Philadelphia Union Preview: Riding Onto Revolution

For those Union fans such as myself who stayed up for the Portland game, how much coffee did you drink the following morning? After a five-game draw streak that saw many fans frustrated, the Union came out with an absolute statement win 2-0 over the Portland Timbers in Providence Park.

Union-Revolution Preview

Just like the team did with Yankee Stadium, they were able to secure their first victory at Providence Park, which is absolutely no small feat. With goals coming from Daniel Gazdag, his seventh on the season, and Sergio Santos, the team was able to control the game and create havoc in the midfield, disturbing the possession game that the Timbers love to play.

All that being said, the team must now turn their attention up to the Northeast where they will travel up to Foxboro to take on the New England Revolution in the final game before the international break. Let us take a look at how this Revolution side is faring so far this season, the standout player to watch out for, and the prediction for this Memorial Day weekend showdown.

2022 MLS Season

Oh, how things can change from one season to the next. After a dominant 2021 that saw the team win the Supporter’s Shield by a good margin, the Revolution has struggled to even get close to the 2021 form. The early part of the season saw them competing in CCL, where they blew a comfortable lead and lost in PKs against Pumas, who went on to lose to the eventual CCL champions Seattle Sounders. Through twelve games in MLS play, the Revolution has managed to accumulate a record of 4-5-3 for four wins, five losses, and three draws.

This has mostly been a tale of two halves for this Revolution side for the season. The first half of the season saw them trying to juggle CCL and MLS play, where they preceded to only win one of their first six games. This coincides with the moment when they crashed out of CCL. The second half of their season so far has been much kinder as they have won three of their last six games but also including two draws in their last three games. This Revolution side is still a dangerous team but not as flashy and dominant as they have been in the past.

X-Factor

The player to watch out for on the Revolution is a tough one as they have a few players that the Union will certainly need to keep an eye on. For this game, the player that I believe the Union will need to shut down to pull a victory up in Foxboro is Polish striker Adam Buksa. This was a tough choice against Carlos Gil, who currently has three goals and seven assists through twelve games so far. The reason I chose Buksa was not just because of his goal tally, which does stand at an impressive seven goals and two assists through twelve games so far. The reason I chose Buksa over Gil is just simply what Buksa has brought to the team this season.

After the departure of Tajon Buchanan and the tough form of Gustavo Bou, the Revolution needed someone to step up and take the reigns of scoring, which Buksa has absolutely done. He is not just scoring with his head but scoring a lot more with creative finishes and well-timed runs. He is creating all kinds of havoc up top for the team, which is allowing Carlos Gil to simplify his game and just feed Buksa for chance after chance. Jakob Glesnes and Jack Elliot are absolutely going to have a tough time on their hands containing Buksa, but if they can limit his chances and keep him in low percentage areas, the Revolution will be starving for goals this upcoming game.

Prediction

Union looks like a first-place team once again in dominant win at Portland

This is going to be a remarkably interesting game as it is the last MLS game for this Union squad before a two-week international break. This break could not have come at a better time considering how congested this month has been in terms of fixtures. While I do not see Mikael Uhre coming back this game, especially not on this turf, I do see a similar lineup to the one we saw in Portland.

Daniel Gazdag is continuing his spectacular and dare I say MVP form. Alejandro Bedoya looks like he has been turning back the clock with his play as of late, and Jose Martinez turned in a better shift than he has the past few games. This team is going to keep its form going into the international break. Put this writer down for a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution. Game time this Saturday is at 7:30 pm.