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After a miraculous comeback Sunday afternoon, the Philadelphia Union are headed to Mercedes Benz Stadium seeking to extend their winning streak of one whole game. The game that started that historic streak, a 4-3 win over Red Bull Sunday at Talen, was easily the best win in Union history.
That being said, it’s very fair to be nervous about the future of the season right now.
Andre Blake showed off his weaknesses (though he has done this at other times throughout the season), allowing three goals that he could’ve easily saved. The Union attack got started late, and frequently throughout the first half the defense couldn’t communicate. And after 120 minutes of running, they’ve all got to be exhausted.
But I’ll be a Posidelphian for once.
They won a tough game in tough conditions, against a tough team. They found the fire within them to win push through those 120 minutes and came back from what seemed like an impossible situation. They looked incredibly strong and controlled the ball from 46’ to 120’.
Atlanta is going to be a tough challenger, but the game in Atlanta is clearly a winnable one. The Union hasn’t lost to Atlanta in their two matches this season, and Philadelphia enters determined. Atlanta enters with a very tight win over New England, and an already guaranteed route to the Concacaf Champions League. The Union enter Thursday with an exciting 4-3 win over their biggest rivals and look to take home their first MLS Cup and book their first ticket to the Champions League.
If Kacper Przybylko and Alejandro Bedoya can get back in the lineup by Thursday, then it’s not a long shot for the Union to steal a win from Atlanta. It will take a lot to beat the reigning champs, but if the Union can click as they did from halftime through the rest of the match, then they’ll have all the tools they need to come back to Philly victorious.
As usual, I’m cautiously excited, but I have faith that the Union can win this one (can, not will). But if they play their cards right, my money’s on Philly.