The final game of the 2020 MLS regular season comes with a Supporters’ Shield on the line for the Philadelphia Union. The Decision Day presented by AT&T matchup will see the Union taking on the New England Revolution at 3:30 p.m. ET and nationally televised on ABC.
Despite putting up one of their best road performances all season the Union weren’t able to pick up points in Columbus. However the Boys in Blue still control their own destiny to win the Supporters’ Shield. The fight for the Shield is down to Philadelphia and Toronto. The Union will be playing against the Revs for the fourth time this regular season at Subaru Park - a place where the team is undefeated in 2020. Meanwhile Toronto FC looks to take down the New York Red Bulls up the road in New Jersey at the same time. In order to win the Shield, the Union have to win or get the same result as Toronto which will still put them ahead by goal differential. Heading into the match the Union are 2-0-1 against the Revs in the regular season and also defeated the Revs during the MLS is Back Tournament.
Head Coach Jim Curtin addressed the pressure surrounding Sunday’s game and being on the verge of winning the club’s first Shield. “The message to the players is we’ve been a great team all season…we just have to do our job and everybody has to execute. While we know the stakes are big this weekend, the message to the players is just to go out and be yourself and be the best version of the Philadelphia Union and the results will take care of themselves.”
Although the odds look to be in the Union’s favor, the Revs shouldn’t be overlooked. New England too is playing for something as they will try to climb the standings right before playoffs. The Revs are winless in three of their last four games and just scraped by D.C. with a 4-3 victory in their last outing. After matching up with the Revs multiple times already this season, the two clubs know each other’s strategy and tactics pretty well by now. “Every game has been a one or two play game that we’ve been fortunate enough to be on the right side of. Each game has been end to end and the team that does the best in each of the boxes will be the team that comes away from the win,” Coach Curtin said in his pregame presser.
Players to Watch
Kacper Przybylko: Kacper has been a key piece to the Union’s offense all season with eight goals and six assists.
Carles Gil: The Union haven’t seen Gil on the field yet this season and he is a player “that has hurt us in the past. He’s a really good two-way player that has the ability to get goals and assists.”
