After a humbling defeat at the hands of New York Red Bulls II, Philadelphia Union II face another challenge on the road as they travel to SeatGeek Stadium to face Chicago Fire II on Friday for the first time this season. One thing that Union II have done this season is they bounced back after their other two losses, so will they show that same resiliency? It will be no small task as they will be against the hottest team in the league at the moment, who were just named team of the month for July (an honor Union II got for June).
How the teams match up
Union II sit in second place in the East with 42 points and a record of 10-3-7. They have been good on the road aside from recent events, with a 5-2-3 away record. They still have the best goal differential in the league at 26, though with their recent performances the gap has closed a little.
Chicago Fire II, meanwhile is in fourth in the East with 38 points (10-5-5) but is the highest scoring team in the league at the moment with 52 goals. The 9-2 victory over Red Bulls II when they got to play up a man nearly the entire match certainly helped pad their stats a bit, but even so, they have only lost one game since the beginning of May. They are 6-2-2 at home, with their last home loss being on July 13 to New England.
“They’re, you know, I would say up with us, with Red Bull, with New England… the best teams in the Eastern Conference. And they have good players,” Union II head coach Ryan Richter shared at training on Thursday. “ It’s going to be going to be a challenge. A little different than Red Bull. I think the style- like, we’re happy the way that the style will match up if we can execute and the way that we want to play. I think we can be successful, but it’s going to start with the response from last week of defending as a group from the start with the right mindset and that part’s clear.”
Player notes
Union II have had 16 different goal scorers this season, with Malik Jakupovic leading the way with six. Cavan Sullivan has five, but it is more likely he will be with the first team at New York Red Bulls on Saturday. Joining him there could be Neil Pierre due to Jakob Glesnes being out on yellow card accumulation suspension, which means someone would have to fill in at center back. One option could be Isaiah LeFlore, who has played there before.
They will not, however, have Óscar Benítez, who can play midfield or center back. According to Richter, “He dislocated his shoulder in the game [against Red Bulls II], like the 25th minute and still played another 40 minutes, so that’s, you know, pretty incredible. But he’s a warrior. We know that. It’s just trying to see exactly the severity of that injury to see how long he’ll be out for.” That is a blow for Union II with how he has been doing an admirable job lately at defensive midfielder, but it could be a chance for teammates to step up and prove themselves. Perhaps Noah Probst will be able to contribute as he continues to integrate into the squad after his first appearance came in the Red Bulls match.
A bright spot for Union II was the energy that Willyam Ferreira and Jakupovic brought when they subbed on against the Red Bulls. They both had some chances, and Ferreira impressed with his dribbling and passing. They could definitely be ones to watch in this match and be difference makers. Richter was pleased with how Ferreira performed and the growth he has seen:
“He’s doing great. A kid that’s been in the program since he was eight years old. He has the ability, he has the mentality, and it’s a matter to see how many levels he can keep pushing up. So tomorrow will be a good opportunity for him, did really well in the Red Bull game. That was probably his best performance so far since he came to Union II. And, you know, he has to keep that rolling a couple days later. That’s part of him learning to be a pro. One good performance is great- let’s do it again four days later. Then do it again, five days later, you know? So we’re excited for him and happy the way that he’s kind of grown into this group in the last couple months. And now he sees his role getting a little bit bigger with that.”
There is no shortage of options in the attack, even with Jamir Johnson away as a guest player with PSV Eindhoven’s U19s for the Otten Innovation Cup. In addition to Jakupovic, options lie in Eddy Davis, Sal Olivas, Markus Anderson, Stas Korzeniowski, Leandro Soria, but most of the team has contributed to scoring at some point. With so many different goal scorers this season, mirroring what the first team has done in that regard, Union II can be a threat to their opponents from so many different places.
Meanwhile, Chicago Fire II have the third-highest goal scorer in the league in Jason Shokalook (12), and the league leader in assists (10) in Claudio Cassano. Union II could have their hands full. “Keep the middle closed. That’s where it starts,” Richter noted on how to contain them. “They don’t get in positions where they’re receiving the ball centrally and they can kind of play these through balls and recognize moments with Shokalook especially. If there’s no pressure on the ball in the middle of the field, that he’s really always a threat to the back line. So making sure we’re in a position where we can drop early, where we can bump his run. Not lose track early where they have a clear way to play forward that we don’t let it turn into an easy chance with a run behind.”
The vibes seemed confident and the squad looked ready at training on Thursday as Union II got their last bit of prep in before their departure to Chicago. Richter and his staff had a short span to get the team on track mentally and physically after Monday’s deflating loss for yet another big obstacle in their quest to rise up on the table. He had an air of positivity that could be seen in his players as well as they finished up their practice and were getting ready to fly out.
“We haven’t had a chance to do that much in training with a quick turnaround, but as far as the attitude and the accountability, I think that’s been great for the guys and they’re ready. I’m excited to see them tomorrow. They’re ready. They know they didn’t play a good game and they want the next chance to do better, so I’m excited for tomorrow.”
It is another can’t-miss tilt between Eastern conference contenders in MLS Next Pro, and a chance for Union II to prove they can be not only resilient, but a force to be reckoned with. Kickoff is set for 8:00 PM on Friday, August 15, and the match can be viewed on MLS Season Pass on AppleTV.
Main article photo credit: Philadelphia Union II
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