Philadelphia Union busy schedule sees the club back in MLS play as they host New York City FC on Saturday night. Kick off from Subaru Park is set for 7:30 p.m. ET with coverage set to begin on 7 p.m. on PhiladelphiaUnion.com. Fans will also be able to view the match on PHL17 or by clicking here to listen to the FOX The Gambler broadcast which is available via 102.5 FM, 104.5 HD2, the iHeart App and 1480 AM.
Saturday night’s contest marks the midway point of the Union’s compacted schedule of five matches in a 15-day span between league and Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League games. Philly rebounded from a 2-1 home loss to Inter Miami CF on Tuesday night with a resounding 3-0 road win at Atlanta United FC. Kacper Przybylko continued his strong start to 2021 with a second-half brace to push him to four goals in all competitions. With a spot in the Semifinals awarded three days following the NYCFC contest, fans can expect some roster rotation to keep legs fresh for a potentially historic berth.
While the attention has been on Concacaf Champions League play, Saturday night’s match could be an important one when the schedule reaches its conclusion in November as the Union and NYC face off three times in 2021 including the season finale at Yankee Stadium. The two sides only met once in 2020 with the Union claiming a 1-0 win in the MLS is Back opener via a second-half goal from team captain Alejandro Bedoya. NYCFC owns a 8-4-1 advantage all-time in the series between the two Eastern Conference rivals.
After falling 2-1 in the MLS opener to D.C. United, NYCFC enters the contest after a resounding 5-0 win over FC Cincinnati last weekend. Set piece defense will be the priority for the Union as New York netted all five goals off restarts including three from corner kicks. Over the last 13 league matches, NYCFC has scored at least four goals in five. ValentÃn Castellanos and Jesús Medina each lead the team in goals with two apiece with Medina netting a brace against FC Cincinnati.
