Photo: Mike Barrera of AAT Sports Network
What's been happening?
I've been a Philadelphia Union fan since 2012, and I've been through my share of tough results. Whether it was seeing the US Open Cup losses, or watching Messi and company earn their bid to the Leagues Cup Final, I've suffered through it all. A loss like we saw on Tuesday though? Well, that was one that will sting for a long time.
I'll be realistic. The Philadelphia Union were likely not winning the CONCACAF Champions Cup, nor did I really think they could beat Pachuca after leaving Chester 0-0. Losing like that though is a different type of defeat. There is no shame in playing your heart out and coming up short. Say what you want about the MLS Cup Runner Up Team, but at least they fought to the final seconds. What we saw on Tuesday in Mexico was a historically bad and embarrassing loss. Jose Nunez caught Jim Curtin's press conference on Friday, and here are two snips from what Coach had to say regarding their performance.
Presser and Team Notes
Enough with the CCC, the Union can now focus on the MLS Regular Season and Leagues Cup once it starts. Speaking of, they will be in a group with Charlotte FC and Cruz Azul. The competition will kick off at the very end of July.
For now, the Union will be bringing their full roster to Austin. Curtin reiterated that Jose Martinez had some illness in Mexico, and Julian Carranza (who only played the second half vs Pachuca) is fully fit for Austin.
Next, we have several call ups for international duty, and the Union will be losing a total of eight players against Portland. The absent players are: Blake, Lowe, Gazdag, Baribo, Martinez, Bueno, Harriel, and McGlynn. Curtin is of course happy for Nathan and Jack, but he does believe Quinn should have received a look for the national team. As most Union fans would agree, Sullivan is having a breakout season so far.
A popular name being thrown around from that list is Tai Baribo, but unfortunately for him, not for the best reasons. Tai has yet to see the field for the Union this season, and he has only logged 151 minutes in his Blue and Gold tenure. At the presser, Curtin again mentioned the same story. Baribo is working his way into the rotation, overcoming injury, gaining reps, etc. Jim is keeping things consistent with Tai, but if he sees minutes for Israel, then you have to begin to question how Baribo isn't seeing minutes over Anderson and Donovan. Finally, a shoutout to Neil Pierre and David Vazquez for receiving call ups to the youth camp this March. There's a lot of promise still in the Union's future.
Betting Lines for Union v Austin
As I say each week, I use Action Network for the best possible lines, and I always recommend shopping around. These picks and numbers are from 12am on Saturday morning (Yes, I am writing this very late).
We have a battle of winless teams between Philly and Austin, although the home team already has a loss on their record. The best line for an Austin win is at +165 on PointsBet. If you're looking for a bigger book, DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM are all listing Austin at +155. Considering they're the home team, and have yet to win a game, that's a pretty good number.
For Philly, they aren't as big of underdogs as you'd think. BetRivers has the Blue and Gold at +163, while the major books have it at +160.
Next, for our Across the Pitch bets, we didn't get a result last weekend. The Seattle match was called off after 6 minutes, so we will need to wait and see if those selections hit. In the meantime, Dave, Jose, and I have our selections for tomorrow. Dave is extremely pessimistic tomorrow, and he believes it will be a 2-0 loss for the U. Jose, however, has some positivity here. He is looking at a 1-1 draw, with Markus Anderson netting a goal. For me? I have a selection, but also a bit of betting advice before making your decision. I am unfortunately leaning to an Austin win, and I do like that +165 (or +155) number for the home squad. I think it will be a 2-1 Austin win, and I think Uhre scores one.
Do I think it's a good idea to bet on the Union right now? No, no I do not. This team has 1 goal in their last three matches across all competitions (I'm not counting the Seattle game). It was a fluke of a goal by Bedoya, and therefore the Union have gone ice cold. Also, you have no idea how the Union are going to respond to the spanking they received in Mexico. This could be a pissed off Philly team that pulls off a road upset and regains their pride and confidence. This could also be a fragile team that could crumble again if Austin scores early. I hate to say this, but the Union feel "unbettable" right now.
Finally, I prefer using FanDuel for my AnyTime Goal Scorers. I've listed a few of them below:
Gazdag: +160
Julian: +160
Uhre: +210
Anderson: +360
McGlynn: +750
Brujo: +1700
Please tail at your own risk. Doop!
Mike Barrera (Mbarrera1323 on TikTok & Twitter).