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An MLS regular season unlike any other comes to an end today with a Decision Day battle for the Philadelphia Union that could end up being an historic day in team history.
Three points will guarantee the Union the best record in MLS and their first trophy — the Supporters’ Shield — but an all too familiar foe stands in the way: the New England Revolution. Thanks to a Covid-19 impacted schedule, this will be the fifth meeting between the two teams in 2020. The Union has won three of the four games.
“These are the types of games you want to play in,” head coach Jim Curtin said. “The Supporters’ Shield is a very difficult trophy to win because the start of the season, everybody wants a shot at it. Everybody wants to have the best record. Everybody wants home field throughout the playoffs.”
The Union will be without arguably their most valuable player in Andre Blake, who is still recovering from a fracture in his hand. Joe Bendik made his first start for the Union in the 2-1 loss to the Columbus Crew but Curtin didn’t rule out the possibility of starting homegrown keeper Matt Freese in a press conference with media on Thursday.
Jose Martinez, meanwhile, will be back after recovering from Covid-19, which will be a boost to the midfield if he’s deemed fit enough to start (he only rejoined full team training on Friday and has played just one game in the past five weeks).
While a win will guarantee the shield and home field advantage throughout the postseason, the Union can still lift the shield with a draw or loss depending on what happens in the Toronto FC game against the New York Red Bulls. The Union and Toronto are even on points, points per game and wins but the Union have a 14-goal advantage in goal differential.
The Union last won a Decision Day match in 2017 when they beat Orlando City 6-1 at home.
Projected Starting Lineups
Union: Joe Bendik, Kai Wagner, Mark McKenzie, Jakob Glesnes, Ray Gaddis, Jose Martinez, Alejandro Bedoya, Jamiro Monteiro, Brenden Aaronson, Sergio Santos, Kacper Przybylko
New England Revolution (via MLSSoccer.com): 4-2-3-1 - Matt Turner, Alexander Büttner, Henry Kessler, Andrew Farrell, Brandon Bye, Scott Caldwell, Tommy McNamara, Carles Gil, Teal Bunbury, Tajon Buchanan, Adam Buksa
Revolution:
How to Watch
Where: Subaru Park, Chester, PA
When: 3:30 p.m., Sunday, November 8
TV: ABC, ESPN DeportesStreaming: fuboTV*
Radio: Fox Sports The Gambler 1480 AM and 105.3 HD2
Audio Streaming: IHeart Radio App, Fox Sports The Gambler
* BrotherlyGame has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though BrotherlyGame and SB Nation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.