Philadelphia Union return to MLS action this Wednesday when they take on Columbus Crew SC in Ohio. For the Union, this will be their second of three road matches in a span of nine days. The club will wrap up their road stretch in Montreal on Saturday. Kick-off for Wednesday’s match against Crew SC is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on PHL17.
This will be the second of three contests between Philadelphia and Columbus this season. The two teams met earlier this year at Talen Energy Stadium on March 17. Both squads left with shutouts as the match concluded in a nil-nil draw. Philadelphia will visit Columbus one more time in 2018, with a match scheduled for Sept. 29.
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The Union enter this week in a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference with Chicago Fire. Philadelphia owns a record of 2-4-2 and eight points. The Union are coming off a road match against Toronto that saw them fall 3-0 to the defending MLS champs.
Philadelphia will look to build off their recent success against Columbus Crew SC. In their last six meetings, the Union own a record of 4-1-1, with two of those wins coming on the road at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus.
In order to continue that run of form, the Union will look for a big performance from their big man in net Andre Blake. The Jamaican International has had success against Columbus, owning a record of 2-0-1 all-time against the Crew with a goals-against average of 0.67.
Columbus Crew SC finds themselves in a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with New York Red Bulls, owning a record of 4-3-3 and 15 points. The Crew are coming off a nil-nil draw against Seattle Sounders this past Saturday at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Columbus was able to fight off Seattle and earn a road point despite being down a man for most of the match.
A man the Union will need to keep an eye on is Columbus striker Gyasi Zardes. The Columbus newcomer has lit up the scoreboard in 2018, finding the back of the net five times in 10 matches played. Of
Zardes’ five goals, four have come at home. Zardes has also been extremely durable for Columbus early in the season, logging the second most minutes by an outfield player with 879.
The Union will look to contain Zardes and the rest of the Crew on Wednesday evening. Kick-off for Wednesday’s match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on PHL17 with JP Dellacamera and Tommy Smyth on the call.
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