CHESTER, Pa.— Philadelphia Union II return home after a thriller at New England Revolution II last Sunday that saw them win 4-3 behind goals from Jordan Griffin, Kellan LeBlanc (brace), and Stas Korzeniowski. With time running short to get into playoff position, every point matters as they are just three points out of 8th in a tight race with five matches remaining. Union II currently sit in 11th at 9-10-4 at 33 points, and will host 5th place CT United (12-9-2) on Sunday in their third and final tilt of the regular season.

The first time Union II played the brand-new expansion team, at home on March 15, they fell 2-1 after Malik Jakupovic’s opening goal as they were unable to hold on following Óscar Benítez being sent off with after a second yellow in the 61st minute. Barnabás Tanyi, who currently is fifth in the league in goals, scored the late game-winner in the 86th minute.

They flipped that result when they traveled to CT United on April 26, winning 2-1 with goals by Eddy Davis and Stas Korzeniowski, for their first road win of the season. Both matches were very physical, with Union II seemingly caught off-guard in the first match, but handled it much better the second time around.

That second match featured what appeared to have been a DOGSO and missed red card for CT United that went uncalled, much to the disagreement of head coach Ryan Richter, who told me following the match that he knows it is a tough job for the ref, but it should have been a red.

Amongst the changes that have happened since these teams last met is Richter moving to interim head coach of the first team, and Chris Harmon taking the reins as interim Union II coach, so this will be his first time facing CT United. Davis has since gone on loan to Loudoun United, and several players left for college. However, the return of Stas Korzeniowski has been a boon to the squad, and he currently leads the squad with eight goals.

Additionally, Kellan LeBlanc seems to taken it to heart that he “needs to produce more with the second team” as said by Richter recently, coming off a brace in the last match where he had a fantastic performance. Look for him to be an important piece for getting Union II’s attack going.

But if seeing a player like Cavan Sullivan going toe to toe against Messi and friends in the first team’s match against Inter Miami was any indication, youth in Philadelphia is not a handicap. From the top down, “if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.” Union II has an abundance of young players on the rise, which should make for some exciting soccer.

Several players got banged up in the previous match, with Rafael Uzcátegui, the squad’s iron man, as well as season standout Matheus De Paula, exiting that match after seeming to pick up some knocks. Those two are first and second in minutes for the team this season, and have been indispensable. Their status is unknown at the time of this writing. One player who should be back is Giovanny Sequera, who had to miss the last two matches due to suspension. The versatile Venezuelan, who has played as a right back and midfielder, always brings a spark, and will surely match the physical nature the match will likely have, along with Óscar Benítez. Midfielder Mamoutou Berthé also had a fantastic match against CT United last time, with Richter praising that performance.

As CT United are an independent Next Pro team, they have many older players with an average age of about 23, with only three in their teens, while Union II has a large amount of teenagers with only handful in their early 20s. Union II will need to keep an eye on Tanyi, the 23-year-old Hungarian striker who has 11 goals on the season.

An important change to note is that the match will be played at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex’s Kinetic Field at 3:00 PM after initially being scheduled for Subaru Park. All remaining Union II home matches this season will also be held at the Sportsplex as well. Presumably, with all the events that have taken place in the stadium that have clearly rendered that pitch in a bit of rough shape, the move was necessary.

The match can be viewed on the MLS Next Pro YouTube account as well as OneFootball. If you are down in person in Chester, a heads up that Union III, the Academy squad that competes in UPSL matches and is comprised of U-18s, will also be playing against YorkPA FC at 3:00 PM at the Sportsplex on field 4 (turf) which is adjacent to where Union II are playing if you want to also check them out. Their schedule is here.

Main article photo credit: Emily Wallace-Sutton.