Philadelphia Union
Success in May laid the groundwork for Philadelphia Union’s current position
Way back in December when the MLS schedule was released, there were a couple of things that stood out for the Philadelphia Union: the month of May and the middle of September.
The month of May had seven league games and at least one U.S. Open Cup match that became two and the prospect of a deep run in the U.S. Open Cup meant the month of September could include a road trip to Vancouver and an Open Cup semifinal, which is the scenario the team now faces in the week ahead.
“That will be one of my months of my career,” Union head coach Bradley Carnell said Wednesday. “The month of May for me will go down in the history books that kind of laid the foundation for whatever’s happening now.”
The Union went unbeaten in May with five wins and four draws in all competitions that included a penalty kick victory over Indy Eleven and win over Pittsburgh Riverhounds at home in Open Cup play. Road wins in Montreal, Atlanta and Toronto and a wild comeback win over LA Galaxy at home marked a month that sent a message to the fans and the league that the Union were a team that could be a real challenger.
“There’s a bunch of games that I can remember on the road where we were just magnificent, sticking together as a group, grinding out, staying together, committing to each other,” Carnell said. “I think that’s the only way to survive on the road, especially in Vancouver.”
As road trips go, traveling the nearly 3,000 miles to Vancouver is as epic as it gets for a league game anywhere in the world outside of Russia and Australia. Add in that several players are returning from international travel and the weight of nearly a full season already on their legs and Saturday night’s game presents a unique challenge for a team still in the running for three major trophies.
“The travel is always challenging and tricky,” Carnell said. “But, you know, we get everybody in, and all the guys seem fine.”
Danley Jean Jacques is the lone player who hadn’t arrived in time for training on Wednesday. The one injury concern at the moment – Andre Blake – has been back training for two days but is status is still questionable for the weekend.
The Whitecaps, runners up in the Concacaf Champions Cup, have slipped in the standings to 7th in the Supporters’ Shield race but with two games in hand are just 8 points back of the Union so they’ll be focused on defending their home turf and re-inserting themselves into the conversation for the regular season title ahead of their own cup match (Canadian Championship) against Forge FC at home Tuesday.
The Union have won just once at BC Place – a 1-0 win on an 85th minute Antoine Hoppenot goal in 2013 – but they’re playing with plenty of confidence and have had success on the road this season with seven wins and a pair of draws away from home. A visit to Nashville SC will follow Saturday night’s game with the semifinal slated for 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
“We want to think just for the game of 90 minutes and how we’re going to solve that obstacle and solve that problem,” Carnell said. “There are a bunch of options, and we have some players who can play at multiple positions.”
Saturday’s match kicks off at 9:30 p.m. eastern and will be streamed live on MLS Season Pass.
