Who: Philadelphia Union vs. D.C. United

What: Major League Soccer Regular Season

Where: Audi Field, District of Columbia.

When: Saturday, August 26, 7:30 p.m. Eastern

Watch: Apple TV, MLS Season Pass

Whistle: REF: Marcos DeOliveira II, AR1: Brian Dunn, AR2: Ben Pilgrim, 4TH: Lukasz Szpala, VAR: Greg Dopka, AVAR: Tom Supple

It’s back to business as usual for the Philadelphia Union after a Leagues Cup run that, while unsuccessful from a silverware perspective, saw the Union qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup for their third international jaunt in four years. 

Thanks to their deep run through Leagues Cup, the Union will be playing their sixth match of the month when they travel to D.C. Saturday, against a United side that will be playing only their third match in the same time frame. For most sides this fixture congestion would serve as a point of concern, but the Union have played historically well in tight match windows under Jim Curtin. Curtin made note of the sides’ form during the compressed window in his mid-week presser, saying “Us being able to stay in a pretty good rhythm, win six out of seven games, was good”.

United on the other hand have had only two matches thus far in the month of August, a penalty kick loss to the Union in the Leagues Cup Round of 32, and a regular season defeat at Red Bull last Sunday. The break may have been welcome for a United side that has failed to find a consistent rhythm thus far in league play. Despite their lack of consistent form however, United sit only a single position under the playoff line in the East, and will be hoping to finish the season strong in search of their first postseason berth since 2019.

Scouting Report: D.C. United

D.C. United are incredibly hard to read, especially after nearly a month off. Before their month hiatus, the club was remarkably inconsistent, posting a 3-0 drubbing against supporters shield leading FC Cincinnati one week, and dropping three points to Nashville the next. Closer to home, the Union and United have played to two scoreless draws in their two meetings so far this calendar year, in contests that looked remarkably deadlocked for the theoretical discrepancy in the two teams’ talent. 

New for D.C. will be Gabirel Pirani, a central midfielder signed on loan from Santos. Pirani made his debut against Red Bull last week, logging 79 minutes and looking like the potential spark D.C. needs to revitalize their attack as they look to end the season on a high note.

 Scouting Report: Philadelphia

It’s been a long stretch for Philadelphia over the last month, but after taking 6 of the last 7, the Union should feel confident heading into their matchup in D.C. Aiding that confidence should be the fact that the Union are finally nearing full health again, with captain Alejandro Bedoya recovering from a lingering calf issue, and Juliana Carranza likely to be fit for the first time since sustaining a hamstring injury in Leagues Cup. Curtin mentioned that how Bedoya is worked back into the squad will be closely monitored to avoid re-aggravation of the injury, saying “…we want to be cautious about how we bring him along, will it make sense to throw him into 3 games a week like the old days? That probably isn’t the smartest way.  But we know in the biggest games and the most important games we need him on the field and we need him peaking at the end of the year where I know he will.”

How the Union line up Saturday will be a particular point of interest, with Curtin using both a 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 against United this year. Both matches played out as defensive deadlocks, with possession split essentially evenly between the two clubs, and no goals scored in regulation. With a full selection of players likely available heading into the weekend, Curtin will have a variety of options to break down a well organized United side.

Injury report: None

Match-up to watch: Union Forward(s) vs D.C’s backline. No goals over two games? Something has to give sooner rather than later.

Player to watch: Gabriel Pirani. He looked good in his midfield debut with United, spreading the ball into dangerous attacking positions. Plus he’s a wildcard in this series as the Union have yet to face him.

Prediction: Union 2-1 The 180+ minute deadlock is finally broken by both teams, but the Union’s form proves too much for a United side trying to get back up to speed after a lack of fixtures in the last month.