Philadelphia Union return to MLS action this Saturday when they take on Eastern Conference foe New York Red Bulls this Saturday in Harrison, New Jersey. Kick-off for Saturday’s match is set for 7 p.m. and will be televised on PHL17 with JP Dellacamera and Tommy Smyth on the call.
This will be the first of two matches between these two clubs in 2018. The Union will host Red Bull at Talen Energy Stadium on October 21, 2018. That match will serve as Philadelphia’s last home match of the 2018 campaign.
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The Union enter this weekend with a record of 4-5-2 and 14 points, good for seventh in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is coming off a 4-1 home win against Real Salt Lake at Talen Energy Stadium, where the home club set a franchise record for assists in a match with seven.
As for their opponents, New York Red Bulls are returning home after earning three points on the road against Atlanta United. Despite surrendering the first goal of the contest, Red Bull responded with three un-answered goals to improve to 7-3-0 on the season.
Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake will be a player to watch for on Saturday night. Blake has earned three clean sheets this season and has a goals against-average of 1.36 in 2018. Against New York Red Bulls, Blake has been solid between the posts, owning a goals-against average of 1.86 in MLS regular-season matches. In 2017, Blake recorded two shutouts against Red Bull and was named ESPN’s Man of the Match for his eight save performance on Sept. 17, 2017.
New York is led by Jesse Marsch who was named the 15th coach in New York franchise history on January 7, 2015. In his first season at the helm, Marsch was named MLS Coach of the Year for leading the Red Bulls to the 2015 Supporters’ Shield, and the best regular season in franchise history.
For the Red Bulls, the Union will need to keep a watchful eye on goal-scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips. The 33 year-old Englishman is having yet another excellent MLS season. Wright-Phillips is tied for the league-lead in goals with eight. Since joining the league in 2013, Wright-Phillips has appeared in 149 matches and has recorded 94 goals and 21 assists in his MLS career.
As the Union travel up the Jersey Turnpike for this quick road trip, fans can catch the action at 7 p.m. on Saturday night by tuning into to PHL17.
