Philadelphia Union v Columbus Crew: Match Preview and Betting Notes

Photograph Credit: Philadelphia Union

The Boys in Blue are set to play their third match in seven days when they take on Columbus Crew on Saturday evening at 7:30pm. Let's review the 3-3 draw against Toronto before discussing the Union's second consecutive road match.

That's So Union

If you read last week's match preview then you know I wasn't optimistic about Philly's chances at BMO Field. Toronto was unbeaten in six consecutive matches and was finding the back of the net at a consistent rate. However, Carnell started off the mid-week matchup with positive changes to the Starting XI. Jesus Bueno, Jovan Lukic, and Danley Jean Jacques each made a start for Carnell, with Danley next to Indy Vassilev in the attacking midfielder role. Alladoh, who started against DC United, was on the bench, while Bruno and Milan worked as the two strikers.

Toronto had a couple of dangerous opportunities, but the Union controlled a large portion of the first half and finally scored first this season when Milan beat Gavran with a right-footed strike. The Union entered the half with a 1-0 lead, and Danley's goal in the 52nd minute gave the Union a surprising 2-0 advantage in Toronto.

Unfortunately, what happened in the next half hour reminded me of the Charlotte match. We saw a team in Toronto "turn it on" when they needed to. Sargent split Nate and Olwethu in the 56th minute and his left-footed strike from a difficult angle beat Andre Blake. Five minutes later, Damiani had a chance to show off his scoring ability after Danley forced a counter for Philly. Unfortunately, Bruno's strike went straight to Gavran's hands for a punch out. Toronto would soon take advantage of Philly's scoring difficulties. In the 64th minute, Cifuentes slotted a perfect pass to Franklin, who ran behind Westfield and made it 2-2.

Despite the clear shift in momentum, Jesus Bueno took a Philly corner kick in the 89th minute. Bedoya's patented flick on Bueno's cross found Harriel's head and the Union were on their way to a 3-2 victory. Then, the unthinkable happened. The Union were unable to clear the ball from their half in stoppage time, and a Toronto cross found the head of Luka Gavran, the Toronto goalkeeper. Luka's header beat Andre Blake and gave each team 1 point in a dramatic 3-3 draw.

From watching the replay, Gavran ran behind Alladoh in the box when he soared for the header. Union fans have already been frustrated with Alladoh, who has yet to score or earn a shot on target in MLS play. Now, he is a key reason why Gavran had a clean header on Blake. According to MLS Communications, "Gavran became the third goalkeeper in MLS history to score a goal joining William Hesmer on Oct.16, 2010 and Danny Cepero on Oct. 18, 2008". That's so Union...

Columbus Crew Preview

The draw against Toronto feels like a loss, but the Union don't have a long time to dwell on the dropped points. On Saturday evening, Philly travels to Columbus, Ohio and take on the Crew. Henrik Rydström's side is 2W-3D-4L and have climbed into the 9th spot in the Eastern Conference. Also, despite a difficult start to their MLS season, the Crew are beginning to find their footing in 2026.

Columbus has won 3 of their last 5 matches with a 3-1 win against Atlanta, a 3-0 win against the Richmond Kickers in Open Cup, and a 2-1 victory over the Galaxy. They've also earned a 1-1 draw to Orlando and lost 2-1 to a surprisingly solid Revolution side. I think it's important to highlight that 3 of those 4 MLS teams are outside the playoff picture in their respective conferences. New England is the exception of the group and they are currently in 3rd place in the East. So, Philly will be facing a team that is formidable against weaker opponents, which the Union are at this point in the season.

Similar to Toronto, the Crew are already in double-digits for scoring with 12 goals, all of which have come from open play. In case you're curious, the Union have 9 MLS goals. 4 from open play, 4 from set pieces, and 1 from the pk spot. Columbus may have 12 goals, but their offensive production took a major hit when Wessam Abou Ali suffered a torn ACL and meniscus damage on April 12th. Wessam had 5 goals and 1 assist on the season for Columbus in 7 matches.

The Crew still have another scoring threat in Diego Rossi. The Uruguayan attacker has 4 goals and 1 assist in 9 matches, and Diego's had 2 goals and 1 assist in the last three matches. Union fans should also expect to see their former player, Daniel Gazdag, in the Columbus attack. Gazdag has yet to live up to expectations, and Crew fans were frustrated with 4 goals and 3 assists in 32 matches in Daniel's first year with their squad. In 2026, Gazdag has played 5 matches, but his minutes have significantly increased since Abou Ali's injury. The Hungarian midfielder has played 74, 67, and 73 minutes in Columbus' last three matches across all competitions, and he earned his first goal of the season in the 2-1 victory against the Galaxy. Philly fans may remember that Daniel got off to a slow start when he first joined the Union too. I wonder if his second season with the Crew may be similar to Daniel's second season with Philadelphia, especially with an increase in minutes. Gazdag joined the Union in 2021 and earned 5 goals and 3 assists in 28 matches. In 2022, Gazdag scored 24 goals and 6 assists in 37 MLS matches. I don't believe that Daniel will replicate those 2022 numbers with Columbus, but he's certainly capable of being a dangerous player when given the opportunity.

Player Availability and Betting Notes

For Philly, Bradley Carnell mentioned that Mbaizo had a bit of a knock, and the MLS Injury Report has him out with a hamstring. Quinn remains out as well with his knee injury. Coach Carnell seemed pleased with the team's current health, which is great for a squad that is trying to climb the standings.

For Columbus, Andre Gomes (lower leg) and Wessam Abou Ali (knee) are out, while Mohamed Farsi (sports hernia) is questionable. Gomes is another significant injury for the Ohio side. Columbus acquired Gomes over the offseason after he recently played with LOSC Lille in Ligue 1. The Portuguese midfielder has also played for SL Benfica, Barcelona, Valencia CF, and Everton.

Last week, I mentioned that I made the mistake of backing the Union against DC United, and I lost three of my bets as a result. Against Toronto, I went back to fading the Boys in Blue and had another profitable week. Toronto Team Goals over 1.5, Sargent Score or Assist, and Salloi Score or Assist all hit, while we earned our first Push of the season with the Toronto Tie No Bet. A 3-0-1 record is a nice bounce back after the DC United mess.

The Union may be unbeaten in three matches, but that's not going to deter me from fading them again on Saturday. DraftKings has Columbus as -125 on their moneyline, with +270 for the draw and +295 for Philly. According to FotMob, "Columbus are unbeaten in 12 straight home meetings with Philadelphia since 2016". Unfortunately, I think that streak continues on Saturday night and I'm taking Columbus moneyline at -125.

As you all know, I have been tracking the Shots on Target for Philly all season, and a trend is beginning to develop. Iloski has earned a shot on target in 5 consecutive matches, while Damiani is on a 3-game shots on target streak. The Union may be on short rest, but I don't believe Carnell will bench either player considering Alladoh's frustrating form, and Anello's recovery from a Grade 2 hamstring injury. I'm very hesitant to back Iloski and Damiani hitting the target more than once, but 1+ Shot on Target is too pricey for both players at -265 for Bruno and -260 for Milan. However, if you choose to select 1+ Shot on Target for either player, that could be a nice add on for a parlay.

Shot Attempts and Shots on Target through 9 MLS and 2 CCC Matches

Union v Toronto FC: 12 shot attempts, 5 shots on goal (1 Iloski, 1 Jean Jacques, 1 Harriel, 1 Sery, 1 Damiani)

Union v DC United: 17 shot attempts, 4 shots on goal (2 Iloski, 1 Bueno, 1 Damiani).

Union v Montreal: 15 shot attempts, 6 shots on goal (2 Bueno, 1 Iloski, 1 Sery, 1 Damiani, 1 Bedoya).

Union v Charlotte: 17 shot attempts, 3 shots on goal (1 Iloski, 1 Jean Jacques, 1 Bueno)

Union v Chicago Fire: 12 shot attempts, 3 shots on goal (1 Vassilev, 1 Iloski, 1 Bueno)

Union v Club America - Second Leg: 7 shot attempts, 2 shots on goal (1 Korzeniowski, 1 Bueno)

Union v Atlanta United: 14 shot attempts, 3 shots on goal (1 Ndinga, 1 Westfield, 1 Anello)

Union v Club America - First Leg: 12 shot attempts, 1 shot on goal (1 Westfield).

Union v San Jose: 13 shot attempts, 3 shots on goal (2 Vassilev, 1 Harriel).

Union v NYC: 16 shot attempts, 5 shots on goal (2 Harriel, 1 Vassilev, 1 Korzeniowski, 1 Anello)

Union at DC United: 12 shot attempts, 3 shots on goal (2 Iloski, 1 Anello)

I may not be backing Bruno or Milan in this category, but I will be doing so for Diego Rossi and adding it to another play. The Union scored first in a match for the first time all season against Toronto. Unfortunately, I don't think that happens in Columbus. The First Goal option under Match Props has Columbus at -175 to score the first goal, which is too high for me on its own. However, First Goal Columbus at -175 and Diego Rossi 1+ Shot on Target at -525 is a more reasonable price of -135 on the parlay. This is an easy bet for me to make considering Diego's recent form and the Union's inability to score first on a consistent basis.

Lastly, we'll look at Anytime Goal Scorers and Score or Assist options. As I mentioned last week, Philly has been consistently burned by high profile players this year. We saw that again in Toronto when Salloi and Sargent linked up for the first goal. This week, Rossi Score or Assist at -140 makes the most sense and is a reasonable price. If you think Gazdag has another nice performance, his Score or Assist is +110. I'm reluctant to back Daniel considering his overall form this season, but he's playing considerable minutes and has a point to prove against his former team and in front of the Columbus fans. For Philly's Anytime Goal Scorers, Iloski is +285, Damiani is +285, and Sullivan is +475. Danley Jean Jacques may earn another start in the attacking midfielder role, and his number is +650 on DraftKings if you want something with more juice.

Final Thought

Prior to the DC match, I was hoping for five points between DC United, Toronto, and Columbus. Unfortunately, the Union have missed out on wins against both opponents and now travel to a place where they've struggled to win. We'll see if these recent changes from Carnell is enough to get the Boys in Blue their second win of the season. After the match, we'll be live on AAT Sports Network for another post game show. You can watch and comment on YouTube and Facebook, so please feel free to join the convo. Doop!