Previewing Philadelphia Union With Jonathan Tannenwald, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Chester, Pennsylvania – This Saturday at 5:30 p.m. MT, Colorado Rapids head to Subaru Park to take on Philadelphia Union. The Pids are coming off a 10-day break after a historic comeback at Seattle. Philly had a few players at the All-Star Game. I reached out to friend and fellow NASR official Jonathan Tannenwald of The Philadelphia Inquirer to inquire about the Union. You can follow Jonathan on Twitter and Burgundy Sky.

From two time zones away, the Union has been a big pleasant surprise this year. Jim Curtin leaving seemed to signal a rebuild. Other than Tai Baribo scoring left and right, how is this team a point off the Supporters’ Shield after 24 games?

Sometimes it just helps to have a fresh voice at the helm. Bradley Carnell has brought that. He has also been much more liberal about using substitutions in games than Curtin was. That was Curtin’s weak spot, and it caught up to the team when it got fatigued down the stretch the last two years.

Philly’ last match before the ASG was a 1-1 draw at Houston Dynamo. Other than that late red card to Francis Westfield, what needs to be better next game? What did Philly do well in that match?

Any time a team goes to Houston in July on short rest and gets a result, I wouldn’t complain about it. Doesn’t mean they did so much well or not well, but the weather is inescapable there. (We can talk about why I’m for MLS flipping its calendar another day.)

Kai Wagner’s still one of the best left backs in the league. Baribo’s back stateside, scoring goals for club and the MLS All-Stars. What are they both doing well right now? How have other teams negated them?

Wagner is just a terrific chance-creator, arguably the best on the team even from his position. Baribo is great at getting into places to finish the service.

The best way to negate them, and this team, is to drop a lot of guys back and make them create off the dribble. Quinn Sullivan is the only regular player who can do that.

Fun fact, Colorado’s last road win was March 15, the same day as Doop’s last home loss. Since then, the Union have 7 wins, 3 draws at Subaru Park. Is there something to their home form? Or is it just “good teams in MLS are generally good at home?”

I think it’s the latter, honestly, and the Union are a genuinely good team.

Got a prediction for us? What’s the score and who scores? 

I am not very good at predictions, but I think the Union are the better team and should win the game.

Bonus Question: As someone who dabbles in WoSo coverage, what are your thoughts on Denver Summit’s expansion progress? 

I’m very happy to see the city get a team, and I hope the stadium comes together as the team wants to. Beyond that, it’s on the ownership and front office to invest in the resources required to run a top-level team in the NWSL, especially one that wants to bring home the stars from Denver — and create new ones in a youth talent hotbed.

Photo Credit: Spencer Baldwin

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