Philadelphia Union vs. New England Revolution Prediction, Preview and Odds - 9/4/21
New England and Philadelphia will both be looking to bounce back from losses when they square off on Friday night. The Revolution had their nine-match unbeaten streak snapped in a 2-0 loss to NYCFC on Saturday, but they are still at the top of the Eastern Conference table. Philadelphia dropped a 3-1 decision to DC United in its last match.
New England will rely on depth
New England has been the best team in the MLS all season, so Saturday’s 2-0 loss to NYCFC was a surprising result. The Revolution had been unbeaten in their previous nine matches, including eight wins during that stretch. Their streak was put to an end by NYCFC, who got a pair of goals from Valentin Castellanos. NYCFC peppered New England with 19 shots, including five on goal. The Revolution were only able to put one shot on target in the loss. They are still in first place in the Eastern Conference, leading Orlando City by 14 points.
Their one shot on target was their lowest of the season. Head coach Bruce Arena is dealing with several players away on international duty, giving him the chance to test out some of his depth. Starting goalie Matt Turner is with the United States team, so he is going to be out for this match. Taylor Buchanan is with the Canadians, while second-leading scorer Adam Buksa has been called up to the Polish national team. Luis Caicedo remains out with a lower-body injury and Brandon Bye is questionable due to an injury.
Philadelphia looking to move up in standings
Philadelphia comes into this match off a 3-1 loss to DC United. The Union have now picked up a victory just once in their last four matches. They played to a 1-1 draw with Montreal and lost a 2-1 final to New England one month ago. Philadelphia got on the scoreboard first in last weekend’s loss, as Steve Birnbaum netted an own goal. DC United responded with a goal 14 minutes later and then took the lead four minutes after halftime. They closed the match with a stoppage-time goal.
The Union had gone unbeaten in their previous 10 matches against DC United, winning nine of those contests. They won the Supporters Shield in 2020, so their current spot in the standings is not as good as they would have hoped for. Philadelphia is in fifth place, trailing NYCFC by two points for fourth place. The Union are only three points back of second place, so this is an important match for them. They conceded the opening goal in four matches in August. Philadelphia scored the second-most goals in the MLS last year, but it has scored two-plus goals in only six matches this season.
Pick: (Philadelphia +115)
New England is a sizeable underdog for the second match in a row and I will be fading them for the second match in a row. The Revolution went on a long unbeaten stretch that propelled them to the top of the table. They are well clear of second place in the standings, so I have the same motivational questions that I had last week. New England is without multiple key players due to international duty. Philadelphia is coming off a disappointing loss, but it is only three points back of second place in the table.
Total (Under 3)
Philadelphia has struggled to score consistently this season, but it has five clean sheets at home. The Union have only allowed six total goals at Subaru Park. Both teams are missing several key players due to international play, which is going to make this match uglier than it would have been. I predicted a sluggish match from New England last week and I do not expect anything to change on Friday night. The Revolution are not going to allow many goals to Philadelphia, but they are also not going to get on the scoresheet themselves.