Philadelphia Union Doop Roundup 3/4/22: 2 Fast 2 Furious

Union
CHESTER, PA – DECEMBER 05: Philadelphia Union Midfielder Jose Martinez (8) and New York City FC Midfielder Maxi Moralez (10) battle for the ball during the second half of the Major League Soccer Cup Playoffs match between New York City FC and the Philadelphia Union on December 5, 2021, at Subaru Park in Chester, PA. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)

After what felt like an eternity to get the MLS season started, the Union are back at it again this week, traveling to the great white north to take on Montreal. Now that the season is underway, there have been several things to talk about.

Let us look at it all in Philly Sports Network’s latest edition of the Doop roundup.

Philadelphia Union Draw Minnesota United FC, 1-1

This past week saw the Union open the season at home against Minnesota. The team ended with a 1-1 draw in a game that saw both teams trading punches for most of the game.

With DP striker signing Mikael Uhre having just arrived in the country the night before and being given a rousing ovation by the crowd and the river end before the game started, we saw the striker core of Cory Burke and Julian Carranza starting up top with Daniel Gazdag playing in behind.

Minnesota looked to bunker and counter early to start the game, which led to a few chances. The Loons went ahead on a switch of play that right back Olivier Mbaizo, who has been the subject of some recent criticism for performances, misplayed a ball in the air, allowing the Minnesota winger to latch onto it and take the ball into the box. The ball was then laid off for Robin Lod, who calmly finished a shot just out of Andre Blake’s reach to take an early lead.

Just over 10 minutes later, the Union countered with a nice cross from Jakob Glesnes to Cory Burke who thumped the ball into the back of the net with a solid header to tie the game. From there, both teams seemed to try and take an aggressive stance.

The Union came close on a few chances, but Woodbury, NJ native Tyler Miller came up big to deny his hometown team and preserve the point for his team. While a draw was not ideal for all fans, it was a hard-earned point that a number of fans seemed to be content with on week one.

The French-Canadian Connection

This week’s game sees the team traveling across the border to Montreal and take on CF Montreal at the big O on Saturday. To get an idea of what the fans can expect from this game, the Union team here at Philly Sports Network has you covered. We start with the Montreal-Union preview from yours truly, Justin Friedberg:

Secondly, we have a great article from a newcomer to the Union beat, Steve Beavon, who gives the fans five key things to look for in the team’s matchup against Montreal:

Finally, the boys from the DOOP by the River podcast got to recording this week’s episode, where they recapped the Minnesota game and previewed the Montreal game.

To help the boys break down Montreal and everything to expect north of the border, they had their friend from The Ball is Round team, Eve Julia. Eve helped the boys dissect everything from how Montreal is doing to the field conditions at the Big O stadium and much more. Take a listen if you want to hear the boys dive deep into the discussion:

Notes From Curtin’s Presser

Jim Curtin’s press conference from this week saw only a few key insights regarding team selection. Firstly, Jim has confirmed that Uhre has indeed been practicing this week. As to his role in the game, Jim only mentioned that he will play a role but did not specify what kind of role. As for the health of the team, Curtin also mentioned that the team is fully healthy so he will have his hands full when it comes to team selection for Saturday.

Where to Watch

It has been a short week for Union news, but the fans are certainly excited that the 2022 season has kicked off. If any fans are looking for some local places to watch the game against Montreal with some fellow Union fans, here are the following locations where the game will be shown:

Zed’s Brewing-Marlton, NJ

SouthHouse-Philadelphia, PA

New Ridge Brewing-Philadelphia, PA

Alice Pizza-Philadelphia, PA

Swedesboro Brewing Company-Swedesboro, NJ

Philadelphia Union vs Montreal Impact Betting information

Union +200
Draw +220
Impact +130

DraftKings are giving new bettors a $50 risk-free bet as well as a $1,000 deposit bonus!

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Zach LoBasso | Steve Beavon | Liam Jenkins

Doop on Union fans!

Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire