Photo Ron Soliman

Who: Philadelphia Union (2nd place, 9 points, 3-1-0) vs. St. Louis City SC (3rd place, 8 points, 2-0-2)
What:  MLS Regular Season match
Where: Subaru Park, Chester, PA.
When: Saturday, March 22nd, 7:30pm
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, Radio call on 97.5 FM or the Fanatic App/Website
Whistle: Ricardo Fierro, Jose Da Silva, Andrew Bigelow, Abdou Ndiaye, VAR: Carol Anne Chenard, Rhett Hammil

After last Sunday’s disappointing performance, the Philadelphia Union will look to return to winning ways against an undefeated St. Louis City SC. The Boys in Blue will have an uphill battle as they will be missing ten players between international call-ups, injury, and suspension. This will mark the first ever competitive fixture between Philly and St. Louis.

Scouting Report: St. Louis City SC

St. Louis have had a good start to life under first year Head Coach Olof Mellberg. After two goalless draws to open their third MLS campaign, they exploded to life against the struggling defending champs LA Galaxy, and then dispatched the ever-threatening Seattle Sounders. While Mellberg’s defense first strategy has limited their attacking output, with St. Louis only scoring four goals, they have yet to concede a single goal.  

Although this will be the first ever meeting between the two sides, there are a few familiar faces in the STL organization.

Union Alumni

Joshua Yaro, former Union 2016 2nd overall pick, has become a regular figure on the STL backline. He last appeared for the Union first team in an August, 27th, 2017 regular season match with Atlanta. After being released at the end of the 2018 season, he spent a few years in the USL, putting up solid seasons with San Antonio and San Diego Loyal, before returning to MLS with Saint Louis. 

Projected STL Lineup

Former Head Coach John Hackworth is the current Technical Director for Saint Louis. After his infamous tenure in Philly, he spent some time in the US Youth National team setup before landing with Louisville City. He achieved success with Louisville, winning the 2018 USL Cup in his first season. After a few more good seasons at the helm he left via ‘mutual consent’ and was actually replaced by former Union player, and current head coach, Danny Cruz. He landed an FO role with Saint Louis ahead of their inaugural season, and even filled in as the interim Head Coach when Bradley Carnell was dismissed in 2024.

Tactics and Players

When it comes to their playstyle, Mellberg has used formations with both three and five defenders. This aligns with their defensive approach. They are a counter attacking team, preferring to sit deep to absorb pressure, cede possession, and then create chances quickly after winning the ball. 

Their players are well drilled and disciplined. Overall it’s a very German team with many who boast Bundesliga and 2. Liga experience. Of those, Designated Players Marcel Hartel and Klauss will be the dangermen. The Philly Phaithful might remember defender Henry Kessler from his time with New England, as he infamously tossed a ball into the stands to waste time late into a 2021 regular season clash. STL will be missing starting keeper Roman Bürki due to broken hand. His absence will be felt but backup Ben Lundt managed a clean sheet in last week’s victory over the Sounders. Finally, be wary of Simon Becher. The former Ocean City Nor’easter is a dangerous striker and can affect the game off the bench as evidenced by his strike against LA.

Injury Report: Roman Bürki (Hand – OUT), Jayden Reid (Foot – OUT), Thomas Totland (Hamstring – OUT)

Suspended: N/a

International Duty: Tyson Pearce

Scouting Report: Philadelphia Union

The key storyline for the Union is their depth. With ten players missing, nine of whom have made first team appearances, Bradley Carnell will have to turn to his bench.

Heavy Rotation

Andre Blake’s absence likely means a start for Andrew Rick. There is some good news, revealed in Carnell’s press conference: Ian Glavinovic has returned to fitness. This could allow Nathan Harriel to remain in his preferred position at Right Back. Alternatively, Olivier Mbaizo could draw a start, as his technical skill set might be a better fit for this game. 

The midfield is where things get interesting. Both Danley and Gazdag are with their national teams. Typically, Venezuelan Jesús Bueno would step into one of the Defensive Midfield spots but he’s away too. It’s entirely possible that Alejandro Bedoya will draw the start opposite Jovan Lukić, although HGP Jeremy Rafanello did an admirable job at D-Mid last season. Indiana Vassilev also seems poised to make his first start for the Union in one of the dual #10 roles. The American midfielder should be valuable in giving his new team some insight into the STL system, as he was recently acquired from them. Finally, expect Bruno Damiani to accompany Mikael Uhre up top.

A Paradox in Philosophy

Projected PHL Lineup

Philly and Saint Louis have differing systems. STL prefers to bunker and counter whereas the Union like to counter press. But, there is one thing that both the Union and Saint Louis have in common: a disinterest in possession. In his introductory press conference, Carnell was up front that he expected the team to score about 10% of their goals from possession. He prefers the Redbull style pressing approach that eschews longer build ups in favor of creating turnovers up the field. Despite this, Philly has actually had a slight majority of the ball in three of the first four games, the exception being Orlando.

This is a paradoxical trend but it could be explained by two points. 1) The Union had a favorable schedule in their first three games and exploited teams that were in CCC, had new players still settling in, or both; and 2) Teams know that the Union are not built to hold onto the ball and purposely drop deep against them. The first point is circumstantial, the second is a continuation of a trend from last year. BJ Callaghan certainly took notice of that and actually mirrored the Union’s set-up on Sunday. 

For his part, Carnell stated to the media that the Union played the way he wanted them to, but that they fell victim to ‘momentum swings’ against Nashville. It will be interesting to see how a heavily rotated team will implement this style, especially as it is likely the Union will have the majority of the ball and will need to break down St. Louis

Injury Report: Markus Anderson (Ankle – OUT),

Suspended: Olwethu Makhanya (Violent Conduct – OUT)

International Duty: Andre Blake, Frankie Westfield, Neil Pierre, Jesús Bueno, Danley Jean-Jacques, Daniel Gazdag, Tai Baribo

Key Matchup: STL Attack vs PHL Defense

St. Louis City SC have demonstrated a lethality on the counter. Check out their game versus LA Galaxy, two of their three goals were quick counters. They have a number of good forward options as well, which will prove a challenge to a young, and somewhat error prone, Union defense. 

Player to Watch: Bruno Damiani

The Union’s new record breaking Young DP is odds-on to make his first start with Tai Baribo unavailable. He’s already shown an ability to get into the right positions but this could be the fans (and league’s) first extended look at what he can do, and why the Union were willing to spend some cash on the Uruguayan. 

Prediction: 2-2 Tie

I know that’s boring but a tie is just a gut feeling. The Union are missing so many starters and Saint Louis is in good form. Philly puts in a better performance than last week, but will make some costly mistakes that STL will pounce on.