Brotherly Game Daily Links: Union open the 2021 MLS Season in Columbus

Philadelphia Union News

Know Your Enemy | Supporters’ Shield Winners open at MLS Cup Champions
Major League Soccer’s opening week concludes with a huge Eastern Conference clash as the 2020 Supporters’ Shield winners Philadelphia Union take on defending MLS Cup Champions Columbus Crew SC. Kick off from Historic Crew Stadium is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on FS1 and Fox Deportes.

The Union’s regular season opener Sunday vs. Columbus will be unlike any in MLS history
For the first time in Major League Soccer’s 26 years, the reigning Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup winners are facing off on a regular season’s opening weekend.

Darlington Nagbe is out for the Crew against the Philadelphia Union
Nagbe was subbed off in the second half of that April 8 match in Nicaragua and was unavailable for the second leg in Columbus this past Thursday from the nagging hamstring.

MLS News

MLS Matchweek 1: Saturday Scoreboard
The first full day of action in the 2021 Major League Soccer season kicked off on Saturday with the league’s newest team making its debut, a handful of Derbies promising action, and more.

A real, organic rivalry between Nashville and Cincinnati
Real rivalries need more than just a pair of teams in the same region. They need history, hard fought matches, and bad blood. Nashville SC’s rivalry with Cincinnati has all of these things.

The Crew’s Aidan Morris out for the season with torn ACL
Morris fell hard to the pitch in pain from a non-contact play in Thursday night’s win against Real Esteli in the CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16. He left the match in just the ninth minute and was seen watching in a full leg brace for the duration of the second half.

LAFC mutually part ways with goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer
The 35-year-old had one season with LAFC, where he split the starting duties with Pablo Sisniega. While the Dutch veteran had been expected to be the No. 1 and LAFC hoped he would be the final piece to help them win a trophy in 2020, his play was inconsistent. 

Rest of the World News

Chelsea end Man City quadruple dream to reach FA Cup final
Hakim Ziyech’s second-half strike was enough to see Chelsea book their place in the competition’s final for the second consecutive season.

Messi scores twice as Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao to win Copa del Rey
After a cagey first half, Barcelona opened the scoring on the hour mark through Antoine Griezmann, who turned in Frenkie de Jong’s cross after slipping in front of a defender at the near post.