Is a quick turnaround exactly what a team needs after another devastating defeat? Philadelphia Union fans will hope so after the team extended their winless run to 5 matches and, in doing so, succumbed to their first road defeat of the season.
Their attention turns next to the team that began the winless run, Charlotte FC, who held Philly to a 0-0 draw on May 25th. That game was on the road, however, and playing this one at home makes it an entirely different prospect. Unfortunately, while in previous years that would have been a positive, right now everything is flipped and the Union haven’t won at home since a 2-0 win over Minnesota on March 30th. Can they finally eke out 3 points?
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Philadelphia Union vs Charlotte FC History
Charlotte are a relatively new team in the league, having made their MLS debut in 2022. Over that short period of time, the Union and Charlotte have played 5 times, with 2 Union wins, 2 draws, and the lone Charlotte win being their 4-0 victory, which many consider the game the Union lost the 2022 Supporters Shield, and possibly MLS Cup. Philly has won both games that took place at Subaru Park, including a 2-0 result in the teams’ first-ever meeting.
Charlotte FC’s Season So Far
Former Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has Charlotte FC playing lockdown defense in his first season as manager at the club. They currently sit in 5th place in the Eastern conference, their 8 wins, 5 draws, and 6 losses from 19 matches good for 29 points, 9 ahead of the Union.
With a stingy 20 goals allowed, Charlotte have the second-best defensive record in the league- and the team ahead of them, Columbus Crew, have played 3 fewer games while only having allowed 3 fewer goals. On the other hand, their goal difference remains at 1, as they have also found goals very hard to come by. Their leading scorer, Kerwin Vargas, only has 4 goals, meaning the remainder of their 21 goals have been spread around.
Preview by the Numbers
| Current Form- Last 5 Games | Philadelphia Union: D, D, D, L, L | Charlotte FC: D, L, W, W, D |
| Expected Goals: | Philadelphia Union: 32.49 xG | Charlotte FC: 26.5 xG |
| Total Goals Scored: | Philadelphia Union: 31 goals scored | Charlotte FC: 21 goals scored |
| Expected Conceded Goals: | Philadelphia Union: 23.6 xGA | Charlotte FC: 21.3 xGA |
| Goals Conceded: | Philadelphia Union: 29 goals conceded | Charlotte FC: 20 goals conceded |
| Top Goal-Scorers: | Philadelphia Union: Gazdag – 10, Carranza – 6, Uhre – 6 | Charlotte FC: Vargas – 4, Abada – 3, Agyemang – 3 |
| Top Assists Leaders: | Philadelphia Union: Wagner – 6, Sullivan – 5, McGlynn – 4 | Charlotte FC: Agyemang – 3, Uronen – 3, Westwood – 2 |
Player Availability
International call-ups and injuries continue to impact teams around MLS, and both the Union and Charlotte FC will be missing key players.
Please note: The latest injury report posted by MLS is from Tuesday, and unlike the Union, Charlotte FC did not list their absences in their match preview.
Philadelphia Union– Andre Blake (Injury), Isaiah LeFlore (Injury), Alejandro Bedoya (Injury), Daniel Gazdag (International Duty), Damion Lowe (International Duty), José Martinez (International Duty)
Charlotte FC- Junior Urso (Injury), Brandon Cambridge (Listed as questionable, but did not play Wednesday), Scott Arfield (Suspension)
Keys to the Game
1) Continue Wednesday’s Scoring
As previously mentioned, Charlotte does not allow or score many goals. While the Union shouldn’t expect to score 3 goals for the second game in a row, even 1 or 2 might be enough to secure the win. Speaking of goals on Wednesday…
2) Get It Together On Defense
Usually, when you score 3 goals in a game, you get the 3 points. Unfortunately, when you allow 4 goals in a game, you almost never win. The defense has struggled all season, and they, along with goalkeeper Oliver Semmle, will look to bounce back, get back on track, or whatever other cliché term you can think of for turning form around against Charlotte FC.
Honestly, at this point, tactics, plans, keys, and everything else goes out the window compared to the most important factor for breaking out of a slump like this: luck. The Union just need the ball to bounce their way for a little while.
Lineup Prediction
Most games following a loss where a team allowed 4 goals, you would expect to see significant lineup changes. With absences piling up, however, there isn’t nearly as much the home team can do to change things. I do expect them to go back to the standard 4-4-2 diamond, and of course, after scoring twice Wednesday, Tai Baribo has to start. Given that, here is the lineup I’m thinking we see Jim Curtin role out against Charlotte:
GK: Oliver Semmle
RB: Nathan Harriel, CB: Jakob Glesnes, CB: Jack Elliott, LB: Kai Wagner
CDM: Leon Flach
RCM: Quinn Sullivan, LCM: Jack McGlynn
CAM: Jeremy Rafanello
ST: Tai Baribo, ST: Mikael Uhre
Score Prediction
I’m looking at another low scoring affair, and until they prove they’re capable of it, I can’t predict a Union win, as much as I want to. It’s going to be hot, and I think the players will be drained more than usual as the match wears on, so I’m predicting some defensive lapses leading to a 1-1 draw.
Image Credit: Philadelphia Union
