After a slow first 10 minutes for the Union that saw Andre Blake make two saves, the Union had their first chance in the 12’ off a corner kick that saw Jack Elliott head the ball right of the net. In the 18’, which would be the Union’s best chance of the night, Kacper Przyblko was unmarked on a Union corner kick, which saw him head the ball towards goal, forcing a strong save from Columbus’ goalkeeper, Eloy Room. Sixteen minutes after the Union’s best chance, Columbus would have one of their own. Star player Lucas Zelarayán in the 34’ lasered a long-range effort that nicked the crossbar and went out for a goal kick. In the 38’ it looked like Columbus had won a penalty kick as referee Ramy Touchan deemed Jakob Glesnes had fouled Pedro Santos in the penalty box, but the call was reversed by VAR, showing Santos was fouled just outside the box. Although the Union had more shots (8) and possession of the ball (56%), compared to Columbus’ (6) and (44%), nothing could separate these two sides as we went in scoreless at the break. After the break, neither team made any changes at halftime. We continued to see the gritty, hard-tackling soccer between these two teams, which resulted in yellow cards for Columbus’ Luis Diaz (56’) and the Union’s Jamiro Monteiro (61’). The Union would make their first and only change of the night in the 62’ when striker Sergio Santos would replace Anthony Fontana. Two minutes later, off a set-piece, Jamiro Monteiro would find Jakob Glesnes, who would head the ball across the box to Alejandro Bedoya, whose shot hit off the post. Columbus would get one last look in the game in the 83’, in which Columbus had won a free-kick. Zelarayán would send in a dangerous free-kick into the box, which was headed away poorly from Bedoya, in which the ball found Arthur, who forced a strong save from Blake.
 
Overall Thoughts:
Overall, I thought the Union played well against Columbus, especially with how fast the game was played at times. That is something Jim Curtin mentioned early on in his post-game press conference, “It was certainly a notch up from intensity from both of our CONCACAF Champions League games, and that’s a compliment to Columbus. It was much faster, much more intensity, and maybe it took both teams a little while to settle into the game”. Yeah, here and there, both teams gave the ball away carelessly and couldn’t get the ball from out under their feet, which made for some sloppy soccer at times. Still, I’d argue that Columbus is a more challenging matchup for the Union than Saprissa was, just like the Union were a much more difficult opponent for the Crew than Real Estelí were.

I think the key for the Union in this game was how well they were able to take Gyasi Zardes and Lucas Zelarayán out of the game. Zardes only had 24 touches of the ball in 84 minutes played, while Zelarayán had 64 touches in 90 minutes of play; neither one could collect the ball in dangerous spots and hurt the Union. In particular, if you look at Zardes heat map, he constantly was dropping to the halfway line to collect the ball. When you’re your team's loan striker having to come that deep to collect the ball, that’s a win for the opposition's defense; the Union completely took Zardes out of the game. I thought the Union pressed well at times in the game, particularly Leon Flach, who received high praise after the game from Jim Curtin, who said, “Leon Flach was excellent, all over the field. (He) does a lot of the little things that Ale Bedoya does that maybe doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet. In terms of work rate, recovery speeds, making a big block, getting out to deny service, I’ll be interested to see the ground he covered. For a 20-year-old kid, his soccer brain is as good as I’ve worked with for such a young player”. Only 3 games into his Union career, and Leon is already receiving high compliments from Jim Curtin. Look, Jim’s right, nothing jumps out on the stat sheet other than 1 clearance, 6 tackles, 76% completed passes (28/37), 1 key pass, but if you look at the heat map, he had 64 touches and was causing havoc for Columbus on their left side. People might have been shocked when they heard me say on the podcast that once Sergio Santos is healthy, that it will be Anthony Fontana going to the bench, not Leon Flach. This kid is already playing a big part for the Union, and he’s only been here for 3 weeks. To have two of the same type of players on the field simultaneously, opposite each other in the diamond, how are teams going to break through that midfield and attack the backline? It seems Ernst Tanner has once again found another diamond in the rough. But we have to give credit to where credit is due; I thought Columbus did an excellent job of pressing Jakob and Jack and making it difficult for the Union to play out of the back. Arthur and Perry Kitchen did a good job pressing El Brujo, forcing him to pass back to Andre Blake instead of passing the ball forwarding and starting the attack. If teams are going to want to stop the Union from having success, then I’m sure they’ll watch the tape and see how Columbus was able to put pressure on the backline and El Brujo forcing them to start the attack with Andre Blake instead. Yes, this game was there for the Union’s taking, but to go into Columbus and take points on the road, that’s a win in my book.

Team Notes:

• Andre Blake made his 205th MLS start for Philadelphia Union
• Andre Blake kept his 39th MLS Clean Sheet for Philadelphia Union
• Kai Wagner made his 45th MLS start for Philadelphia Union
• Jack Elliott made his 90th MLS start for Philadelphia Union
• Jakob Glesnes made his 20th MLS appearance for Philadelphia Union
• El Brujo made his 15th start for Philadelphia Union
• Alejandro Bedoya made his 125th MLS appearance for Philadelphia Union
• Anthony Fontana made his 8th MLS start for Philadelphia Union
• Kacper Przybylko made his 50th career appearance for Philadelphia Union

Notable Union Stats:

• 4 Union players earned yellow cards: Jakob Glesnes, Jamiro Monteiro, Sergio Santos, and Alejandro Bedoya
• Union had 15 shots, in which 5 were on target
• Union completed 74% of their passes (287/387)
• Union completed 35% of their dribbles (6/17)
• Columbus had more interceptions (13) and clearances (18) than the Union (12) (7)
• Andre Blake had 6 saves
• Kai Wagner had 2 interceptions, 3 tackles, completed 86% of his passes (32/37), 4 key passes
• Leon Flach had 1 clearance, 6 tackles, completed 76% of hiss passes (28/37), 1 key pass

Well, it's that time of year again, the start of another MLS season! The Philadelphia Union are heading into their 12th season, with last season being their most successful, as they lifted the Supporters Shield, the first trophy in club history. With Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie's sales, the Union has two huge holes to fill in their roster. The club has gone out and signed Stuart Findlay, a 25-year-old left-footed centerback from Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock, and have recently acquired Leon Flach, a 20-year-old central midfielder from 2. Bundesliga side, FC St. Pauli. Does either one of these signings bring excitement to Philadelphia Union fans? What about one of the five new homegrown signings in, Nathan Harriel (19), Brandan Craig (17), Jack McGlynn (17), Quinn Sullivan (17), and Paxten Aaronson (17)? Will this current roster be enough to make a deep run in the CCL (CONCACAF Champions League), the league, and eventually the playoffs? Only time will tell, but regardless of the Union making a splash with a "flashy" signing, they have been able to make the playoffs the last three seasons and keep a majority of this roster intact. 

With MLS set to play a whole 34-game schedule, compared to the 23-games they played last year, let's look at last year's numbers compared to what I predict will happen in 2021. 

Assists Leaders: 
Whether it's a shortened season or not, who would have expected a striker would lead the team in assist? When you think striker, you think of someone scoring all your goals, like Kacper was in 2019 with his team-leading 15. What's so surprising about Kacper leading the team in assist last year is, he's your typical Target Man Striker. He's tall, standing at 6'4, he's physical, he constantly would win balls in the air and make runs into the box in 2019. You look at how the Union used Kacper last year. He was making runs out into the channel, crossing the ball into the box, where he typically would be on the end of those crosses, but not so much in 2020, which might explain why he led the team in assists. 
 
2020 Assists Leaders: 

• Kacper Przyblko – 5 assists in 23 games played 
• Brenden Aaronson – 4 assists in 23 games played 
•  Jamiro Monteiro – 3 assists in 22 games played 

 
Do I think Kacper will once again lead the Union in assists this season? The answer to that is no. As I mentioned earlier, the Union will miss not having Brenden Aaronson, who was second in assists last season and was arguably their most creative player last season. Who will step up this season? My guess is Jamiro, Bedoya, and Mbaizo will be the top three in assists this season. Now, I know the name that jumps out at people is Mbaizo but look at the first leg against Saprissa. He had seven crosses into the box during the match, with one of them connecting with Kacper to give the Union a 1-0 victory. He could've potentially picked up a second assist when he put the ball into the box, and Leon Flach arrived just late. Mbaizo seems a lot more comfortable going forward and helping the Union attack, something Ray Gaddis seemed hesitant to do during his time as a Union player. I know with the arrival of Nathan Harriel this season, it's expected that Mbaizo and Nathan will split time at Right-Back, but if that game against Saprissa is anything to go by, then we could see a big season from Mbaizo in terms of assists. The other two, Jamiro and Bedoya, are probably a little bit more explanatory. Jamiro, in his first two seasons with the Union, has registered ten assists, led the team in 2019 with 7, and Bedoya has had seven the last two years. Jamiro has primarily played on the left side of the diamond during his time as a Union player and still has managed to register so many assists. If he splits time between the eight and the 10, which is a more attacking position, how many more assists could we see Jamiro register? Bedoya is always a threat going forward with some of his clever runs, and now you add a player like Mbaizo who likes getting forward from the fullback spot. How much of an impact will that have on Bedoya? 

2021 Assist Leaders: 

•  Jamiro Monteiro – 10 in 34 games 
• Olivier Mbaizo – 8 in 24 games 
• Alejandro Bedoya – 6 in 26 games 

Goal Scorer Leaders: 
Last season was a crazy year for the Union in terms of goals scored, as they scored 44 goals in 23 games, which was the most for an Eastern Conference team and tied for second overall with the Seattle Sounders; Portland Timbers finished first with 46 goals scored. If you go back a year prior and look at 2019, which was the Union's most successful season until last year, they scored 58 goals in 34 games played. The Union was 14 goals off, matching their 2019 total in 11 fewer games in 2020. It makes you wonder what kind of records this team would have broken in terms of goals scored; unlike most teams, who rely heavily on one striker, the Union score with a whole different cast of players. To score 44 goals overall and have your leading goal scorer lead the team with 8, it tells you everything you need to know about this team and how they rely on every player. Kacper Przyblko, Sergio Santos, and Anthony Fontana were the top three goal scorers last year, and it's hard to argue that it won't happen again.

2020 Goal Scorer Leaders: 

• Kacper Przyblko – 8 in 23 games 
• Sergio Santos – 8 in 21 games 
• Anthony Fontana – 6 in 17 games

 
Well, if you listened to my appearance on The Stateside Soccer Podcast back on March 24th, I spoke very highly of Sergio Santos and broke down his 2020 stats and what his numbers would've looked like if it was a regular 34 game schedule. With Anthony Fontana getting "the keys" to play as the number 10 with Brenden's departure, you can easily make the case why Anthony will be towards the top of the list in terms of goals scored. Anthony has more of an eye for goal than Brenden, and it's evident by looking at the goals Fontana scored last year for the Union in 6 fewer games. The whole argument for Sergio Santos is, can he stay healthy? He's missed 15 games since the 18/19 season due to numerous injuries. He also missed all of the 2020 pre-season and first leg against Saprissa with a toe injury. There's no question that when Sergio is on the field, he causes havoc for the opposition with his speed and left-footed shot. Jim Curtin even recently admitted how much of a difference Sergio makes when he's available, saying: "As a coach, I'm going to select him every time to be a part of the 18 because he's so talented". So, I do believe if Sergio can stay healthy, play more than 62 minutes per game, then he could make a big difference, just like we saw last season. And Kacper Przyblko has to be included in that list as well. Kacper is a player that Jim usually plays every game, and more times than not, from the start of the whistle to the end. Because of that, that means Kacper always has a chance to score. I know it has always been the Union's case to have a striker have one great year and then fall off the following year. I know Kacper went from 15 goals in 2019 to 8 goals in 2020, but Kacper was dealing with COVID to begin the season, and who knows how much that profoundly affected him during the season. Look, another season of Kacper and Sergio up top together means that they will understand each other's runs more and ultimately link up together better. 

2021 Goal Scorer Leaders: 

• ​Sergio Santos – 15 in 27 games 
• Kacper Przyblko – 13 in 30 games 
• Anthony Fontana – 8 in 20 games 

2021 Union MVP: 
Last season the Union announced Andre Blake as team MVP, and whenever you have a goalkeeper like Andre Blake on your team, more times than not, he'll save you a couple of points during the season. So, it's tough for me not to choose Andre Blake here because of how crucial he was for the Union last season, but for me, it comes down to Jose "El Brujo" Martinez and Sergio Santos for the team MVP. Jose finished 4th overall in the "MLS Newcomer of The Year'' award, though it's worth noting he finished second in media voting; the media members knew how important Jose was to the Union last year. I think most Union fans will agree that they were surprised at how well Jose's passing was last year. The big question going into the 2020 season was how they could replace Haris Medunjanin's passing from the number 6 position? Jose answered that question and then some, with him completing 83% of his passes last season, but most surprising was how well he was at completing his long balls. He completed 112 out of 140, which is suitable for 80%. Not bad for a player that no one had a clue about coming out of the Venezuelan league. Jose was 4th on the team last year in tackles with 40, but most importantly, when the opposition was in the Union's final 3rd, Jose was there to put out the fire for the Union with his 25 tackles in the box, which was second only to Mark McKenzie on the team. We saw a big performance from Jose in the first leg against Saprissa, and there is no reason to think Jose won't continue that performance into the season. And finally, I believe Sergio Santos will be up there because I predict him to lead the team in goals with 15. Well, teams love players that score goals, and if Sergio does indeed lead the team in goals, he will win 2021 Union MVP.
 
Eastern Conference Predictions:
So, when you look at the 2021 Philadelphia Union schedule, a couple of things stand out for me:

1. We play only two Western Conference teams, Portland and Minnesota, with the Union traveling out West to play Minnesota.
2. We play New York Red Bulls, NYCFC, DC United, Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, and yes, New England 3 times this season.
3. 8 Wednesday games, 5 of which are home. 1 Monday game, which is away at Nashville, and 2 Thursday games, both away.
4. Decision day is away at NYCFC. Decision day being away at NYCFC doesn’t boast well for Union fans because we know the Union no luck playing away to NYCFC as they’ve gone 0-4-1 in their five games against NYCFC. And the Union have lost 8/11 decision day games. Not great when you look at it, so should we chalk that game down as a loss already?
 
The last ten games of the season see the Union play five home games and five away games, in which eight of the ten games are against playoff teams from 2020. So, the Union must start fast and pick up 3 points as much as they can because we’ve seen in the past that the last ten games have either made or broke the Union’s season.
 
You look at the teams the Union had finished ahead of in 2020; most of those playoff teams have gotten better. Keeping the core of players around will boaster the Union’s chances of finishing in the top 5, in my opinion, but I don’t believe they have enough depth as of right now to make a push for the top 2 spots in the East.

1.  Columbus Crew   
2.  Toronto FC                                                               
3.  Orlando City                                                  
4. Philadelphia Union                                                    
5. New England Revolution              
6.  Atlanta United
7.  NYCFC
8. Nashville SC
9. NYRB
10. Chicago Fire
11. Cincinnati
12.  Inter Miami
13.  DC United
14. CF Montreal

​
For a successful season, I’d take two playoff wins and a possible chance at reaching the CONCACAF Champions League final? But, it is MLS, and it’s the craziness that we all love, so who knows what will happen until it happens!

​With more leagues returning to action around the world, Cory Burke returned to work with SKN St. Pölten on Tuesday, June 2nd, scoring a hat trick while adding an assist. The game would mark Cory's third start in four games for SKN St. Pölten as they took on host WSG Swarovski Wattens in Innsbruck.

Cory would get on the scoreboard in the 9th minute of the match, putting SKN St. Pölten up 2-0 early on. Burke was able to capitalize on an error from the WSG Swarovski Wattens defender, take two touches, and beat the goalkeeper at his near post. Cory's second goal of the match would come six minutes later in the 15th minute; as his teammate sent in a cross, Cory got behind the two opposing center-backs to blast a powerful right-footed shot to the goalie's left of the net. Cory would then complete his hat trick in the 54th minute of the game as SKN St. Pölten would break on the counterattack. Cory would send another right-footed shot to the goalies right this time, putting SKN St. Pölten up 4-0. (For highlights of this match, go to Cory's Instagram @CoryBurke19)


Cory's hat trick for SKN St. Pölten marks four multi-goal games in his last eleven played. Cory scored three braces with Jamaican side Portmore United before he was loaned out to SKN St. Pölten. With the season concluding July 4th, there are nine games left for SKN St. Pölten in the Austrian Bundesliga.

​Union head coach Jim Curtin spoke to MLS.com on May 27th and spoke in regards to Cory Burke:

"He has a job to do right now, and I hope he scores some goals and helps his team out," Curtin said of the Jamaican international. "But at the same time, we're eager to get him back as well. He's a really talented striker. And if you drop him in with the three great strikers we already have, that's a really, really great pair, a really great group."

There's no denying that if Burke can continue his scoring form for SKN St. Pölten, the Union will be getting a red hot striker in peak shape when the MLS tournament in Orlando takes place in early July. The MLSPA and league owners avoided a lockout and agreed to a ratified CBA until 2025, according to ESPN's Jeff Carlisle.

The third-place game for our Union Quiz Series between Ed Fagan and Ricky Zellefrow drops this Friday, June 5th, so don't forget to listen and subscribe!

The Washington Post and The Athletic have reported the MLS proposal for a summer tournament in Orlando occurring in place of the MLS season, which has been on hiatus since the coronavirus pandemic escalated on March 12. All players and coaches of the 26 MLS teams have been invited to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando for training beginning June 1, with matches starting as early as June 22, should the MLS Players Association approve the proposal.
 
"This community is ready to do it, and Orlando is the perfect city to hold an event like that," Orlando City coach Oscar Pareja endorsed in a videoconference. Governor Ron DeSantis has also given his approval for the MLS to play games in Orlando.
 
The tournament will involve matches without spectators for everyone's safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an expectation for interactive engagement on the ESPN and MLS digital platforms so that fans can still bond and cheer while preventing the spread of the virus.
 
On May 21, The Athletic reported the league's current plan for the tournament, though sources say that these plans have not been set in stone. There would be four groups (two from the Western Conference and two from the Eastern Conference), with three groups having six teams and the fourth group having eight teams. Each team would play a minimum of five games, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout round. While group stage games would count in the league standings, knockout games would not. No inter-conference play will take place should a shortened regular season occur post-tournament.
 
In theory, this all sounds great – but not to some of the league's high-profile players.
​
In a recent interview with Taylor Twellman of ESPN, Philadelphia Union captain and designated player Alejandro Bedoya expressed his concerns regarding the Orlando plan.
​
"I would start off by saying that I think every one of us agree that we want to get back to playing," Bedoya said. "I want to get back out there, being competitive, [playing] games. The staff wants to be out there, fans want to be watching games, but I will say that this all feels a little bit rushed.”

Bedoya goes on to point out the obvious fact that “ESPN and Disney […] is just partnering with MLS to help the owners out and to show games. I think the players are taking all the risks by going down [to Orlando], being isolated. It's a strong term to say, but it's like being in a luxurious prison."

A central concern of Bedoya's is that MLS has yet to confirm whether or not hotel staff will be required to quarantine with the players. It appears hotel staff will be able to come and go from the facility as they please, putting into question the league's decision to isolate the players from their families.

Playing in MLS is the player's livelihood, so of course, they want to get back to playing. But two months of isolation and the occasional outing for practice and games is not good for anyone’s mental health.

Real Salt Lake defender Nedum Onuoha shared with ESPN his concerns:

"For me personally I can talk bigger picture, but if I were to talk about how it would affect me, it's not something that I would like to do," Onuoha said. "Like I understand financially, it's maybe something that would benefit the owners, benefit the league, and so on, but this time here it's really highlighted mental health and what things are like at home and so on.

"The past two months, you've been at home, and people have still struggled. So now to suggest that the best option would be to take all these players, without their families, without their friends, without the things that are really [comforting] to them, and put them in a place for the purpose of entertainment or the financial side of it seems short-sighted."

Bedoya suggested regional play rather than the Orlando plan, with games played every three days so that players and staff don’t have to be away from their families for eight weeks. It seems as though Bedoya’s plan would be the better way to go. But at the same time, the league is rightfully concerned with safety. If they can have all the teams at one location, they feel like they can prevent the spread of the virus.
​
Regardless of what the league chooses to do, us fans will be watching.