The Philadelphia Union begin a 2 game road trip Saturday when they travel to southern neighbors D.C United. This will be Chris Pontius’s first game in the capital since his move to Philadelphia. Meanwhile, it may also be the first game that Union fans see new signings Alejandro Bedoya or Charlie Davies. The latter of whom was a teammate of Pontius during his time in D.C. While many fans will be expecting Bedoya to make an immediate impact, we may not see him play so soon after signing with the club. Since his talent is apparent, it is possible that Coach Jim Curtin would throw Bedoya straight into club with the hopes he can fit in quickly. Charlie Davies, however, might not feature so quickly, though he might know a thing or two about his former teammates. Bedoya would make an excellent late game sub, as I expect Curtin might opt to play the starting line-up he has employed over the last few games.
Philadelphia will be boosted by the return of Tranquillo Barnetta from suspension, but will be without left back Fabinho. Veteran Ray Gaddis will seamlessly fit into that role, as he has done on multiple occasions this year. The Union are in a two game skid currently, and with only 1 win on the road this year, they will need to find their form with haste. While the Union have D.C’s number this year, winning both matches in which they have played, they might not be so successful at RFK. Expect a close match, similar to the first time these two met. Because United has struggled to find goals recently, this game might end up being very low scoring, and a 1-0 or 1-1 could end up being the final score.
