Coming off of three matches last week in which the club picked up five points over that span, interim head coach Ryan Richter was positive about what he saw from his players during the busy week.

“We made it through that stretch without any injuries in the game. So from that side, that was all good,” he said. “And we always knew the energy levels might be a little bit down in the Austin game, especially given the travel and giving the conditions that we were playing in, but you know, I thought the guys did a good job to push through and to ultimately get the result there.”

While he mentioned that especially given the temperatures in Austin last Saturday, he had to make some changes sooner than normal, he commented that players earned those minutes and that he was not making changes for no reason.

So while that can be debated, the fact is Philadelphia only has one match to focus on this week, which for Richter is nice not only from a recovery standpoint but also from a tactical and learning standpoint.

“It’s nice to get back on a normal schedule and just have the time to reflect on the the last few games, look at a couple details of things that we want to improve and a couple things that we did well, and then actually have time that we can go on and work on it,” the Union interim head coach said.

“Not just look at video or talk about it, but actually get on the field and go through the reps and some of that stuff. So I know the guys were ready for that and had two really hard days of training a little later today, but it was nice to to kind of reflect on the three games in the last week and look at some of the things we wanted to work on, and not just be right into the next game the next day type thing.”

Michael Bradley’s Red Bull squad will want to avenge its 3-1 loss back on July 26. However, since the break, the New York side has only one win at home since the restart. Though they did manage a 1-1 draw last Saturday against the Chicago Fire and have picked up four points total, the Union boss knows that anything can happen when these two clubs meet and that Bradley’s squad is still very dangerous.

“They have good players,” he mentioned when asked during the press conference. “You know, (Adri) Mehmeti is a good player. (Emil) Forsberg, of course, is a good player. Julian Hall, you know, was in a great run to start this season, but hasn’t been so hot lately, but is a dangerous player, one that we really have to make sure that we do a good job of always knowing where he’s at.”

“And if you look at some of the chances that they create and the way they can kind of combine through you. They have some really clever play, and for us, that we just have to make sure we do a really good job to limit the access they have through the middle of the field and make sure we’re getting pressure to the ball, but not letting them get these combinations where they can play through us, similar to the goal that we conceded when we played them about a month ago. But again, they’re doing some good stuff, and we have to be at our best to kind of stop that.”

Last year’s Red Bull squad got its first win against Philadelphia since September 2019 with a 1-0 victory. As many of you who follow us may remember, New York mascot “Red” stuck his head in the door mockingly at then-Union head coach Bradley Carnell during the press conference, which, in our opinion, was an all-timer during our coverage of the Philadelphia Union.

With Red Bull and the Union battling for playoff position on Saturday, the match should be interesting. Currently, the New York side occupies the eighth position in the Eastern Conference playoff table, while the Union occupy the 13th position, just five points out.

In the match availability report, Alejandro Bedoya is questionable for Philadelphia (knee). Meanwhile, for Red Bull New York, Rafael Mosquera is questionable (thigh).

We will see if the Union can continue to climb on Saturday evening.

Main article photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union.