Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union

Who: Philadelphia Union (15th place, 7 points, 1-9-4) vs. Inter Miami CF (2nd place, 28 points, 8-2-4)
What: MLS Regular Season Game Matchday 15,
Where: NU Stadium
When: Sunday, May 24th, 7 PM
Watch: Apple TV
Whistle: REF: Rosendo Mendoza, AR1: Felisha Mariscal, AR2: Brian Poeschel, 4TH: Marcos DeOliveira II, VAR: Younes Marrakchi, AVAR: Joshua Patlak

A battered and bruised Philadelphia Union limp into Miami to contest the reigning champions in Nu Stadium, their last match before the World Cup break. The last placed Union are looking for just their second win of the season, but will have to deal with the star-studded Herons if they wish to get out of the cellar before the summer pause. Meanwhile, Miami is 4 points off of first in the east, but can close the gap to 1 with a win.

Scouting report: Inter Miami (W-W-W-L-D)

Guilermo Hoyos’s side enter this matchup in good form after stringing together 3 wins in a row. Despite a few missteps after moving into the stadium – including dropping a 4-3 loss to Orlando – the Herons have seemingly turned over a new leaf, and appear to be back to their usual nigh-unstoppable selves. 

Led by league darling Lionel Messi – who has 12 goals and 6 assists so far – Miami are more than capable of finding the back of the net. New signing Germán Bertrame has finally found his shooting boots after a slow start to the season. His 5 goals are good for second on the team. 

Creatively, Telasco Segovio and Rodrigo De Paul lead the team in assists with 8 and 7 respectively. De Paul – who will be joining Messi and Argentina at the World Cup – also has 3 goals to his name. 

Despite all of Miami’s offensive capabilities, the team’s defense does not boast the same amount of quality. Their 24 goals allowed puts them firmly in the middle of the pack, when compared to the rest of the league. Teams have been able to earn results against the Herons, but it requires a high-scoring affair, and historically the Union have not come out on top against Miami in that situation.

• Injury report: OUT: Tadeo Allende (knee), OUT: Santi Morales (adductor)
• Suspended: N/a

Scouting report: Philadelphia Union (D-L-L-D-L)

The Philadelphia Union have turned in a few better showings in recent weeks, but it still hasn’t been good for the Boys in the Blue. The reigning Shield holders have just a single win on the season, which came back on April 11th against Montréal, and have a poor habit of conceding the first goal. Despite typically being stronger in the second half of their games, the Union have not been able to put in a complete performance on the year. 

To make matters even worse, Philly is dealing with several injuries to key players, especially in their defensive unit. Jesús Bueno, who was playing his best soccer for the club, remains injured after suffering a poor foul against Columbus on April 25th. Japhet Sery Larsen – also injured in that Columbus game – will be out as well. With World Cup hopeful Olwethu Makhanya suspended for yellow card accumulation, and Westfield questionable, Bradley Carnell will have to get creative with his lineup tonight. 

On the attack, while the Union have struggled to finish, they have benefitted from Milan Iloski’s contributions. The California native now has 4 goals on the season and leads the team in that category. After several promising performances, young star Cavan Sullivan finally bagged his first MLS goal against Orlando on May 13th, and will look to continue to influence matters in the attacking third. New signing Agustin Anello has also shown flashes off the bench, netting a good assist last time out, and may find himself in the starting lineup after a concussion to Indiana Vassilev leaves the former Villan a doubt. 

The Union have failed to beat Miami since Messi made his debut for the Herons, losing 5 out of 6 matches, but did manage a draw the last time both sides met in league last season.

• Injury report: OUT: Jesus Bueno (ankle), OUT: Stas Korzeniowski (knee), OUT: Japhet Sery Larsen (shoulder), OUT: Quinn Sullivan (knee), QUESTIONABLE: Indiana Vassilev (head), QUESTIONABLE: Frankie Westfield (hip)
• Suspended: Olwethu Makanhya

Key matchup

Nathan Harriel vs. Luis Suárez

Harriel will likely fill in at center back, but will have a tough assignment against one of the former world’s best strikers in Suárez.

Player to Watch: Danley Jean-Jacques

This will be Jean-Jacques send off before he joins the Haitian National Team for the World Cup. He will have to put in a shift in midfield against one of the best teams on the continent.

Prediction: Philadelphia Union 2 – 3 Inter Miami

Miami’s attack is simply too good for this version of the Union. They will battle back in the second frame but it ultimately won’t be enough to overcome the Herons.