What's Been Happening?
A lot.... A lot has been happening in a very short period of time. Just a few weeks ago, the Union ended a road trip as the only unbeaten club in MLS. Fast forward just two and a half weeks and suddenly the mood and outlook on this team has shifted dramatically.
First, the Union were arguably the better club against Real Salt Lake, but an uncommon mistake by Blake and a wonderful strike from distance gave the visiting team a 2-1 victory. Surely, you'd think that the Union would bounce back against a struggling Seattle squad on Tuesday. Instead, they gave up 3 goals in the first half, and despite a heroic attempt, fell to one of the worst teams in the league. To make matters worse, Jose Martinez and Andre Blake took to social media to share emotional and cryptic posts, which of course sent the fans into a frenzy. We had a team that seemed to be on the rise. Suddenly, we are looking at a club that quickly needs to fix this slump.
Roster and Presser Notes
On a lighter note, there was news regarding the Union's youngest star, Cavan Sullivan. As Tom Bogert mentioned on May 1, the Union have finalized the highly anticipated deal with Cavan. Philadelphia will only have a few more years with Quinn's brother before he makes his way to Manchester City.
Andre Blake's health has been on full display this season, as he's struggled with numerous injuries. Although he trained prior to the RSL match, many fans were hoping to see Andre sit until at least the Sounders' match. Instead, Blake started in net and played the full 90, but he appeared to be limping off the field after the game. Considering Semmle played on Tuesday, Curtin addressed Blake's status and has ruled him out with a lingering knee issue. You can see more of Jim's response below.
Along with Andre's knee, and as mentioned above, Blake and Brujo took to social media to voice some frustration. Curtin also addressed this topic and ensured the fans that he has a good read on the club and his players.
The injury list for Philly goes beyond Andre Blake tonight, and other notable absences are Markus Anderson (leg) and Olivier Mbaizo (calf), who won't be available for selection. With Nathan earning another start today, our friend Jillian Almoney of The One Team We Agree On asked Curtin about Harriel's assignment against Pirani. Again, Jose shared Curtin's response.
Betting Notes
If you remember some of my articles during the CCC run, I previously labeled the Union as "unbettable". They were too unpredictable, and with the constant rotation at that time, we had to be cautious with our picks. Although I am not quite there again today, one more poor outing will make me hesitant to wager anything on Philly next week.
I compared some numbers on Action Network, and the Union are sitting at +205 on Draft Kings. As expected, DC United is favored and have a +130 price on FanDuel. The draw for FanDuel is +250.
The Union have done well in this matchup over the last few years, with their most recent performance being a 3-1 victory on the road. Although DC United only has one win since the start of April, they are coming off a 2-1 victory against Seattle, and they have the dangerous Christian Benteke looking to cause havoc each match.
For the first time all season, the Across the Pitch bets failed to earn a winning selection, as we went 0 for 2 in the RSL loss. Similar to the Union, we are looking to get back into the win column with our picks. Jose Nunez is not optimistic today, and he believes the Union will fall 2-1. He has Benteke and Pirani scoring for the home team, with Gazdag scoring for Philly in open play. Dave and I have high hopes for our Boys in Blue, with Dave predicting a 2-2 draw. He also thinks Uhre and Carranza will find the back of the net. For me, I think the Union's familiarity with DC United benefits them today. We have been playing a lot of Western Conference teams this season, but there is a different vibe and mentality when playing a local rival. Also, if there was ever a time to make a statement, it would be tonight. I still have some concerns with the Union's inconsistency, however, and both clubs tend to let in goals. With that said, i am going to do a two-leg parlay and make it more goal based. I will take Over 2.5 goals & "yes" both teams to score at -126 on Fan Duel. I typically don't bet something more expensive than -130, so this is right below that line for me. If you're looking for a more result-based pick, the +114 Tie No Bet for Philly is a solid selection. We know these two clubs play each other tough, and I could certainly see this ending in a draw, but wouldn't be overly surprised if the Union won either. Finally, for my goal scorers, I think Quinn scores tonight. In a game where the Union need to come out firing, I have faith that Sullivan tests the keeper on a few occasions.
A few of the Anytime Goal Scorer options from Fan Duel are below:
Benteke: +140
Gazdag: +155
Carranza: +165
Uhre: +210
Sullivan: +350
Pirani: +480
Harriel: +1000
Glesnes:+1700
Let's see if the Union find their way again and leave DC with a much-needed three points. Doop!
Mike Barrera (Mbarrera1323 on Tik Tok and Twitter)
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