Chester—Union II return to Subaru Park on Sunday as they host Chicago Fire II. Coming off a road win at Columbus Crew 2, Philadelphia’s second team currently sits in third place (49 points, 12-5-8) in the East after New England Revolution II jumped over them with their win on Thursday. Union II have already secured a playoff berth, but they will look to position themselves well for the postseason. Chicago Fire II (46 points, 12-7-6) are right behind them in the standings at fourth. They are 4-4-4 on the road, so it stands to be no cakewalk for the home squad.

The last time the two teams met, it was a 2-0 loss for Union II on the road when they conceded two late goals after a battle of a game. They had numerous chances, but could not capitalize, and were stymied by Chicago Fire II’s young keeper, David Molenda. They were in a bit of a rough patch, but they have been better as of late. Chicago is coming off a wild 5-4 loss to NYCFC II. Chicago scores a lot of goals, so Union II will really need to limit the opportunities. Head coach Ryan Richter spoke of what he could take from that 5-4 match in preparing for his own against Chicago.

“It tells a story about Chicago,” Richter said. “They’re very good on the ball. They’re very good in build up, and they have a striker who can score goals, and has done so at a really, really good rate this year. At the same time, if they’re open in transition, and if we’re organized with the ball, and we play with quality, we can create a lot of chances.”

David Poreba, the 2024 MLS Next Pro MVP and top goal scorer, has returned from injury and will be one the defense needs to neutralize. Jason Shokalook is also a goal-scoring machine that Union II will have to keep an eye on.

“It’s a dangerous team, one that has a lot of technical ability, one that we have to be organized and we have to be aggressive in the way that we press them, but also one that if we can be in control of the game load with the ball as well, that we can create a lot of opportunities,” Richter shared.

Union II did get opportunities against Crew 2 last weekend, and could have had more in their 3-1 win. Richter was pleased with how his team performed.

“We had a really positive first half and created a lot of chances and were pretty organized against the ball,” Richter said of the game at Crew 2. “A few mistakes that led to opportunities for them as well. But overall, pretty positive performance. And then as the game went on, I mean, it was pretty brutal. It was like 90 degrees on that turf in the middle of the day. It was tough to sustain the intensity throughout the entire game. And towards the end they had, you know, a little bit more of the ball, and it was tough for us to kind of close the ball down.

“But still, they didn’t create many chances. You know, the goal- obviously, we can do better on. Two road wins in a row, the second week in row that, to beat a team three times in one year is not easy, especially in both those it’s two away games. So, yeah, we take it as a positive result and move on to the next one.”

In their last two matches, Union II had strong first halves, and then dropped off a little in the second half. They will need to keep the energy up on Sunday. According to Richter, the game at Columbus was a bit of a different situation due to how hot it was on the artificial turf in Historic Crew Stadium.

“The pace of the game was was pretty slow at the end there, and I think that has more to do with the conditions of both the field, the temperature, and, for some reason, playing the game at 3:00 in the afternoon.” Richter remarked. “I don’t know who made that decision, but it’s, yeah, if we want to keep the intensity of the game up, and I think that’s what we want for the development of our players. It’s what MLS next pro wants.

“So it’s something we have to look at in the future, you know, to kind of keep the speed up in the game a little bit, because it’s understandable on that turf middle of the day, that heat, it’s the intensity and the speed of the game is, is going to drop over the course of 90 minutes. So that’s, I think that’s more in relation to the elements than it is the, you know, the the tactics, or the folks of the players.”

The weather looks to be much more ideal on the natural grass and friendly confines of Subaru Park on Sunday. If they can play two complete halves, limit Chicago’s opportunities, and finish their chances—something Union II usually do not lack—they could get a big three points as the regular season moves toward the finish line. With the first team being home on Saturday, Neil Pierre should be available to help bolster that back line as he did not come off the bench in the Union’s 1-0 win over New England Revolution. Nor did Cavan Sullivan, making him a likely candidate for the squad, and with CJ Olney back in the fold, the midfield has some firepower and chance creators.

Olney made his first appearance since returning from his loan to Lexington in the previous match, and was a welcome addition to the lineup. “Yeah, he did really well,” Richter said of Olney. “You know, it’s a different position than we’ve used him in in the past, but he can do it. He played there some in the academy as a six and and he’s a high quality player, so that’s what he brings to the group. You see on the field immediately. He had a really, really nice piece for this level, and it makes the whole team better. So I was happy for him. And it was pretty impressive for him as well, to make it through 90 minutes and the work that he put into the game after not consistent 90 minutes the last couple months. But he adds a lot to the group. That’s clear to everybody.”

Another player who stepped it up last match was striker Stas Korzeniowski, who had not scored since June. “Yeah, he needed it,” Richter said. “And I think that’s the first thing he said coming off the field, is he needed that one, a performance like that, to get his goal. Could have got at least one or two more, but it was a good performance by him, great for him to get a goal, and hopefully can build on that confidence going into this weekend.”

Indeed, because if Eddy Davis is not available due to leaving for the U-20 World Cup, where he was named as a training player, Korzeniowski could be even more important for Union II’s striker corps. Sal Olivas, Markus Anderson, Malik Jakupovic, and Jamir Johnson all could be part of the equation as well. Johnson had a late goal off the bench in the last match, and the promising U-18 Academy player has been getting opportunities with the second team as he continues his development.

“Yeah, he did really well in his little cameo appearance, and it was a nice finish,” Richter said of Johnson. “There’s a number of players in that position that are competing for minutes, and he did a good job [against Crew 2]. And we have to see, go game to game of what our roster is, but if you look at it, we have six players that can play in that position. So who plays well and who contributes the most to the team and who positively affects the group the most- that’s who plays. He did a good job in that game to make an argument for himself.”

Union II continue to have the best goal differential in MLS Next Pro, and goalkeeping has been a strong point despite a rotating cast. They do not seem to have a drop off with any of their keepers, but whoever is in goal on Sunday will need to be at the top of their game with Chicago’s penchant for scoring. They could give George Marks some playing time, or Mike Sheridan, who was in the last match, could be in goal once again. Andrew Rick played several matches recently with the first team, but was on the bench on Saturday with the first team as Andre Blake returned to the lineup. It would not be shocking to see Rick get the nod either.

Goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook, out with a knee injury, continues to recover. Richter shared an update on him, saying he was on schedule. It can be a tough road to recovery, and it is not just the physical side, but also the mental side to contend with.

“A lot of stuff that he’s doing now,” Richter shared with regard to Holbrook. “We have a lot of cognitive training that’s not so much the physical load, but some really interesting and innovative things that the IDP coach, Anthony Flores, is doing with him, and that Ross [Cain] is doing with him, to try to keep him active and even keep him improving in these weeks when he can’t really train or can’t get on the grass. But he’s doing some pretty interesting stuff that we’re we’re trying out, so hopefully it’s keeping his brain active at least, and excited to come in every day and keep improving.”

With three games left in the regular season, three wins would be the ideal for Union II. Aside from the wins, Richter is looking for “consistency in performance.”

Getting home field advantage in the playoffs and putting themselves in a good position would be huge. “As we look towards the end of the season, obviously finishing the top four would be a great success for us, and that’s kind of what we’ve targeted, hopefully higher than that,” Richter said. “And you know, we still have a chance to finish finishing the top spot, although I think Red Bull will probably do that now with the points that they are ahead, but yeah, for the consistency, for the group, for the guys be consistent in their roles.”

Winning is important, and the team is hungry to build on their successes in 2024 and to reach the pinnacle, but they also keep development in mind.

“Even though it’s getting towards playoffs and the focus is on winning and putting ourselves in the best position, we’re still a development team,” Richter related. “So I want to see us keep improving in every phase of the game, keep playing, pushing to play at a higher level every week, and the players to keep improving individually.”

Union II has a great opportunity to control their destiny if they can build on their success of the last match and get hot at the right time. They have shown they have the talent, the firepower, and the mindset to get it done. It is just a matter of putting it out there on the field and finishing their chances. Catch the match at Subaru Park at 3:00 PM or stream at mlsnextpro.com.

Main article photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union II