The Philadelphia Union will head to Atlanta this Sunday for their 5th road game in 7 MLS league matches (7 on the road total) as they head to Atlanta, Georgia to face Eastern Conference foe Atlanta United on Sunday at 2:30pm, which can be seen on Apple and on Fox.
Atlanta has not always been the generous “Southern Hospitality” for the club, their lone win coming in 2021’s edition of Concacaf Champions Cup (then League). In league play, the Union are 0-3-4 all time in Mercedes Benz Stadium and suffered a 2-0 defeat last season only to avenge that game with 3-2 later in season.
“No detail is left unchecked from the coaches’ locker rooms to the visiting locker rooms to the the incredible facility, the suites, it’s a perfect building, you know, minus the turf,” said Head Coach Jim Curtin. “They know how to utilize the spacing on that field, the turf, the different things that come with it. They water it before so it’s still fast turf as well. So there’s little details that make it a real home field advantage for them and they’ve been really successful in that building. So we have to be smart.”
If the Union were to come away with a point(s) this Sunday it would surely go a long away to keep the Union on top of the table in the east this early of the season.
Player Availability
Jim also commented on the players’ availability for Sunday. “The guys are confident; they’re sharp. You know, everybody is healthy and fully participating,” he mentioned. “Kai came back a little slower, then Mikael was back in training when we returned. I’m sure he’s in a little bit of pain and soreness, but nothing that’ll prevent him from playing and contributing.”
With Blake and Uhre, who missed the last match in Nashville, it is good to see they are both back. Kai Wagner, who left last Saturday with a bruise, looks like he is ready to go as well.
Union fans will be happy to see that Leon Flach is back with the group, and it will be curious to see if he is ready for the Union’s next home match versus Real Salt Lake on April 27th.
Other Notes of Interest
Looking at the rest of the press conference, just a few other notes from Jim Curtin:
Changes in the rules
The Athletic had reported on Tuesday some incoming rosters to be approved and implemented during the Summer Transfer Window. Jim shared his thoughts on this: “I think you’ll see some changes for sure. Is it unique to do that in the middle of a season, of course, you know, you have to adapt and adjust. And some plans obviously have to shift and change, he said.”
“Obviously, there’ll be maybe some flexibility of how designations of players maybe are tweaked a little bit. There’s buyout options now, there’s the possibility of maybe more you use (U-22) How do you use them, or maybe we a club, that this is just thinking out loud, or we as a club that that utilizes them on good young American players as a strategy for us where you secure them for a little while.” And they, I’ll just say, hit your cap at a much friendlier number for the length of that contract.”
Something to keep an eye on with MLS trying to capitalize on Messi, it remains to be seen if the league’s investment will be fruitful. If they want to take advantage of it, this is a step in the right direction.
The Top Three Scoring Historical Numbers
With MLS releasing its best teammates to score in an MLS Game, the Union had two on that list. Tied for first, where Julian and Daniel tied at 15 for first and Mikael and Daniel scoring as well on that list. Here is what Jim had to say:
“You can spend whatever you want but it’s been proven time and time again in this league money does not guarantee anything. It doesn’t guarantee a player to be perfect on the field,” he said. “There’s plenty of 5, 8, 10, even $15 million players in this league that have not worked out so finding the right player for your club is something that’s important. I think our scouting department does a great job in that those tandems are really really talented obviously. It’s pretty incredible how quickly they gelled together and are towards the top in terms of a duo scoring goals.”
With Julian and Daniel scoring in the same game next they will set the record for most duo goals in MLS history. That is really an amazing feat, and a credit to the coach and scouting for their success with those three players.
Final Thought
While Atlanta United has gotten a case of the injury bug, The Union will still have their hands full. This game reminds me of the 2022 game at NYCFC. Should the Union get a point or 3 points, it will go a long way in instilling confidence in the club’s players through the summer, Leagues Cup, and into the MLS playoffs.
If you are heading to Atlanta for this match, make sure to check out my places to check out while in Atlanta, and send us your comments on the game and your tip so we can discuss them on the next episode of the podcast.
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