The Union and Impact meet today in a battle of two teams on the playoff bubble, and both have played well in recent weeks, which makes today’s matchup all the more tantalizing. Last week, the Union had a thrilling comeback over the New England Revolution at home, which gave them a 4-1-0 record in their last five league games, one of those being a win at home vs. Montreal. The Impact destroyed the New York Red Bulls last week in a surprising 3-1 romp.
Their last meeting a few weeks ago was a sloppy affair which saw the Union score a late winner as the result of some suspect defense from the Impact. This week’s matchup should be more attractive than previous one due to both team’s current form. In addition, the offenses have been doing well lately, so look for goals in this one. Standings wise, Montreal sits four points above Philadelphia but have played a whopping five more league games than the Union have. Philly currently sits nine points out of a playoff spot, but has two games in hand on the fifth place Chicago Fire.
John Hackworth has recently been employing the use of a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, so it will be interesting to see what formation he uses when the Union are away from home. My guess is that he’ll stick with the 4-2-3-1 that they used against the Revs, but that they won’t be as attacking as they normally would be at home. As a result, look for the Union on the counter attack, where some would argue that it is where they are most deadly.
I’m curious to see where Hackworth will put Hoppenot. He’s been starting the rookie due to his excellent form, but his position is always a question. Last week, he played at right winger whilst McInerney was the lone man up top in the 4-2-3-1. Due to his speed, this seems like a good fit, but can he get quality crosses in? When he came on as a sub, he was put up top and was scoring goals, can he do the same on the wing? Time will tell.
In an interesting twist, the Union must put some off field distractions behind them. Former manager Petr Nowak has sued the team, saying that the team still owes him three and a half years worth of money left from his contract. Already, this is getting ugly. The team fired back at Nowak, citing a few reasons why he was fired. They claim he was hazing players, installed a culture of fear in the club, badmouthed the Union, endangered the health of players with strenuous exercises, and was actively seeking employment in Europe while he was still coach. No wonder the Union struggled in the start of the year. They must focus on the game at hand and put these headlines to bed if they are to win at Montreal.
Overall, this is an important match for both teams. It’s getting to be crunch time for the teams on the bubble. If either team wants to continue their climb towards a playoff spot, tonight has to produce a result. I think the Union would be satisfied with a point, but Hackworth will be going for the jugular of the Montreal defense. This should be an intriguing game, and hopefully an attractive one in contrast to the previous meeting between these two.
(image courtesy of Greg Carroccio)
