The Philadelphia Union head to MAPFRE Stadium to take on Columbus Crew SC as the Black & Gold look to improve upon their 7-1-0 home record this season in what will be a nationally televised match on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN Deportes).
Notably, the Crew's last home loss to Philly came on Aug. 24, 2016, having gone 4-0-1 since. Meanwhile, the Union (13-3-5) are on the precipice of club history as they look to secure their first-ever Supporters' Shield crown.
Philadelphia leads Toronto FC by three points in the Shield race heading in their penultimate match of the season after defeating Chicago Fire FC 2-1 at Subaru Park Wednesday. Coming off a 1-0 loss to D.C. United on Wednesday, Crew SC (10-5-5) would like to reverse its current form, which has seen them win just once in their last seven games, and lock down one of the coveted top four spots in the East.
This is the second meeting this season, with Crew SC winning 1-0 on Sept. 2 courtesy of a Lucas Zelarayan second-half goal. At the time, Porter's side topped the Shield race.
HIGHLIGHT | Zelarayan's game-winner vs. Philadelphia
Columbus Crew SC
After losing just twice in their first 15 games, Columbus has now dropped three of their last five games, including a 1-0 defeat to D.C. United Wednesday at Audi Field. The Crew played Wednesday's match without Gyasi Zardes for a second straight match, though he is expected to start on Sunday. Additionally, Darlington Nagbe and Zelarayan came on as second-half substitutes and are expected to have a bigger role against Philadelphia.
"There are a lot of positives, but I don’t think it’s going to be one [match] where we dissect and go through a ton because at the end of the day, we’re going to put our best foot forward with our top lineup in the last three games," Caleb Porter said after the match.
PORTER | Union's current form "a bit better" than the last outing at MAPFRE Stadium
Porter reiterated that message after Friday's training session, saying this Sunday's Philadelphia team will be a stronger test than the Sept. 2 match.
"This is the first time, ironically, that we’ve had a full-strength group since we played Philadelphia last time which I believe was 11 or 12 games ago," Porter said. "So it’s the first time since the last time we played them where we’ve had a full-strength lineup. So, I’m looking forward to the game. It’s going to be a really good test.
"They’re the best team in the League right now, and obviously, we had a good result against them last time, but I think they’re a bit better than they were last time as well. We’re really looking forward to the game and we’re going to put out a strong lineup, a strong group and I think it’s going to be a perfect game to get us ready for the playoffs."
Philadelphia Union
Goals in each half by Kacper Przybylko and Cory Burke helped secure a 2-1 win over Fire FC Wednesday at Subaru Park. It was Philadelphia's third straight win, which extended an unbeaten streak to six matches and, coupled with Toronto FC's loss to NYCFC, put the Union on the brink of history.
"You could feel a little bit more pressure, which always makes everyone play a little bit different, a little bit tense at the beginning of the game," Jim Curtin said after the match. "[We] weren’t ourselves to start, but then kind of came into the game and made some decent plays and created some chances. ... I can’t say enough just how proud I am of the players, their resiliency, their ability to adjust, adapt, and embrace any new challenge that comes their way."
If the Union do clinch their first Shield, they'll have to do so without Andre Blake. The Jamaican international is ruled out with a fracture to his hand, though Curtin said there's a chance it's not a season-ending injury.
