In this edition of Oppo Research, Hudson River Blue spoke with Matt Ralph of Philadelphia Soccer Now to learn more about the Philadelphia Union, New York City FC's opponent on Saturday night. Here is your NYCFC vs Philadelphia preview.
• League Form: D-L-W-L-W
• Record: 4W, 1D, 2L | 13 points, 3rd place
• Scoring Leader: Tai Baribo, 7 goals
• Assist Leader: Kai Wagner, 4 assists
1. Philadelphia has started well but injuries and potential departures could take a toll
Hudson River Blue: Philadelphia have a new-look roster this season under first-year head coach Bradley Carnell, losing veterans Jack Elliott and Leon Flach but replacing them with Ian Glavinovich and Jovan Lukic. Seven games into the season, Philadelphia sits third in the Eastern Conference with four wins. How do you rate the start of the season under Carnell?
Matthew Ralph: It's been a good start to the season and the new additions - Lukic most notably - have integrated well with the team. After a very bright start, the word has gotten out about how they look with Carnell, and teams have adjusted accordingly.
The bigger concern now is the injury to Glavinovich, which will challenge one of the areas where they already had the least depth: Center back. Jakob Glesnes has been inconsistent and Olwethu Makhanya is promising but still growing into playing at the MLS level. Neil Pierre is waiting in the wings but is even younger and less experienced than Makhanya.
Offensively, the attack has sputtered with Kai Wagner injured, but it is still very dangerous with a variety of attacking options. The big breaking news is that Daniel Gazdag is moving to Columbus Crew (for cash) so there are going to be questions to ask there. Indiana Vassilev is the likely replacement for him in the Starting XI.
2. Tai Baribo is leading the offense
HRB: Philadelphia’s striker duo of Tai Baribo and Bruno Damiani — who seems to have replaced Mikael Uhre in the lineup — has accounted for seven of the team’s 13 goals. But it’s a one-way street, as Baribo is the primary scorer with six of those seven goals. He’s been held scoreless in the last three games, so how could Philadelphia get more goals out of Damiani and others?
MR: Damiani is still adjusting to life in the US and with a new team, so a fair amount of slack can be given to him. Mikael Uhre continues to be frustratingly inconsistent but when he's on watch out. The depth hasn't really been there outside of the three. The good thing with Baribo is he works hard and contributes to the attack even when he isn't finding the back of the net so developing a stronger partnership with Damiani and getting something out of Chris Donovan when he's brought in late could go a long way there.
3. Philadelphia like playing in New York City
HRB: NYCFC and Philadelphia’s two meetings last season couldn’t have been any more different. Philadelphia walked into Yankee Stadium and won 5-1, handing NYCFC their worst loss since 2016. Philadelphia has won its last three road games against NYCFC: Twice at Yankee Stadium and once at Citi Field. How could Philadelphia continue their dominance in the Big Apple?
MR: The Union are really good at pinning teams in, and playing on a smaller field that can make it even more difficult. Teams that have succeeded against the Union this season have done so for the most part playing directly through the press and taking advantage of the number advantage on the other side. Accuracy in passing and not turning the ball over are key to this approach, however, as the Union press lives off deflecting and intercepting passes and turning them into goals.
4. The X-Factor: The departure of Dániel Gazdag
HRB: What's the X-factor that could decide this game?
MR: Gazdag being gone is a shock to the system and the timing is not great so how the team responds to losing the club's all-time leading scorer will be something to watch as will the status of Kai Wagner, who is arguably the most important player on this team.
5. Predicted score, Starting XI
HRB: Prediction time: Starting XI? Final score?
MR: The Union have been tough away from home and especially tough in New York City but they'll also have former homegrown Matt Freese to try and solve when their finishing hasn't been at its best. That said, I think this one could be the high-scoring affair the scoreless draw with Orlando promised to be. I'm going 3-1 to the visitors.
