Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union

An Orlando City midweek match is nearly upon us, so it’s time to get some information on tomorrow’s opponent. Wednesday’s contest sees the Philadelphia Union visit Exploria Stadium to finish the regular-season series against Orlando.

A date with the Union means I caught up with Joe Lister over at Philadelphia Soccer Now. As usual, he was very helpful in getting us up to speed on how the Union have been doing since these two teams met back in March.

When we last spoke back in March, you mentioned that the Union’s attack was struggling. Is that still the case, or have they figured things out on that front?

Joe Lister: The attack looks much better. The Union have one of the better goal totals in the Eastern Conference, and No. 9 Julian Carranza has just been on fire. Add No. 10 Daniel Gazdag finally scoring goals in the run of play, and the attack looks way better. Mikael Uhre is getting involved as well.

The attack is certainly not in its final form. Gazdag could contribute a bit more, and Uhre could certainly step up. That being said, it feels as though the team is really stepping into what it should be up top. With midfielder Jack McGlynn and forward Quinn Sullivan back from the U-20 World Cup, the attack will take another step forward.

The Union’s defense seems to be in excellent form, as Philly has only conceded four goals in eight league games since the start of May. What’s been key to that stinginess?

JL: Consistency. I will note that the Union allowed two goals against San Jose in their last match, which wasn’t exactly pretty. While the Union were on the road and San Jose’s goals were a little lucky, the back line felt a little open.

Still, the Union had one of the best back lines in MLS history last year, and all four members returned for 2023. This is the team showing that it is who the league thought that it would be, and the point totals are showing this for the past string of games.

One of the few things to nitpick about the Union this season might be road form, as the team has won twice, lost five, and drawn once away from home. What needs to happen in order to get a few more points out of road games?

JL: I’m not too concerned about road form, to be honest. Yes, the team lost to San Jose on the road, but looked good overall. They at least deserved one point. I think that the road form doesn’t reflect the recent spurt in success for the Union, which kicked in once the team started playing more at home. You could then chalk up that form to playing at home, but that’s if you don’t really know who this team is right now.

Are there any players who will be unavailable due to injuries, suspensions, call-ups, etc? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?

JL: Captain Alejandro Bedoya has been missed at the right No. 8 for the past number of matches, with no updates to his health. Andre Blake will most certainly be absent on Wednesday for international duty. Joe Bendik will take his spot as goalkeeper. Gazdag may also be out. Expect Joaquin Torres to take his place.

Joe Bendik; Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Olivier Mbaizo; Jose Martinez; Jack McGlynn, Jesus Bueno; Joaquin Torres; Mikael Uhre, Julian Carranza.

Final score: 3-1 for the Union. They’ve had a week off to recover from San Jose, Orlando is on short rest, and the whole Union squad is back. I think this is a solid performance from the visitors en route to a needed win.

Thank you to Joe for helping get us up to speed on Philly. Vamos Orlando!