Philadelphia Union are coming off of one the most impressive performances in the club’s history and now sit at the top of the League standings after defeating Toronto FC 5-0 on Saturday. The Union are back at it again to defend and extend their top spot at Subaru Park on Wednesday to take on Chicago Fire at 7:30 on PHL17 and PhiladelphiaUnion.com.
The Union took a commanding 2-0 lead at the half before they exploded with three more goals in the second half that consisted of a hat trick of goals by Sergio Santos and a hat trick of assists by Kacper Przybylko against the Canadian side. With only three regular season matches left, the Union are hitting their stride at a perfect time. This season has been quite unusual and some might say Philly making a strong run for the Supporters Shield just adds to the weirdness of this year. However, anyone within the organization will tell you this is what they have building towards, especially over the last few years. Trust the process.
A few familiar faces will be reuniting at Subaru Park on Wednesday when Chicago comes to town. CJ Sapong and Fabian Hebers are former members of the Union and Head Coach Jim Curtin spent many years as a player for the Chicago Fire. In his weekly pregame presser, Curtin expressed his frustrations with the exhausting schedule along with the repeat of teams they play against, so he admitted “it is nice to have a fresh team to play against.” With the heavy schedule and often having three games in ten days, Coach Curtin knows his players are tired. Despite the fatigue, the Union continue to show up and produce goals and maintain shutouts. Coach Curtin is confident when it comes to putting out the best XI and strongly believes the “scouting department does a great job preparing for teams.”
Players to watch
Kai Wagner: Kai has been an integral part of the Union’s defense and he had an incredible assist in Saturday’s match which contributed to his campaign to earn on a spot on the MLS Team of the Week.
CJ Sapong: Returning to familiar grounds and seeing familiar faces, Sapong should be quite comfortable and will be one the Union defense will need to be ready to stop.
