Sunday will mark the Philadelphia Union’s return to MLS league play as they travel to The Bronx and Yankee stadium to play NYCFC in a battle of two Eastern Conference opponents.

After bowing out of Leagues Cup on Thursday following a 2-0 defeat to LIGA MX side Santos Laguna, despite being heavily rotated, interim head coach Ryan Richter had eluded to the fact that he was not happy with the performance with players that got extended run and just the overall performance.

“When you step on the field, we are playing to win, and that is always the message to the players: is don’t make excuses, don’t start thinking about something else. It’s, we attack these games to win, and that’s how I’m going to approach every single week, no matter who is playing or if we’re rotating the squad or what the situation is. It’s like, this is the mentality that we have to have, and that’s what I’m disappointed from tonight, ” Richter said following the match on Thursday.

He also mentioned that they would have “honest conversations” the following day, and at Friday’s press conference Richter gave some insight into how those conversations went and how the message was met by the players.

“Yeah, just that you know we’re capable capable of performing better than we did in the game yesterday,” he said. “We can leave it broad like that, but I think the guys all agree with that. You know, when they reflect on the game as well, it’s they expect more from themselves, and we expect more as a team. So let’s push for that, you know, and use it as motivation, and go into the next game with a different approach, or with the understanding that we have to raise our level a little bit.”

That match against NYCFC will start a run of three league matches in seven days and four over the last 10 days if you count Thursday’s match. With two road games and one at home midweek, Richter understands the importance of what recovery will mean for this squad as they navigate this busy week.

“The recovery is the main piece for the guys that are getting the majority of the minutes. But with that, then you also have to make sure that the guys that, for example, didn’t play yesterday, that they get a good week of training, so that they arrive on Sunday, you know, feeling sharp and also feeling fresh. So it’s finding that balance.”

That balance will be paramount as Philadelphia will be on the road facing NYCFC and Austin FC, which I am sure former Union manager and incumbent Austin FC manager, Jim Curtin will be keeping a close eye on. They will also host Inter Miami on Wednesday in Chester, so it is a busy week for the Union.

But for now, the focus needs to be on an NYCFC squad that is sitting at 5th place in the MLS eastern conference at 26 points and with 8 points in their last 5 matches, and will be a tough challenge for Philadelphia.

However, co-Golden Boot leader Nicolás Fernández Mercau will be out for the match due to yellow card accumulation following their league match against Toronto FC. So while the home side will be missing his 16 goal contributions this season, there is still plenty of dangerous pieces that NYCFC manger Pascal Jansen can deploy on Sunday to stymie the Union.

Midfielders Agustin Ojeda and Hannes Wolf have 16 goal contributes between the both of them this season, however Wolf is listed as out with a leg injury.

However, Ojeda is still a threat that Richter and his staff will focus on.

“You know, Ojeda is really dynamic and direct and and quick and makes really dangerous runs.”

It will be Richter’s first road match with the squad as interim head coach, and a big test to see if the Union can pick up where they left on in league play. You can catch the match on AppleTV at 6:00 PM. If you’re going to be there in person, be sure to check out my travel article of some great things to do while in the Bronx.

Main article photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union.