Philadelphia Union vs Colorado Rapids Preview

Philadelphia Union vs Colorado Rapids Preview by Chris Brown

Colorado Rapids play their second road game in four days as they travel to Talen Energy Stadium to take on the red hot Philadelphia Union.

For the Union the match against Colorado will also be their second match in four days as Wednesday saw The U beat Houston Dynamo 2-0 behind first half goals from Fabrice Picault and Ilsinho. The win against the Dynamo was Philadelphia’s third win in a row and their current hot streak has seen them move from the foot of the Eastern Conference table to 7th place in the East on 13 points.

Colorado are languishing at the bottom of the Western Conference and Supporter’s Shield standings and have won just two matches all season. During their tepid start to 2017 campaign the Rapids have yet to register a single point when playing on the road.

Colorado’s poor road form was on full display on Wednesday night when the Rapids were thumped 3-0 by Chicago Fire. Two Nemanja Nikolic goals and a David Accam strike humbled a Rapids side that was feeling confident coming off their second win of the season last weekend against San Jose Earthquakes.

Pablo Mastroeni changed his tactics and personnel for the San Jose match and the 3-0 win gave Colorado a big boost in confidence heading into the Chicago match. That confidence was shattered Wednesday when Mastroeni trotted out the same tactics from the San Jose win, only to see them ripped apart by the Fire midfield.

Those tactics are what Colorado supporters are curious about heading into the match against the Union. Will Pablo revert to the 4-5-1 formation that clogged up the midfield and protected his back four to great success in 2016, or will Colorado come out in the 4-4-2 formation that has worked beautifully once and been disastrous once in the last seven days?

For Philadelphia, they’ll be looking to continue their excellent form but will need CJ Sapong and Chris Pontius to continue to play their best football. Sapong has 7 goals already in 2017 and is currently tied for third place in the golden boot race. Pontius has been an assist machine early this season and is tied for second in the league with six assists through 11 games in 2017.

Just overshadowed by Pontius and Sapong are Haris Medunjanin and Alejandro Bedoya. Medunjanin has notched five assists from the Union midfield and has also scored on the season while US Men’s National Team midfielder Alejandro Bedoya looks to have settled in to his role with the Union. Bedoya is second on the team in shots and shots on goal and though he’s only scored once in 2017, it’s only a matter of time before those shots start ending up in the back of the net.

That’s a pretty formidable midfield lineup that Jay Curtin has for selection and after seeing what Chicago Fire’s solid midfield did to Colorado in the mid-week game, Curtin has to be excited about seeing what his talented midfield can create against Colorado.

An interesting story line to watch in the match is the play of the two goalkeepers. Andre Blake has been sensational early in 2017, carrying on in the fine form that saw the Jamaican International earn MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2016. Blake already has five clean sheets on the season and playing against the league’s worst offense could see Blake extend that to six clean sheets through 12 matches.

Across the field Tim Howard will be in goal for Colorado and while the Rapids have been terrible in the early stages of the season, Howard has continued to be one of MLS’s best keepers and should be the #1 keeper for Bruce Arena when the US Men’s National Team plays their World Cup Qualifiers next month. Throughout Howard’s career he has made it a habit to rise to whatever occasion he’s facing and playing against the reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year will give Howard a chip on his shoulder.

Colorado has looked sluggish in the early minutes of their road games this season, especially against Chicago when the Rapids could barely get the ball out of their own half in the opening 30 minutes, thanks to the smothering play of the Fire midfield.

Look for the Union to push their attack early and try to grab a quick opening goal. If Colorado goes down early, like they did against Chicago, then the Union should be able to add to their lead as Colorado would be forced to come out of their own half to attack.

If the Rapids grab the lead at anytime during the match look for their defense to lock up shop and try to defend for the rest of the game. It may not be attractive football, but the Rapids are desperate for any kind of road returns at the moment and may have to park the bus to make sure they return home with at least a point.