The Philadelphia Union travel to Sporting Kansas City today for their first road MLS match. We are in the midst of CONCACAF Champions Cup Schedule, so Curtin will have some decisions to make today. Let's take a quick peek into the Union!
What's been happening?
I think I'm still mentally recovering from that emotional roller coaster we watched on Tuesday night. The Philadelphia Union, down a man against Saprissa, walked away with a 6-5 win on aggregate after Mikael Uhre scored in extra time. Unfortunately for Philly, the match lasted 120 minutes, and therefore some rotation will be happening today.
Pre-Game Presser
Jim Curtin spoke with the media on Friday, and he knows they have a tall task at SKC's home opener. Additionally, with the CCC still very important for the Club's plans, there will be some form of rotation tonight. As of now, we know that Elliott and Lowe will be suspended for the Tuesday game vs Pachuca, so we should expect to see them in the Starting XI. Additionally, Blake is still a day-to-day situation, and I would be shocked to see anyone but Oliver Semmle in net. Finally, considering his recent minute total, I expect to see Bueno involved in the rotation. Curtin made sure not to give too much intel in his presser, and Jose Nunez for AAT Sports Network shared some of that below.
Betting Lines
Last week, Jose predicted a 2-2 score against Chicago, and Dave and Jose predicted the Gazdag anytime goal scorer. I'm happy to say that both of those cashed. Today, however, will be a bit harder to predict. Who is starting? When will subs be made and who is available? We'll be a bit cautious with our bets today, and I would recommend waiting until the Starting XI is released before making any type of wager.
As mentioned before, I always go to Action Network for my betting lines. It's important to shop around and find the best option.
Sporting Kansas City is of course the favorite tonight, and Caesars NJ has their ML at +115. If you think the Union can pull off a road upset for their first MLS win, then that is +250 on bet365NJ. Draft Kings has it at +240.
For the Across the Pitch Team, we aren't overly optimistic today. Jose has this as a 1-1 draw, with Chris Donovan as the Anytime Goalscorer. On FanDuel, Dono's line is +500. Unfortunately, SKC will have the energy from the fans behind them, and against the Union's rotation, I am leaning toward the Union's first loss of the season. I'm going to say a 2-1 loss here for Philly, and considering I really only have a certainty that Elliott and Lowe are starting, I'll put a Lowe goal today. On FanDuel, his Anytime Goalscorer number is +1400.
I'm hoping that the Union's depth shines bright tonight in Kansas City, but the fans must prepare for a loss as the Union are clearly focusing on their home match v Pachuca.
Mike Barrera (Mbarrera1323 on TikTok and Twitter)
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