Preview, projected lineups and how to watch Philadelphia Union vs Chicago Fire

Twenty points separate the Philadelphia Union and the Chicago Fire, but that isn’t keeping Union head coach Jim Curtin from respecting the Union’s opponent coming to Chester tonight.

Curtin said Tuesday that Chicago are a team that is “playing a lot better than their point total.”

“They’ve been on the unlucky side of a lot of results,” he said. “(Raphael Wicky) does a great job of getting them to play the right way. They’re very good in possession, they create a lot of chances, they’re organized defensively and press well as a team so we recognize we’ll have our hands full.”

The Union are coming off their best game of the season, a 5-0 blowout of Toronto FC. But they will also be without Jamiro Monteiro for the first time this season as he serves a one-game yellow card suspension. That should open the door for Anthony Fontana to return to the starting lineup and put Brenden Aaronson back at the 8 playing opposite captain Alejandro Bedoya in a diamond midfield.

The Fire will be bringing a couple recognizable former Union faces in Fabian Herbers and CJ Sapong. Herbers is having a strong season — he’s second on the team in goals with 4 and also has an assist — while Sapong has played mostly off the bench in his second season since being traded. Curtin and Wicky were teammates in their playing days for Chivas USA and Curtin won the Supporters’ Shield as a player for the Fire in 2003.

With second place Toronto (NYCFC) and third place Columbus (DC United) both also playing tonight, any points dropped could be potentially devastating for a Union team that now controls their destiny leading the Supporters’ Shield race with three games left.

Projected Starting Lineups

Philadelphia Union 4-4-2: Andre Blake, Kai Wagner, Mark McKenzie, Jakob Glesnes, Ray Gaddis, Jose Martinez, Brenden Aaronson, Alejandro Bedoya, Anthony Fontana, Sergio Santos, Kacper Przybylko

Chicago Fire (via Patrick McCraney of Hot Time in Old Town) 4-2-3-1: Bobby Shuttleworth; Jonathan Bornstein, Francisco Calvo, Mauricio Pineda, Boris Sekulic; Gaston Gimenez, Alvaro Medran, Ignacio Aliseda, Fabian Herbers, Dorde Mihailovic, Robert Beric

How to Watch

Where: Subaru Park, Chester, PA
When: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 28
TV: PHL 17
Streaming: PhiladelphiaUnion.com in market; ESPN+ out-of-market
Radio: Fox Sports The Gambler 1480 AM and 105.3 HD2
Audio Streaming: IHeart Radio App, Fox Sports The Gambler

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