After a two-hour delay that started just before kickoff, Wednesday night’s US Open Cup Quarterfinal between the Philadelphia Union and New York Red Bulls has been postponed due to severe weather in the area surrounding Subaru Park.
Open Cup Quarterfinal Postponed
The make-up date is now set for Wednesday, August 13th, at Subaru Park. The winner will advance to take on B.J. Callaghan and Nashville SC in the Open Cup Semifinal in Music City on September 16th or 17th.
The weather delay initially went into effect right after the National Anthem and just before kick-off at 7 pm, delaying the match for an unknown time. And once it started raining, it REALLY came down.
If you were at last season’s canceled match against Seattle, the scenes on Wednesday night felt familiar. Lots of rain quickly made the surface at Subaru Park unplayable. There was no chance this one was getting played last night.
Jillian from The One Team We Agree On captured some footage of the water-logged pitch almost two hours after the initial delay. It looked more like a swimming pool than a soccer field.
The fans didn’t let the bad weather spoil the night entirely, though. Both sets of supporters met in the Subaru Park concourse and sang their club’s songs while they waited out the rain, as captured by @/Union_Doop4 on X.
Delay Allows Union Time To Get Fit
Making the trip to Subaru Park on a Wednesday night just to sit and wait out the rain for two hours and eventually be sent home is a huge bummer for all who made the trip, but Wednesday night’s Quarterfinal match being postponed might help the Union in the long run.
You can’t predict what everyone’s health will be like over a month from now, but you have to be hopeful that the Union will be at full strength on August 13th than it was last night.
Mikael Uhre, Jesús Bueno, and Frankie Westfield were all set to miss out on Wednesday night due to injury, but they should all be back and ready to go shortly, barring any setbacks or additional injuries. Ian Glavinovich, who hasn’t played since April 5th due to a torn meniscus, will hopefully be close to returning or back in the lineup at that point as well.
It also allows guys like Tai Baribo, who just returned to Philly from a prolonged stay in Israel, and others like Nate Harriel and Quinn Sullivan, who were representing the USMNT at the Gold Cup, time to rest and reintegrate into the squad.
Make-Up Date Causes Congestion For Red Bulls
Another way this rescheduled date could play into the Union’s hands is by coming at a more congested point on the Red Bulls’ schedule, as the August 13th date is just five days following the final Group Stage game of the US/Mexican competition.
From July 26th to August 13th, the Red Bulls will play six competitive matches:
- At Chicago Fire on July 26th (MLS)
- Guadalajara on July 31st (Leagues Cup)
- Monterrey on August 3rd (Leagues Cup)
- Juárez on August 7th (Leagues Cup)
- Real Salt Lake on August 10th (MLS)
- At Philadelphia Union on August 13th (US Open Cup)
Most knockout matches of the Leagues Cup would be played midweek, where the US Open Cup Quarterfinal make-up with the Union will fall on August 13th.
The Union, which isn’t participating in this year’s edition of the League Cup, will play four matches from July 26th to August 13th, all of which will be played at Subaru Park.
- Colorado Rapids on July 26th (MLS)
- Eintracht Frankfurt on August 2nd (Friendly)
- Toronto FC on August 9th (MLS)
- Red Bulls on August 13th (US Open Cup)
Up Next For The Union
We’ll do it all again on Saturday night, as the Union and Red Bulls kick off in MLS play at Subaru Park at 7:30 p.m. The Red Bulls, coming into Saturday’s match looking for their first win in MLS play since May 31st, will hope to find points on the road to improve on their current 8th-place standing in the Eastern Conference.
The Union, sitting at 40 points and just two behind the Supporters Shield leaders in FC Cincinnati, will be looking to shake their first 2-game losing streak under Head Coach Bradley Carnell on Saturday night against Eastern Conference Rival, the New York Red Bulls.
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Featured Image Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
