Philadelphia Union end busy stretch against New York Red Bulls

The Philadelphia Union end a busy run of matches on Saturday versus the New York Red Bulls.

Match coverage on Fox Sports The Gambler begins at 7 p.m. ET with the Pregame Show presented by DraftKings Sportsbook with Jon Jansen and Joe Tansey.

The match can be heard at 7:30 p.m. ET, with postgame coverage to follow from Jansen, Kevin Kinkead and Tansey live from Subaru Park.

After going undefeated in league play in Chester in 2020, the Union have slipped up in their first three MLS contests at Subaru Park.

The first two results were losses to New York City FC and Inter Miami that can be excused because the club was focused on the Concacaf Champions League.

Wednesday's 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution came in the middle of the club's first three-game week of league play. Saturday's match marks the eighth game in the last 28 days across all competitions.

Despite facing a tough schedule, the Union's defensive play has stood out. They allowed five goals across five games. The Red Bulls conceded the same total in four games.

New York enters Saturday's clash in a better place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Red Bulls and Union are part of an eight-team group with five or six points in the East.

As for lineup selection, the Union should use some rotation in midfield, with Anthony Fontana the most likely replacement for one of the players. In that situation, manager Jim Curtin could drop Jamiro Monteiro back to the left side of the diamond and have Fontana play at the 10.

Leon Flach is expected to start once again at the No. 6 with Jose Martinez serving the final game of his three-game red-card suspension. Stuart Findlay is not available to start due to a minor quad strain, but he could come in off the bench if needed.

With that in mind, the only other rotations that make sense are at forward, where Sergio Santos and Cory Burke have switched out spots next to Kacper Przybylko, and at one of the full back positions, where Matt Real could spell Kai Wagner or Olivier Mbaizo.

The Union are a +120 money-line favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook. The Red Bulls sit at +205. A draw is +250. All available odds for the match can be found here.


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