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Philadelphia Union: 5 Must See Games this Season

By Chuck Booth

Oct 25, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; at PPL Park. The Union defeated Orlando City, 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; at PPL Park. The Union defeated Orlando City, 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 6, 2016; Harrison, NJ, USA; New York Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips (99) reacts to a call in his game against the Toronto FC during the second half at Red Bull Arena. Toronto FC won, 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2016; Harrison, NJ, USA; New York Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips (99) reacts to a call in his game against the Toronto FC during the second half at Red Bull Arena. Toronto FC won, 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /

The second rivalry game to make the list but there’s also the undertone of where the Philadelphia Union are and the Redbulls being where the Union want to be.

10/23 vs New York Red Bulls at Talen Energy Stadium-

What’s better than a rivalry game to end the season? The defending winners of the Supporters Shield are coming to town and the Philadelphia union have an all-time record of 6-2-10 (wins-ties-losses) against the Red Bulls. The Philadelphia Union haven’t enjoyed much success against the Redbulls during the regular season but the Union did knock them out of the US Open Cup en route to a cup final appearance last season.

When the Redbulls Sporting Director position was split into  GM and Sporting Director positions in 2013 they implemented a “Moneyball” approach akin to the one that the Philadelphia Union are currently implementing. When Jesse Marsch started coaching the team in 2015 he implemented a high-pressure pressing system and reaped instant rewards in winning the supporters shield. See parallels to what Jim Curtin is trying to do in Philadelphia?

On the pitch, the Redbulls are led by forward Bradley Wright-Phillips and midfielder Dax McCarty. They have had issues with their back line after the Matt Miazga transfer to Chelsea but those issues shouldn’t plague them for the entire season. This is another team on our list that is expected to be in playoff contention and even MLS Cup contention.

Next: Number 1 vs the Houston Dynamo

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