Photo: Nicolae Stoian

The playoffs are upon us and the latest edition of the KYW Philly Soccer Show podcast is here to get you ready as the Philadelphia Union prepare to take on the Houston Dynamo this Sunday at PPL Park, for the team’s first-ever playoff game.

KYW’s Greg Orlandini and cohost Eli Pearlman-Storch of the Philly Soccer Page are joined this week by Kerith Gabriel of the Philadelphia Daily News and Press of Atlantic City writer James Clark.

In part one, the roundtable looks at how the Union will line up against Houston on Sunday. In this playoff round, the teams play a home-and-home series, and the team with the highest goal total after two games advances to the next round. Will the Union go after the goals early or try to play a tight defensive game?

In part two, the discussion turns to the center of midfield and some of the struggles that Freddy Adu has experienced since coming to the Union. Adu was a high-profile signing coming in the summer, but has yet to find a consistent place on the team. And with the Union needing more scoring punch, he will need to shine in the playoffs.

In part three, the pod debates who needs to step up in the playoffs offensively. The Union has strong leadership on the defensive side with goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon and defender Danny Califf. But who will lead from the front?

Click on the links above to listen to each segment.