Philadelphia Union sit atop the Eastern Conference heading into the weekend, but expansion side Charlotte FC has a dangerous striker and a lot of belief coming off a 2-0 win over FC Cincinnati. Get your tickets to Subaru Park today so you don’t miss your first place Union back in action, with kickoff on April 2 set for 7:30pm. Coverage of the contest will begin with Union Pre-Kick Live on the PhiladelphiaUnion.com at 7 p.m. ET.
Philly welcomes the newcomers to Subaru Park with a healthy and hungry squad. Mikael Uhre looks ready to roll after Jim Curtin’s patience bought his new striker time to rest and get up to speed on the club’s aggressive, breathless system. Â
Additionally, a quartet of young guns returns following an impressive stint with the USA U-20 side, giving Curtin a lot of confidence in his bench to emerge as difference-makers if called on.
The key matchup of the day is likely to be Daniel Gazdag and Charlotte’s holding midfielder. Brandt Bronico has occupied the role at times, but whether it’s him or Jones that sees the pitch Saturday, they will need to track Gazdag without leaving space for Ale Bedoya and Leon Flach.
Next Home Game
Philadelphia Union are back at Subaru Park in April for a clash against MLS newcomer Charlotte FC on Saturday, April 2nd. You won't want to miss out on the energy of the crowd as they cheer on the Boys in Blue!
Philly’s midfielders have become true space hunters this year and Gazdag’s movement will open gaps in the center for his compatriots.
Philadelphia will be favored, but Charlotte’s firepower and goalkeeping mean they won’t be bowled over easily.
Karol Swiderski scored two goals for the second consecutive match, including a sizzling free kick to seal the win over Cindy. The Designated Player and Polish international has been classy around goal since joining Charlotte from PAOK in Greece, but the work rate of the squad around him as provided a platform for success.
Charlotte is less direct than the Union and have proven adept at quickly creating numbers around the ball after turnovers. Swiderski’s growing presence forces opponents to hold an extra body near the dangerous front man and freed up space to build attacks.
In their latest match, Charlotte used former Union homegrown Derrick Jones to sweep up in front of midfield as SuperDraft No. 1 overall pick Ben Bender and Sergio Ruiz created offense in the center. Cincinnati was forced wide and threats were blunted with relative ease. Â
The other star man for Charlotte has been goalkeeper Kristina’s Kahlina. The 29-year old backstop earned his second man of the match award this year with five stops on FCC, including a crucial late save against Lucho Acosta.
