Photo Cred: mlssoccer.com
What's been happening?
The Union have continued their good form on the road, and they picked up their third consecutive win in Nashville on Saturday night. The Boys in Blue were down a goal in the first 45 minutes, but they came out in the second half like a brand new team. A goal by Julian Carranza in the 62nd minute and a late header by Daniel Gazdag was enough to earn three more points.
Since their loss to Pachuca, the Union tied at Austin, won in Portland and Nashville, and won in Chester against Minnesota. In those matches, Philadelphia has scored a total of 9 goals, and they have found some fortune with their set pieces.
Mid-Week Press Conference
In reference to the goals, Julian Carranza has continued to make a weekly impact at the top of the formation. Julian had a brace against Portland, and he found the back of the net against Minnesota and Nashville. Union fans are anxiously waiting to see what Julian's future plans will be, and Jose Nunez of AAT Sports shared what Curtin had to say about his star striker.
While on the topic of contracts and roster movement, Jose asked about the reported changes to designated players and the Under-22 initiative for the summer window (July 8 to August 14). As always, Curtin gave a thorough answer on how he feels the league has handled these changes and ways to approach the moves.
Finally, we do have roster news that will bring some depth back into the rotation. Kai Wagner and Mikael Uhre both trained this week and will be available against Atlanta. If you remember from last week, Kai suffered a bit of a knock during the Nashville match, while Uhre was kept out of the rotation with a foot injury. Leon Flach is also close to returning, but of course he is not ready for this weekend's contest. Finally, Andre Blake has cleared his concussion protocol and will likely be in net on Sunday afternoon.
Match & Betting Notes
The Union currently sit in second place, while Atlanta is 2 points behind in 6th place. So far, the home team has scored 10 goals and only allowed 5, while the Union have put 12 into the back of the net and allowed 7. These two teams split the season series last year, with Atlanta winning 2-0 at home, and the Union winning 3-2 at Subaru Park. If you remember from 2023, Philadelphia put out a very strange lineup in Atlanta, as they had Harriel on the left of the backline, Flach in front of him, and Bendik in the net. A 7th minute goal from Almada gave Atlanta an early lead, and the Union were out-matched without their normal roster in place. On Sunday, however, a rested and complete lineup should be able to hold their own at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
As you'd expect, the Union are underdogs on Sunday, and BetRivers currently has them at +230. PointsBet has Atlanta at +115 on the Moneyline, and if you prefer DraftKings or FanDuel, they show the home squad at +110. Just as an FYI, these numbers were grabbed early on Saturday morning (around midnight).
Each week, our Across the Pitch team picks a final score and goal scorers. Dave is looking at a 2-2 result with Sullivan and Wagner netting one. For Jose, he thinks the Union will continue their winning streak with a 2-1 outcome, and he has Carranza and Quinn putting one into the goal. Finally, I am sticking with the same bet that I chose last week. On FanDuel, a Tie No Bet for the Union is at +132. Although I believe the Blue and Gold can earn a win on the road, especially with how they're playing right now, I know how tough that field and stadium can be. I'll again be cautious for this Sunday matchup, and the +132 is still a fine number for me to take. In terms of goal scorers, I like how effective the Union have been on set pieces, and I believe Glesnes could be dangerous in the box. Let's see if Jakob can get on the board!
Finally, once you're done shopping for the best line on Action Network, check out Fan Duel for the Anytime Goal Scorers. I personally use that book the most. I've laid out a few of Sunday's numbers below.
Carranza: +165
Gazdag: +160
Uhre: +220
Sullivan: +370
Harriel: +1000
Wagner: +1600
Glesnes: +1800
Let's see if the Union can continue their winning streak and bring 3 points back to Chester. Doop!!
Mike Barrera (Mbarrera1323 on TikTok & Twitter).