With the return of Andre Blake, the Philadelphia Union managed to string together a number of results, sending them on yet another deep tournament run with hopes of bringing a trophy back to Subaru Park.
But despite Union starting to find their footing, within the past 10 days they’ve crashed out of the Leagues Cup Semi-Final, squandered away their opportunity to clinch a spot in next season’s CONCACAF Champions Cup, and lost to Wilfried Nancy and the Columbus Crew twice in a week – one of which against a heavily rotated team from Nancy.
Now, with just 8 games left and sitting below the playoff line, Jim Curtin and the Philadelphia Union head up to Harrison, NJ for an Eastern Conference matchup with the New York Red Bulls. Here’s what to expect from an important showdown between conference rivals.
How to watch Union vs NY Red Bulls
When: Saturday, August 31st @ 7:30pm
Where: Red Bull Arena
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Philadelphia Union vs NY Red Bulls betting Odds
Home (Red Bulls): -140
Draw: +310
Away (Union): +360
Union’s Season So Far
Union come into Saturday’s matchup against NYRB’s with an overall record of 6W-8D-11L in 26 MLS games this season, putting them at 10th place in the East and currently 1 spot below the playoff line. Andre Blake’s return and Union’s run to the Leagues Cup Semi-Final has given then team some of their confidence back, but 3 straight losses puts pressure on Jim Curtin’s side to get a result on the road this weekend.
Red Bulls Season So Far
Sandro Schwarz and the New York Red Bulls come into the weekend sitting in 4th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 10 wins, 12 draws and just 4 losses on the season. Despite losing just once in their previous 10 MLS matches, Schwarz side has only collected 2 wins in that span. In 12 league games at home this season, Red Bulls have a record of 7 wins, 5 draws and 0 losses, looking to keep that streak going against Union.
Union vs Red Bulls History
In 43 total matches between Union and red Bulls, Philadelphia has the slight edge with Union winning 19 games, Red Bulls winning 15, and 9 resulting in a draw. In the 43 meetings between the two clubs, Union have outscored Red Bulls by a total of 68-63.
Red Bulls come into the weekend with zero losses at home in the 2024 season, but Union come to Red Bull Arena with zero losses against NYRB in the previous 13 meetings between the two clubs. You have to go all the way back to the fall of 2019 for Red Bulls’ last victory against Jim Curtin and the Union – a 2-0 victory at Red Bull arena.
Since then, Jim Curtin’s Union team have a record of 9 wins (2 in extra time, 1 on pens) and 3 draws against the Red Bulls, and outscoring their I95 rivals by a total of 21 to 8. During that span, Union have recorded 7 clean sheets, and have only conceded more than 1 goal in a single game – the first of the 12 games, Union’s first MLS Playoff victory back in 2019. Since that first playoff win, Union have had undeniably owned the Red Bulls.
Preview By The Numbers
| Current Form- Last 5 Games | Philadelphia: W,D,L,D,L | Red Bulls: D,W,D,D,D |
| Expected Goals: | Philadelphia: 47.56 xG (7th best) | Red Bulls: 45.95 xG (9th best) |
| Total Goals Scored: | Philadelphia: 45 goals scored(5th best) | Red Bulls: 41 goals scored(t-11th best) |
| Expected Conceded Goals: | Philadelphia: 38.4 xGA (15th best) | Red Bulls: 29.2 xGA (2nd best) |
| Goals Conceded: | Philadelphia: 43 goals conceded (t-13th best) | Red Bulls: 32 goals conceded (t-5th best) |
| Top Goal-Scorers: | Philadelphia: Gazdag – 14, Baribo/Uhre – 6, McGlynn – 3 | Red Bulls: Morgan – 12, Forsberg/Manoel – 6, Harper – 5 |
| Top Assists Leaders: | Philadelphia: Wagner – 10, – Sullivan – 7, McGlynn – 5 | Red Bulls: Vanzier – 9, Morgan/Manoel/Nealis – 4, Amaya/Eile/Forsberg/Carmona- 3 |
Available Players and Predicted Lineup
Red Bulls Availability Report:
OUT: Emil Forsberg (lower leg)
OUT: Roald Mitchell (knee)
QUESTIONABLE: Wiki Carmona (thigh)
QUESTIONABLE: Serge Ngoma (knee)
QUESTIONABLE: Andres Reyes (foot)
QUESTIONABLE: Peter Stroud (ankle)
Union Availability Report
OUT: Isaiah LeFlore (knee)
QUESTIONABLE: Nathan Harriel (back)
Union Predicted Starting XI
4-4-2 Diamond
GK: Andre Blake
RB: Olivier Mbaizo, CB: Jakob Glesnes, CB: Jack Elliott, LB: Kai Wagner
CDM: Leon Flach
RCM: Danley Jean-Jacques, LCM: Jack McGlynn
ST: Mikael Uhre, ST: Tai Baribo
After not starting on Wednesday and Jim Curtin announcing that the option on his contract for the 2025 season has already been triggered due to performance based incentives, I’m expecting Mikael Uhre to get the start up top next to Tai Baribo on Saturday night. Nate Harriel is questionable following back spasms he’s experiencing after Wednesday’s early departure against Columbus, so I’m thinking Jim will be cautious and start Mbaizo at Right Back.
The midfield is honestly quite a toss up for me. I could see Danley playing the CDM or either side of the diamond, or not starting at all to be honest. Leon Flach could also play either CDM or one of the shuttler positions, but I do think there’s a decently possibility he’s in the starting XI. Jack McGlynn played less than 20 minutes against Columbus on Wednesday, so I’m expecting him to get the start as well. Jesus Bueno and Ale Bedoya are obviously some other names that could come into the midfield conversation, but I think Bedoya is the more likely of the 2 to find their way into the starting lineup.
Score Prediction
I think Jim Curtin and the Union go up to Red Bull Arena on Saturday and extend their undefeated streak against the Red Bulls to 14 games, but only bring 1 point back to Philadelphia. I’m expecting a hard-fought, scrappy, chaotic, and energized game as both teams look for a big win heading towards the final playoff push. Red Bulls won’t be happy with a draw at home, they’ll want to beat the Union and will probably push hard to get there. But ultimately, I see the two teams sharing the points in a back and forth 2-2 draw on Saturday night.
Mandatory Credit: Philadelphia Union
