One of only two unbeaten teams at home in this MLS campaign will put that streak to the test on Saturday, as the Philadelphia Union host the New England Revolution at Subaru Park.
Philly are first in the Eastern Conference following a 2-1 road victory against Inter Miami, while the Revs dropped outside of the playoff picture last Saturday, losing 4-2 versus New York City FC.
Match preview
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In one game last Friday, Philly managed to tally as many goals as they had in their previous eight league games combined, handing DC United a 7-0 defeat.
That was the most goals ever scored by this team in a single MLS encounter, and it temporarily silenced their critics who have suggested their missing ingredient is a number nine.
One area that has never been in question for Jim Curtin's side is how well they defend, particularly in the City of Brotherly Love, where they have posted five clean sheets in 2022.
The Union have not conceded a first-half strike in five consecutive encounters, while they have also allowed the fewest goals in the league (14), seven fewer than the next best team.
It looks like they are finding their groove, as their intelligent and aggressive play in midfield has made life easy for the backline to hold their positions and clear any danger that might come their way.
While until recently they have long been criticized for lacking flair and enough attacking intent, there is no denying their results, suffering just two defeats in 2022, the fewest at this stage of a regular season for them in franchise history.
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The Revolution were literally penalized in their previous encounter, as a record three penalty kicks were called against them, two of which were converted in the Bronx last weekend.
As you can imagine, Bruce Arena was none too pleased about the penalty decisions, saying afterwards that someone owed his club an apology for what he perceived to be some questionable refereeing decisions, including a red card which reduced them to 10 men minutes before the interval.
Controversial or not, the four goals conceded was the most New England had allowed in a regular-season encounter since 2019 when they conceded four or more on three occasions, including a 6-1 thumping at Subaru Park to the Union at the start of May that year.
They continue to be plagued by poor defensive efforts, allowing the fourth-most goals (32) so far in the Eastern Conference.
On the attacking side, the Revs have managed to stay relatively sharp despite a massive turnover with players being sold and others being bought, as they possess a roster with a solid identity who can mesh well with one another.
That depth propelled them to their first Supporters' Shield title in 2021, and if they can show a little more structure on the back end, there is a belief that this could be a dangerous team in the second half of the campaign.
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Team News
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The Julian Carranza, Mikael Uhre, and Alejandro Bedoya show propelled the Union to that lopsided victory last weekend, but they were upstaged by Daniel Gazdag and Cory Burke, who both found the back of the net in Miami.
Goalkeeper Andre Blake is second in the league regarding clean sheets (eight), one fewer than Sean Johnson, as he and teammate Kai Wagner were the two Union players selected for the all-star game next month in Minnesota.
Jack Elliott is the only injury concern for Curtin heading into this encounter as he has a sprained knee, while three changes were made to the opening lineup on Wednesday as Stuart Findlay, Olivier Mbaizo and Burke replaced Nathan Harriel, Elliott and Carranza in the starting 11.
Gustavo Bou notched a brace in New England's defeat last weekend, his fifth and sixth of the campaign, while DeJuan Jones and Sebastian Lletget registered assists.
Carles Gil, who was the only player selected from the Revs for the upcoming all-star match, has created 66 chances this year, including two against the reigning league champs and Djordje Petrovic recorded seven saves in that defeat, the most of his young MLS career.
Tommy McNamara returned from suspension last weekend, replacing Maciel, while Andrew Farrell will be out of this game after his controversial red card at Yankee Stadium.
Philadelphia Union possible starting lineup:
Blake; Wagner, Harriel, Glesnes, Elliott; Martinez; Flach, Bedoya; Gazdag, Uhre, Carranza
New England Revolution possible starting lineup:
Petrovic; Jones, Kessler, Bell, Bye; Maciel, Traustason; Borrero, Gil, Boateng; Bou
We say: Philadelphia Union 2-1 New England Revolution
Expect the Revs to be in a foul mood after the way they lost their previous encounter, though the Union are well-equipped to handle their dangerous attacking players as they are perhaps the most structurally sound team in the league and, at the moment, are firing on all cylinders.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
