Cavan Signs a Homegrown Contract
I spoke about this a bit last week, but Cavan Sullivan has officially signed his Homegrown deal with the Union. I could probably write a whole piece on Cavan alone, but for now, just a simple congrats to the Sullivan family. Looking forward to seeing him develop and earn his first minutes with the Union. Jose shared some notes from Tom Bogert's report.
Pre-game Presser
Yesterday, Jim Curtin took to the podium and spoke before the Union's upcoming match v Orlando City SC. As we've seen throughout the season, Philadelphia has given up the first goal more often than not. Although they've managed to fight their way back in most games, this is not a sustainable trend. Curtin highlighted the approach of playing for a full 90 minutes. Today, they face off against an Orlando squad that has a -7 goal differential, and it would be a great opportunity to have a complete performance.
Unfortunately for Philly, the Union will be without Carranza who is suspended for one match with yellow card accumulation. Mikael Uhre will need to step up and show he can carry this Union offense that has done well to find the back of the net on a consistent basis. Also, Markus Anderson is still in the process of getting back to 100%, so the Union forwards will have limited depth. With that in mind, Jim mentioned that Tai Baribo (Yes, you read that correctly) had a solid week of training and could find his first minutes of the season. I'll believe it when I see it, but I digress.
More injuries to discuss: Andre Blake is progressing with his health, and it seems that the team is optimistic about his return coming soon. Finally, Olivier will be out this weekend, but should be available next week. Considering the Wednesday match v NYCFC, it would be nice to have some depth behind Harriel if he needs a rest soon.
Finally, our friend Jillian Almoney of The One Team We Agree On asked Curtin about Leon Flach's return and the depth on the left side of the diamond. You can check out Jim's response below.
Betting Notes
The Union and Orlando have had some interesting matchups of late. Jose Martinez scored a screamer of a goal for a 2-2 draw on the road last season, while Orlando left Subaru Park with a 2-1 win. Both of these matches, if my memory serves me well, were in the midst of International Duty call ups.
This season, we have the full squads for this Saturday's matchup, and the Union should have the advantage today. As mentioned above, Orlando has a -7 goal differential so far this year. They have conceded 18, while the Union have found the back of the net 19 times. Unfortunately for Philly, they have had a tendency to let in some early goals, and they have been scored on 16 times this year. Despite the Union's 2 game skid, they earned a tough road point against DC and look to get another unbeaten streak going. For Orlando, they have not won a match since April 13, and they have lost their last two matches.
I would be more confident if Julian was starting today, but I do still have faith that they'll find the back of the net. I am curious to see if Jim throws Quinn up top next to Uhre to replicate Carranza's press, or if he shifts to a lone striker with Daniel and Quinn behind Uhre.
Despite Julian's absence, the books are of course favoring Philly tonight. Action Network is showing the Union Moneyline at basically even money at -105 on Draft Kings, while the PointsBet total is +300 for Orlando to win. One number that also caught my eye was the -125 game total over 2.5 on Bet365. FanDuel has it at -126.
Last week, Dave correctly predicted the 2-2 draw, while I hit on the game total o/2.5 and Yes BTTS. Today, the Across the Pitch team has some more predictions in favor of Philly. Dave is looking for a 2-1 Union win, and he thinks Wagner finds the back of the net again. Jose believes this will be a second straight draw for Philly with a 1-1 result, and he thinks Uhre gets back on the score sheet. Finally, although I do believe the Union should win today, their inability to shut teams out worries me. Thankfully, they're playing a squad that is seemingly weak defensively, and they might be able to survive one match without Julian. I like the thought of Quinn being a more involved focal point of this offense tonight, and we all know Sullivan is unafraid to test the keeper. So, I am going to try something different. Quinn Sullivan 1 or more shot on target (-150) & Over 1.5 total goals (-350) parlay for a +110 price on FanDuel. Wouldn't be surprised if we see a bit of a shootout between these two teams.
Finally, some of the Anytime Goal Scorers for today on FanDuel
Gazdag: +130
Uhre: +185
Sullivan: +320
McGlynn: +600
Wagner: +1200
Brujo: +1400
Let's see if the Union can take advantage of a weak opponent and climb their way up the Eastern Conference table before Wednesday's match v NYCFC. Doop!
Mike Barrera (Mbarrera1323 on TikTok & Twitter).