In the second match of their two-game road trip, the Philadelphia Union will host CF Montreal on Saturday afternoon at Subaru Park.
On Wednesday, the Union extended their unbeaten run in MLS to three consecutive matches thanks to a 0-0 draw versus Toronto, while Le CFM finally got back in the win column, defeating DC United 4-2.
Match preview
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Over the past couple of weeks, Philly have returned to what made them successful in past regular seasons, playing a well-organised and disciplined defensive game.
That has been among the most consistent attributes of this side through the years under Jim Curtin, and they enter this upcoming weekend having gone three successive encounters without conceding.
While Curtin can have little to complain about with their defensive structure of late, it must be concerning that his side are struggling so much at home, winless in five successive MLS contests in Chester.
That poor home form is the reason Philadelphia are in the unfamiliar position of clinging to a playoff spot, winning only one MLS contest at Subaru Park this year (2-0 over Minnesota United) and only above Nashville SC for the final post-season berth on goal difference.
More often than not in the 2024 domestic campaign, it has taken over 45 minutes or longer for their attack to come to life, with only six of their 25 goals scored in this competition occurring in the opening half.
They are unbeaten in their previous four home contests against CF Montreal, winning this exact fixture last season by a 3-0 score.
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At long last, Le CFM supporters had something to cheer about on Wednesday as their side ended a nine-match winless run in all competitions.
The four goals that this team scored in their midweek victory over DC United are as many as they had managed in their previous four MLS encounters combined.
Another victory this weekend would match their longest winning run of the 2024 regular season and also end a six-match winless run for them away from home in league play.
Five of those six encounters wound up in defeat, many of which were ugly, with Montreal losing three of those contests by three goals or more.
Only conceding twice, as they did on Wednesday, is actually relatively encouraging for Laurent Courtois's men, who have been anything but compact on the back end, allowing 15 goals combined in their previous five league fixtures played before Wednesday.
The last time they came away with three points at Subaru Park was in 2018 when they were known as the Montreal Impact, though they have claimed at least a point in two of their previous three visits to Chester.
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Team News
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A lingering knee injury kept Union keeper Andre Blake off the field on Wednesday, Isaiah LeFlore sat out with a sore right knee and Holden Trent was unavailable due to a finger issue.
Julian Carranza, who has been linked with a move to Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, missed their midweek encounter, though Curtin said afterwards that he picked up a knock in training, while Damion Lowe was an unused substitute once again.
With the return of Blake still up in the air, Oliver Semmle has stepped up when called upon, making three stops at home to Toronto for his third successive clean sheet of this competition.
There are still plenty of Montreal players on the injured list, including Ousman Jabang (adductor), Mason Toye (hamstring), Lassi Lappalainen (hip) and Josef Martinez (knee).
For weeks, it has been reported that Kwadwo Opoku is nearing a return from the injured list, but he was not on the team sheet in midweek, Matias Coccaro remains sidelined with a leg injury, while Raheem Edwards and Nathan-Dylan Saliba were back in the fold as substitutes.
Mathieu Choiniere and Samuel Piette will have to miss this encounter for Montreal, having each been cautioned in their midweek victory.
Sunusi Ibrahim came on for Jules-Anthony Vilsaint before their match with DC was 20 minutes old, and the Nigerian wound up netting a brace, with the other strikes coming courtesy of Ariel Lassiter and Choiniere.
Philadelphia Union possible starting lineup:
Semmle; Harriel, Glesnes, Elliott, Wagner; Flach; Bedoya, Martinez; Gazdag; Uhre, Donovan
CF Montreal possible starting lineup:
Sirois; Corbo, Waterman, Alvarez; Ruan, Yankov, Wanyama, Edwards; Duke, Lassiter; Ibrahim
We say: Philadelphia Union 1-0 CF Montreal
The difference in this one lies in the defensive shape of each side, with the Union back to being strong and compact in that department, while Le CFM are still trying to fix those issues.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
