Philadelphia Union look to make it five wins in a row on Saturday

The Philadelphia Union look to extend their winning streak to five matches, as they head to Real Salt Lake this weekend.

The ins and outs

Real Salt Lake (3-2-8) vs. Philadelphia Union (4-4-4)

When: Saturday 8:00 p.m. ET – Rio Tinto Stadium (Salt Lake City, UT)

Where to watch: Comcast Sportsnet (CSN).

Streaming: MLS Live

PRO Referees: Fotis Bazakos, Peter Balcuinas (AR1), Apolinar Mariscal (AR2), Daniel Radford (AR4).

Coaches: Mike Petke (Real Salt Lake) – Jim Curtin (Philadelphia Union).

Looking to keep the surprising run going!
The Philadelphia Union take a four game winning streak into Salt Lake City this weekend, looking to make it five wins in a row. Who ever thought we would hear those words after a dreadful start to the season? But seriously, the Union are one of the hottest teams in all of Major League Soccer. after an 0-4-4 start, the Union have taken the scalps of the New York Red Bulls, D.C. United, the Houston Dynamo, and the Colorado Rapids in the last few weeks. In that four game winning streak, the Union have kept three clean sheets with goalkeeper Andre Blake making some important saves in that run.

More from Philadelphia Union

Two offseason arrivals have really gelled the past few weeks as well, midfielder Haris Medunjanin and defender Jack Elliott. Medunjanin, 32, curled home what proved to be the winning goal against Colorado last weekend. His stellar start to his MLS career rewarded him with a call-up to Bosnia’s international squad for June’s WCQ’s. Elliott, 21, has made huge strides in the defensive backline and hasn’t missed a beat yet. As for Real Salt Lake, they come into this match off a 1-0 loss at Seattle, and losers of four of their last five matches. Striker Yura Movsisyan leads the team with four goals, while midfielder Kyle Beckerman is suspended for Saturday’s match.

Possible Lineups/ Injury Report:
As for the lineup, a lot should stay the same. Auston Trusty and Derrick Jones are on international duty with the U.S. U-20’s, while Fabian Herbers recently joined the injured list with a groin problem. The German winger is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. Defender Josh Yaro should be back for selection in the coming week or so, while Ilsinho is questionable with a gastric strain.

Keys to the Game:

Be the boss against a struggling side.
Coming into this match, we have two teams in different runs of form. The Union have won their last four matches, while RSL have lost four of five. In those five losses, RSL have been held scoreless while is pretty surprising. The main key for the Union is to come out with the same energy as the last few matches. Despite a poor opening against the Rapids last weekend, the Union were able to dig in and get a win. The pace and skill of Fafa Picault and Chris Pontius should cause problems for RSL’s back-line, especially with Kyle Beckerman absent in midfield. I expect the Union to look to quiet the crowd early on Saturday evening.

Next: Alejandro Bedoya: Changing the tide

Player to Watch: C.J. Sapong

The former Sporting KC man leads the Union with eight goals so far this season, including four in the month of May. The 28-year-old veteran is a physical forward and has been a great team player for the blue and gold this season. Even when he is not scoring, Sapong adds another element to the attacking front and is always ready to put in a performance for the good of the team. Coming into this match against a struggling RSL defense (24 goals allowed), look for Sapong to add to his total on Saturday evening.

Home/Philadelphia Union