will count on to produce goals tonight. Burke has four goals from 16 starts on the season, while Santos managed just as many in 20 starts.
Philadelphia Union’s best scorer, Kacper Przybylko has six goals from 22 starts; however, he hasn’t scored once since Union’s 1-1 draw with Inter Miami in July.
As an alternative, Curtin could field Matheus Davo, who has been loaned out to the Union from Corinthians but has yet to make his first appearance for the team.
High-Flying New England Revolution
New England Revolution enter this match with a very impressive 15-4-4 record on the season and 5-0-1 in their last five. Their only loss during that stretch happened against New York City (0-2) on Sunday, but that doesn’t take away from their success in the previous games, where Revolution won against FC Cincinnati (4-1), DC United (3-2), Toronto FC (2-1), and the Philadelphia Union (2-1).
Unlike most other MLS teams, the Revs have done well on the road. They have won six of 12 road games and are 6-3-3 on the season. What’s more, the visitors are 4-1 in their last five away games and have suffered only two defeats across their last 10 (6-2-2).
For tonight’s match, the Revs will be without Matt Turner, Tajon Buchanan, and Adam Buksa. Like Philly, Revolution will miss key strikers, namely Buksa, who has scored 10 goals from 23 starts.
Still, the Revs have options in Edward Kizza, who has made his first appearance for the senior squad in July and has since scored four goals in seven games.
Adding to the three players who will miss the match due to international duties, Bruce Arena will also not be able to count on Luis Caicedo, who is injured, while Brandon Bye remains questionable. On a more positive note, Carles Gil is back training and could feature after having missed the last six games.
Philadelphia Union vs New England Revolution Betting Pick
Playing on the road hasn’t been the most effective way to accumulate points in the MLS, seeing how very few teams do well in away games. Still, there are some exceptions, one of which are the New England Revolution.
The Revs are the best road team in the Eastern Conference, and while they have dropped the ball against New York City last time out, they’re still at only one away loss across their last 10 outings. What’s more, the Revolution are the undisputed leaders in the East, and for a good reason.
Philadelphia Union have had some success while playing at Subaru Park, where they are unbeaten across their last nine outings (6-3-0); however, there’s a good chance that they drop a game today. Missing nine players and your top goalscorer won’t do them any favours, and while Revolution are in a similar position, they have options.
Prediction: New England Revolution +0.00 Asian Handicap – 1.83 at Sportmarket
