The Philadelphia Union are in Colorado to face the defending MLS Cup winners at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday at 9 PM Eastern. The Union will be coming into this game with a lot of confidence after a strong showing last week in Canada when they defeated Toronto FC 6-2. Philadelphia’s offense has been starting to come together in recent weeks. They have 8 goals in their last 2 outings. Justin Mapp has become a key player for the Union’s offense. He has stepped up his game after a very poor start of the season.
Philadelphia will be without the services of Carlos Ruiz for the next few weeks as he has joined up with the Guatemalan national team for the Gold Cup. Danny Mwanga will take his place in the lineup. Last week he proved he is more than capable of filling in as he scored a brace to put away Toronto FC. Sebastien Le Toux has yet to find his scoring form from last season, but his work rate is amazing. If he keeps up his hard work he is bound to get some scoring opportunities. The Farfan twins are fitting in nicely with this team. Both are versatile players that are comfortable on defense or in the midfield. The Union’s defense has been a little shaky the past few weeks but has done enough to earn victories in the last 2 matches. In order to get a result they are going to have to be on top of their game. Their last clean sheet was on April 30 when the Union defeated San Jose 1-0 at PPL Park. Philadelphia has 7 points out of their last 5 games. Their road record is 2-3 so far. Last year the Union were defeated by the Rapids 4-1 in Colorado.
Colorado comes into this match with a 7 game unbeaten streak, but they have only recorded 1 win as the rest have been draws. The Rapids have seen many injuries so far this year. Conor Casey and Omar Cummings have played limited minutes so far this season. Casey scored Colorado’s lone goal in a 1-1 draw with Sporting KC last weekend. Jeff Larentowicz, a Philadelphia area native and FC Delco product, has been very solid in the Rapids midfield. His 3 goals have him tied with Jamie Smith for most goals for the Rapids. Pablo Mastroeni, who seems to have been around forever, is still playing at the top of his game. Colorado’s defense has been steady. They are conceding on average 1 goal per game.
I expect this to be a hard fought game with goals coming at a premium. Philadelphia will be looking to come away with a point to prove that they are real contenders this year and show that they are capable of getting results against good teams on the road.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
