Chester — There is sure to be a little extra excitement in the air on Saturday night as the Philadelphia Union return home for the second of three consecutive home matches to kick off the month of May. They’ll face the Columbus Crew on Military Appreciation Night at Subaru Park.

Coming off Wednesday’s 1-1 draw against USL Championship side Indy Eleven in the Round of 32 of the U.S. Open Cup — with Philadelphia advancing 5-4 in a penalty kick shootout — the Union now turn their attention to a very important match, which will see the top two sides in the MLS Eastern Conference battle for the first time this season.

And while much of the fans’ focus will be on the return of the Union’s all-time leading scorer, Daniel Gazdag, for the first time since the trade to Chester, this is also a big opportunity for Philadelphia to keep pace with the top of the East.

As Philadelphia Union head coach Bradley Carnell said during his press conference on Friday, he doesn’t put too much weight on the hype surrounding the match — his focus remains on the match itself and the process of navigating the early part of the MLS regular season.

“If I were to ask you what you thought of us four months ago and where we should be and expect it to be. I don’t think anyone would have had us where we are. And like I just said earlier, we very early on in the season. And you know right now we’re focusing on us over the next couple games, and then over the next game specifically, and anything that comes in our way, we’re going to try and be competitive. And if that makes us win, we’ll win, and that’s the thing, but the order of the day is to be competitive and compete in every match and build a platform and a foundation to be successful. And I think that’s in the process. People can clearly see we’re in that sort of phase at the moment.”

Another factor heading into Saturday’s match is that while this will be Columbus’ only match of the week, Philadelphia endured a grueling 120-minute contest, with several players logging more minutes than usual on Wednesday. Add to that the players already dealing with injuries and knocks from the Indy Eleven match, and it’s fair to wonder who will be available on Saturday.

Carnell addressed player status for the match, noting that both goalkeeper Andre Blake and Oliver Mbaizo are questionable. When MLS released the official player availability report, only Blake and Mbaizo, along with long-term absentees Ian Glavinovich and Neil Pierre, were listed.

On the flipside, for Wilfried Nancy’s side, defender Rudy Camacho is out with a thigh injury, as is fellow backline teammate Andrés Herrera, who is also dealing with a thigh issue.

Looking at the matchup historically, the Columbus Crew have recorded 5 wins, 1 draw, and 11 losses all-time in MLS regular season play at Subaru Park, with a -17 goal differential during that span. However, as Carnell prefers to live in the present, recent form tells a different story: the Union are winless in their last four matches against Nancy’s squad. The Crew come in hot, with 4 wins and just 1 loss in their last 5 matches, outscoring opponents 10-6 in that stretch — something Carnell and his staff are well aware of.

“I mean, they can manipulate you in many different ways. I mean, they’re one of the best counter pressing teams of the league. They were one of the best football teams playing teams in the league in terms of their position and progression. So yeah, we have to be on high alert and aware and come up with a game plan that can hopefully mitigate that.”

The Crew’s midfield — featuring Darlington Nagbe, Mohamed Farsi, Dylan Chambost, and Maximilian Arfsten — will present a significant challenge for the Union. And beyond Gazdag, Nancy’s squad also boasts Diego Rossi (6 goals, 1 assist) and Jacen Russell-Rowe (4 goals, 1 assist), both of whom pose a serious threat with their ability to get into dangerous spaces and create chances.

“Obviously it’s fun to watch. You know when you’re doing the scout and you know they’re able to pick up spots between the lines, you know you have Jason Russell running the line so and all the they’re so flexible and variable in their build up. And any player can be in any position at any time, as long as the structure remains. And that’s, you know, credit to Wilfred and the job he’s done there. And it’s fun to watch, and it’s a great challenge for us to have, because, yeah, we believe in a certain way, and they believe in a certain way, and that’s often the beauty of matchups. So yeah, we’re excited to try and frustrate them on the day, you know, and we’re going to play free and brave.”

In other news, the Union have signed former Union Academy player and 2022 MLS SuperDraft No. 1 overall pick Ben Bender to a contract for the remainder of the 2025 MLS season.

The midfielder, a Maryland native, was an All-American at the University of Maryland and appeared in 51 games for Charlotte FC, scoring 7 goals and recording 1 assist.

Philadelphia Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner shared his thoughts on the signing:

“We’ve been following Ben’s development since he joined the Union Academy in 2015 and have watched him become a highly productive young player. He had a standout inaugural professional season and has the ability to be a great finisher. He adds a goal-scoring threat to our midfield, and we look forward to seeing his contributions.”

Carnell also commented on what Bender brings to the squad:

“I think as we go through these summer months now, and I think we we need a lot of bodies in and around our training environment. We need a lot of bodies in and around Game Day environments. And he’s come in, and he has a certain skill set, and we think he has something to offer that maybe could be lacking in our roster. So, you know, we just have to get him up to a certain level or baseline level of fitness and go from there. But he’s shown a good clean he’s clean around the goal, you know, he can finish off plays as a good goal scoring record, and is highly talented, you know, coming out, you know, super draft pick and number one in the league. And, yeah, I think he shows a lot of value when, when he is needed, and when he when he’s contributor for Charlotte. So, you know, we have to have him with us, and we just need to get him up to speed early, especially with our style of play.”

Bender had a successful rookie season in MLS in 2022, recording 3 goals and 6 assists with Charlotte. However, injuries and a change in team philosophy offered the former academy product a fresh start. For the Union, it’s a low-risk, high-reward signing — if he produces, it’s a win; if not, the club can move on in the offseason.

Finally, Saturday will be Military Appreciation Night at Subaru Park, with a number of festivities planned for fans to enjoy, including:

• Military activations and vehicles on Subaru Plaza
• Parachute jump into the stadium (~7:20 PM)
• Flyover during the National Anthem
• U.S. and Military Branch flags featured in the pregame procession

The match is set for 7:30 PM on Saturday, May 10th, and will be available on Apple TV via MLS Season Pass.

Main article photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union.