We are just one more day until the date that has been circled on the calendar since December as the 2022 Major League Soccer season begins at Subaru Park when Philadelphia Union hosts Minnesota United FC on Saturday afternoon. Kick off from Chester is set for 1 p.m. ET with the match broadcast on PHL17 and PhiladelphiaUnion.com for fans within the Philadelphia DMA.
The Boys in Blue have unfinished business in 2022 after a historic 2021 that saw the club make it to the Eastern Conference Final and go toe to toe with the eventual MLS Cup Champions despite missing countless starters. Head Coach Jim Curtin has the squad looking to set the tone strong in front of the Union faithful as they look to build upon a strong preseason that saw the Union go unbeaten in four exhibitions.
Saturday's home opener might see the debut start for forward Julian Carranza who was acquired on loan from Inter Miami CF over the offseason. The 21-year-old had a flying start to the preseason needing just three minutes before getting his first goal with the Union. Curtin noted on Thursday that the club might be without both Mikael Uhre and Sergio Santos but both are in transit with the designated forward slated to arrive in the City of Brotherly Love on Friday.
On the other side of the pitch, Adrian Heath's Minnesota United finished off last season finished fifth in the Western Conference after a 13-11-10 campaign. Their run in the MLS Cup Playoffs came to an end in the opening round, falling to the Portland Timbers by a 3-1 margin. The offseason plan for the Loons was to get younger and score more goals after ranking 20th in MLS with 42 goals. Led by the talented playmaker Reynoso at the No. 10 spot, Minnesota had strong preseasons from Abu Danladi, Luis Amarilla and recently acquired forward Bongokuhle Hlongwane.
