Philadelphia Union
Union bring red-hot form to Kansas City
The red-hot Union takes a road trip to Kansas City to take on the ice-cold Sporting KC. The Boys in Blue found their stride over the last two weeks, beating FC Cincinnati and San Diego FC by more than four goals. Cavan Sullivan, in particular, is in incredible form, scoring five goals in as many games.
More importantly, the Union sits on the brink of history. A win or draw this evening would tie their franchise record for 11 consecutive league matches unbeaten. If you want a team to face as you approach that milestone, it’s bottom-of-the-table Sporting KC. Let’s break down tonight’s Midwest matchup.
SKC’s Offense Is Clicking, But Can Its Defense Hold?
Sporting KC has struggled over the last five years. Their best position in the Supporters’ Shield race has been 15th, and they are scraping the bottom of the barrel this year. However, the issues aren’t as deep as they seem offensively.
SKC have scored eight goals in their last five matches. Most recently, they took it to LAFC, defeating the Black and Gold 3-1 to end a seven-match winless run. In their last two matches, they’ve registered at least 20 shots in each.
Who are the characters making this offense click? It all starts with their young, Concacaf front line. 24-year-old American Taylor Calheira and 25-year-old Canadian Stephen Afrifa have three goals apiece this season, and they continue to fire on a young attacking front.
Additionally, André Luiz found his first goal for Sporting this past week, making him a threat to the Union backline in tonight’s match. Luiz joined the club in August, and in the club’s last two matches, players in their first season have scored five goals.
SKC’s problems sit on the back line; they join recent Union opponent FC Cincinnati at the bottom of the league with 59 goals against. While they kept LAFC to just one goal last weekend, that will be a point of contention for a Union team that has allowed nine goals in its last two matches.
Stefan Cleveland, who arrived from Austin FC, sits between the sticks for SKC and looks to keep the Union off the board to extend their winning streak this season. The center-back duo is also youthful for the club, with 24-year-old Wyatt Meyer and 25-year-old Moisés Mosquera joining together at the core of the back line.
They will have to be perfect this evening to keep the Union off the board.
Keys to Success
Historically, Sporting has played well against Union at home. They have lost only twice to the Boys in Blue at home, and they will feed off the home crowd to build momentum this evening. Ultimately, SKC needs another perfect performance to be competitive this evening, and if they can find early goals, they may frustrate Union as they chase history.
Union’s Red-Hot Attack Has Them Chasing History
What a time to be a Philadelphia Union fan. The Boys in Blue have been unstoppable since the World Cup break, and now they visit struggling SKC with a chance to reach 11 matches unbeaten in their second straight season.
Yes, Bradley Carnell’s Supporters’ Shield-winning Union team were ALSO 11 unbeaten.
Much of this comes from a reborn Philly attack. Start with the youngsters. Cavan Sullivan is here, and his world-class playstyle is hard to ignore. The soon-to-be 17-year-old is scoring goals and, better yet, assisting them too. Cavan has 11 assists and six goals this season.
Additionally, everyone is getting in on the goal-scoring party of late. Bruno Damiani looks like a brand new man, scoring four goals in his last two matches. Quinn Sullivan, Milan Iloski, and Malik Jakupović have also scored in their last two matches.
The offense needs to keep clicking if the Union wants to keep climbing. They now sit seventh in the Eastern Conference, just a point behind Orlando City and six behind Chicago.
The Union plays both clubs in the coming weeks.
The U are now the third-highest-scoring team in the Eastern Conference behind only Nashville SC and Inter Miami. If they keep this up, they could sneak into that spot in the standings.
Defensively, the Union has also kept clean sheets in their last three matches. The line is clicking on all cylinders, and much of this has to do with the play of centerbacks Neil Pierre and Nathan Harriel. The two complement each other perfectly, and they will be strong again tonight against a SKC side that is starting to click.
With great form comes great accolades; Cavan Sullivan, Neil Pierre and Frankie Westfield all received call-ups to the USMNT. Danley Jean Jacques and Andre Blake also received nods to Haiti and Jamaica.
All of these players will miss the upcoming match against Orlando City.
Keys to Success
I take the Union again, big. The Boys in Blue will be too much for a Sporting side that can’t keep the ball out of their own net. As a fan of the U, I would watch to see if the Union can keep another clean sheet against a surging SKC offense. Let’s let the good times roll.
You can catch the match at 8:30 PM on Apple TV+.
