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GAME THREAD: Philadelphia Union vs. Orlando City SC

Home sweet home

Philadelphia Union fans Trey Madara / Brotherly Game

It’s been 35 days since the Philadelphia Union played a home match and 50 since their last win, but the Union have the opportunity to punch their tickets to the playoffs - something they haven’t done in 1828 days. The Union will need to be able to beat an Orlando City team that is well below the red line but still has world class players in Kaka and Cyle Larin.

There are some pretty significant questions facing the Union as they come into the match: will Alejandro Bedoya be sidelined by a rib injury, will Warren Creavalle be ready to go after coming back to Philadelphia from Guyana just a few days ago, and will Josh Yaro pass his concussion protocols and be able to play. The good thing is that at least for Creavalle and Yaro, the Union have decent enough replacements in Brian Carroll (for Creavalle), Ken Tribbett (for Yaro), and Maurice Edu (for either).

So let’s talk about the match in the comments section! I’ll try and keep things interesting while things are going on with a running commentary and banter.

UNION GAME #30
VS
Venue: Talen Energy Stadium (Chester, PA)
Date: October 16, 2016
Time: 3:00 PM
Television: The Comcast Network (Philadelphia), TV27 (Orlando), DirecTV 472
Online Streaming: MLS Live, MLS Direct Kick
Match preview: Philadelphia Union vs. Orlando City SC
Orlando City at Philadelphia Union: Match Preview, Starting XIs, Predictions, and More
Starting XI
CJ Sapong Forward Carlos Rivas, Cyle Larin
Chris Pontius, Tranquillo Barnetta, Fabian Herbers; Brian Carroll, Alejandro Bedoya Midfield Kaka, Matias Perez-Garcia; Cristian Higuita, Antonio Nocerino
Fabinho, Richie Marquez, Ken Tribbett, Keegan Rosenberry Defense Mikey Ambrose, Seb Hines, Jose Aja, Rafael Ramos
Andre Blake Goalkeeper Joe Bendik
John McCarthy, Ray Gaddis, Maurice Edu, Roland Alberg, Warren Creavalle, Ilsinho, Charlie Davies Bench Earl Edwards, Jr., Tommy Redding, Kevin Alston, Servando Carrasco, Kevin Molino, Julio Baptista, Hadji Barry
Numbers of Note
5 - Both teams are winless in their last five matches. The Union have two draws and three losses, while Orlando have one draw and four losses since their last win.
58 - Number of goals conceded by Orlando City (most in MLS).
109 - Number of saves by Orlando goalkeeper Joe Bendik (tied for third best in MLS).
Game Officials
Referee: Ricardo Salazar
Assistant: Andrew Bigelow
Assistant: Jeffrey Greeson
Fourth: Jorge Gonzalez