Union head out on toughest road trip of 2023 season amidst a run of good form

Just past the halfway point of the 2023 season and the Philadelphia Union finds themselves in a pretty decent position all things considered. Though some may have had higher expectations after the season Philly had in 2022, to be at 34 points and in 4th place of the Eastern Conference through 19 games all while battling a deep CCL run and a plethora of names missing important games due to injury, suspension, and international duty isn’t an awful position to be in.

While Union currently sit nine points off of the Supports Shield race which is being led by FC Cincinnati in historic fashion, they’re only two points behind New England, whose holding the #2 spot in the East for the moment. Philadelphia’s current position in the league is a result of a recent strong stretch of games, earning eight wins, two draws, and one loss in their previous 11 matches for a total of 26 points, but their strong form and squad depth are about to be put to the test once again.

Union looks to keep things rolling on the road

It’s almost common knowledge in the MLS world that Philadelphia Union is really good at home. They’ve lost just one game at Subaru Park in over a season and a half at this point, and fans have come to expect a positive result to come their way when their team is back in Philly. The union actually hasn’t been awful on the road this season.

In nine road games this year, Philadelphia has three wins, two draws, and four losses for a total of 11 points, which is just about half the amount of points the Union has earned at home. But now, Philly is approaching one of the bigger obstacles of their season, having three games on the road in an 11-day span.

Sunday, July 2nd at Atlanta United, Saturday, July 8th at LA Galaxy, and Wednesday, July 12 at Nashville SC. That’s the longest and toughest road of Union’s 2023 MLS season, and a cracking start to July, which looks to be an interesting month of soccer with the inaugural Leagues Cup kicking off later this Month as well. While it’s uncertain what level of seriousness Philadelphia will approach Leagues Cup with, Im sure Union will want to head into the break on the best note possible, so these net 3 games won’t be taken lightly.

How many points can Union grind out on this 3-game road trip?

Three road games consisting of over 5,000 miles of travel within 11 days, while Philly is still missing Andre Blake and Damion Lowe is definitely a tough task, but it certainly could be harder. The Union’s first opponent will be Atlanta United.

@ Atlanta, July 2, 4:00 pm EST

While Atlanta United’s league-leading 36 goals is good enough to have them at 6th in the East through 20 matches played, their league-leading 35 goals allowed suggest that Atlanta is susceptible to being beaten by a team like Union who scores lots of goals, but is also 4th best in the league in the goals allowed department.

The biggest factor in this game for me is the playing surface in Atlanta, and how playing on turf can be an advantage or disadvantage in the game. Regardless of the playing surface and missing two key pieces in their defense, I think Union can sneak out a win in this one. I’m looking for a 2-1 win to kick off the road trip.

@ LA, July 8, 10:30 pm EST

Next, the Union will travel to Los Angeles for the 2nd time this season, this time to take on LA Galaxy in MLS play. This is probably the easiest of the three games on the road trip for Philly, with LA Galaxy currently in a Wooden Spoon battle for MLS’ last-place team. LA is having a tough time this season between the long-anticipated departure of Ownership and the season-ending injury of team leader Chicharito, but they’ve actually only lost one of their previous five games, having one win, three draws, and one loss for six points.

Again, the absence of Andre Blake and Damion Lowe hurt, but Union still has a strong backline regardless, and with Galaxy being tied for 2nd worst goal production in the league, I think Union can hold off the Galaxy attack and find a way to put one or two past the Galaxy defense, which has allowed the 4th most goals in MLS up to this point. Don’t care in which manner or by how many goals, but Union should win this game and get another 3 points.

@ Nashville, July 12, 8:30 pm EST

The final game of the road trip is surely the hardest but might end up being the most important. Nashville SC is currently one point above Philadelphia occupying the 3rd place spot in the East, but also holds a game in hand over Union. I have to be honest, this is the game that both worries me and that I’m most excited for.

Playing against a tough team like Nashville, on the road, at the end of a busy road trip seems like a decent-sized feat for Union, but at the same time could be an integral part of where they land in the Eastern Conference come October on decision day. Nashville has a really strong defense, allowing the least amount of goals across the entire league, and obviously, they’ve got Hany Mukhtar, reigning MVP and current Golden Boot leader.

The one way I could see Union salvaging points out of this match is by completely shutting down Hany Mukhtar, which can be done, but is much much harder while he’s playing at home. If you can do that, you might have a chance though, with Mukhtar responsible for netting 13 of Nashville’s 27 goals, or just about half. That’s the one way Union can get points, but it’s a tall task. Getting a draw in this one, on the end of a long road trip, might be one of those draws that feel like a win, especially against a team you’re so close to in the Eastern Conference standings.

A tough 11-day stretch

With all that said, I’m looking for the Union to return home from this three-game road trip with two wins and six points. Obviously, three wins and nine points would be perfect, and even two wins and a draw for seven points would be an extremely successful road trip, but at minimum, Union needs to secure four points out of these three games if they want to keep on track in a very competitive Eastern Conference.

It’s going to take a lot of sharpness, tactical execution, and probably even some more usage of depth in order to come home calling this road trip a success. You can catch all the action on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV