Philadelphia Union face Atlanta United in critical home match

The Philadelphia Union have 10 games left to secure a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs.

Saturday's match against Atlanta United at Subaru Park could go a long way in determining where the Union finish in the Eastern Conference standings.

The only local broadcast of the match can be heard on The Gambler. Dave Leno and Sebastien Le Toux will be on the call at 3:30 p.m. directly after the Villanova-Penn State broadcast ends. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:50 p.m.

The Union and Atlanta have near identical records entering Saturday despite the Five Stripes having played one more game.

Both sides have nine victories, seven losses, a 7-3-3 home record and they are separated by one goal in goal differential. The Union are at +6 and the Five Stripes sit at +5.

Philadelphia enters the match off a victory over a depleted Orlando City side last week. The Union scored three goals in a match for the first time since August 4 and earned their first victory since August 18.

Kacper Przybylko scored a pair of goals in that contest and he will be relied upon even more against Atlanta. Przybylko is the only one of the top three forwards that has not dealt with an injury issue in the last month.

On Thursday, Union head coach Jim Curtin stated that Cory Burke suffered a high ankle sprain and will miss some time. Sergio Santos' appearance against Orlando was his first since going down with a minor knock that kept him out of the second leg of the Concacaf Champions League semifinal.

Atlanta is dealing with its own injury situation up top, as Josef Martinez missed practice throughout the week. The Venezuelan forward is officially listed as questionable with knee soreness.

Even if Martinez does not play, Atlanta carries a dangerous attack into Subaru Park, led by Ezequiel Barco, who is rounding into form under new manager Gonzalo Pineda.

Atlanta scored 10 goals in its last three games. It defeated Orlando, FC Cincinnati and D.C. United in the process.

The Five Stripes played all of those matches at home and they have not played away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium since August 21.

Atlanta possesses a similar road record as the Union, as it won twice on its travels. But those two victories occurred in August against D.C. and Columbus.

Despite their recent run up the table, the Five Stripes are a considerable underdog on the DraftKings Sportsbook money line. Atlanta is +280, while the Union are a -105 favorite. A draw pays out at +280.


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