Philadelphia Union: Are the Union Playoff bound?

HOME vs Toronto FC, 7 p.m. August 20th

Very important game for the “Boy’s in Blue” as they take on an extremely talented Toronto squad. Toronto has a few international stars, United State’s Men’s National Team players, Captain Michael Bradley and Striker Jozy Altidore. Along with the USMNT players, they have Italian standout Sebastian Giovinco. Giovinco is currently tied for first in the Golden Boot (most goals in the league) running, with 15 goals.

Toronto comes in riding a five-game unbeaten streak, they had four straight win’s before a 1-1 draw in their game vs the Houston Dynamo. Giovinco may lead Toronto in goal’s, however, he accounts for 44% of Toronto’s goals.

The Dynamo may have shown teams how to slow down Toronto, communication and sitting deep. The Philadelphia Union like to have good pressure up the field, lots of times deploying into a high press. They might abandon the press or only use it during certain occasions, kind of like we saw in the game vs New York Red Bull.

The biggest test for the Union will be to shut down the speedy Italian, Giovinco. We will likely see a lineup change, Centerback Joshua Yaro in for Ken Tribbett. Yaro has the speed to keep up with Giovinco.  Shut him down and they will likely see positive results.

The Philadelphia Union come into this one after arguably their best performance of the season, getting a much needed  4-0 win. This is one of the biggest matches of the season for both squads, as a win for the Union moves them into a tie for second with Toronto, pending the result of the Red Bull game. Talen Energy Stadium will be rocking, Alejandro Bedoya make’s his home debut and an important conference game.

Game Expectation’s

Expect a close, gritty game, Toronto hasn’t lost a game since July 19th, a month later their unbeaten streak will come to an end and the Philadelphia Union win 2-1.
Current Record: 10-8-7, 37 points.

Next: Game 2: Columbus Crew SC