Philadelphia Union's Magical Season Continues as They Host NYCFC in Conference Semifinals
After 22 long days of waiting, the Philadelphia Union will finally resume their winning ways as they host New York City FC at Subaru Park in the conference semifinal of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The Union secured the Supporters' Shield award with their historic campaign and are looking to build on this success by adding another chapter to this intense rivalry between I-95 foes.
NYCFC, however, is limping into this matchup dealing with significant injuries, including Pascal Jansen's first-year managerial woes. Former Union player Andres Perea suffered a horrific leg fracture in the final match against Charlotte, while Aiden O'Neill and Alonso Martínez are out due to yellow card accumulation and an ACL injury, respectively.
Despite these setbacks, NYCFC may be benefiting from the fortune shift this time around. Meanwhile, Philadelphia's manager Bradley Carnell is focusing on the team's "unit" rather than individual players at this stage of the season, saying they have a lot of quality defensively through the midfield. Carnell respects his opponent and expects tight games.
However, the Union enter this matchup with more rest than they probably wanted due to their terrible playoff layoff after a tight best-of-three series against Chicago. They return several players who were on international duty but saw limited minutes or did not play at all. This may pose some rust to shake off as they try to simulate a typical international break.
The elephant in the room is Ernst Tanner, Sporting Director of the Philadelphia Union, who has been placed on administrative leave following a scathing report by Pablo Maurer of The Guardian detailing allegations of racism, homophobia, and sexism. While there is currently no timeline for Tanner's return, the Union continues to cooperate fully with MLS.
Bradley Carnell addressed the report during the pre-match press conference, saying he has never experienced anything like it personally and wants to emphasize that the organization recognizes the seriousness of the situation. The match at Subaru Park will take place on Sunday night, with a 7:55 kick-off, airing on FS1, FOX, Deportes, TSN, and RDS.
The Philadelphia Union's chances in this matchup seem promising, but they'll need to overcome some rust from their layoff and the lingering questions surrounding Tanner's departure.
After 22 long days of waiting, the Philadelphia Union will finally resume their winning ways as they host New York City FC at Subaru Park in the conference semifinal of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The Union secured the Supporters' Shield award with their historic campaign and are looking to build on this success by adding another chapter to this intense rivalry between I-95 foes.
NYCFC, however, is limping into this matchup dealing with significant injuries, including Pascal Jansen's first-year managerial woes. Former Union player Andres Perea suffered a horrific leg fracture in the final match against Charlotte, while Aiden O'Neill and Alonso Martínez are out due to yellow card accumulation and an ACL injury, respectively.
Despite these setbacks, NYCFC may be benefiting from the fortune shift this time around. Meanwhile, Philadelphia's manager Bradley Carnell is focusing on the team's "unit" rather than individual players at this stage of the season, saying they have a lot of quality defensively through the midfield. Carnell respects his opponent and expects tight games.
However, the Union enter this matchup with more rest than they probably wanted due to their terrible playoff layoff after a tight best-of-three series against Chicago. They return several players who were on international duty but saw limited minutes or did not play at all. This may pose some rust to shake off as they try to simulate a typical international break.
The elephant in the room is Ernst Tanner, Sporting Director of the Philadelphia Union, who has been placed on administrative leave following a scathing report by Pablo Maurer of The Guardian detailing allegations of racism, homophobia, and sexism. While there is currently no timeline for Tanner's return, the Union continues to cooperate fully with MLS.
Bradley Carnell addressed the report during the pre-match press conference, saying he has never experienced anything like it personally and wants to emphasize that the organization recognizes the seriousness of the situation. The match at Subaru Park will take place on Sunday night, with a 7:55 kick-off, airing on FS1, FOX, Deportes, TSN, and RDS.
The Philadelphia Union's chances in this matchup seem promising, but they'll need to overcome some rust from their layoff and the lingering questions surrounding Tanner's departure.
. I mean, it sounds super serious what happened, but I don't know all the details... From what I've read, he's been accused of some pretty bad stuff, and that's gotta be taken seriously, you know? 
. That sounds like a solid strategy to me. They just need to get past this layoff rust and deal with the drama surrounding Tanner. It's gonna be tough, but I think they've got a good shot against NYCFC 
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. That would be super impressive if they could pull it off. And hey, if they do win, that's even sweeter 
. Bring it on!
️ But, I gotta wonder... how's Carnell gonna get his team focused on this game without all these distractions? Time to put the drama aside and focus on hoops, you know? 
. But now this injury stuff is a bit of a bummer for NYCFC, hoping they can still put up a good fight despite all the losses. The thing that got my attention though was that Ernst Tanner, their Sporting Director, is on admin leave because of some allegations... sounds really shady to me 
. And then there's the whole Ernst Tanner drama... what's going on with that? 
The team is saying all the right things about unity and teamwork, but I need to see more action on the pitch before I'm fully convinced 
. NYCFC might be down due to injuries, but they're still a tough opponent, and I wouldn't count them out just yet 
They gotta bounce back from that layoff 
, especially when you're trying to maintain momentum 
, but they might just take advantage of Philly's rusty legs 
. Can the Union overcome the elephant in the room 
and get back to their winning ways? Only time (and Sunday night ⌃️) will tell! 
philly union is on fire right now and it would be amazing if they can take down NYCFC 
but yeah, those injuries are a major concern for NYCFC... i mean, pascal jansen's managerial woes lol 
meanwhile, philly union has had that crappy playoff layoff 
i feel bad for him, but also kinda glad it's over... fingers crossed the union can keep their momentum going without any more drama 
. The fact that Ernst Tanner, the Sporting Director of the Philadelphia Union, has been placed on administrative leave due to allegations of racism, homophobia, and sexism is a huge distraction for the team. It's like they're playing two separate games - one on the field and another off it 
Either way, it's a win-win for MLS - more drama and controversy! 
.
but u gotta feel bad for them, all these injuries on their team rn it's like the universe is trying to keep them from winning lol 
tanner's departure is definitely gonna affect their confidence, but carnell seems to be handling it well 
i'm curious to see how rusty phillie union will look out there after that long layoff 
. The Union's defenders are like a unit, Bradley Carnell said, so they must be pretty solid 
.
only thing makin me nervous r de injuries & tanner drama 
rest matters btw, philly union needs 2 shake off dat rust ASAP 
They've been playing amazing all season long and now they get to host NYCFC in the conference semifinals... it's gonna be a wild ride 
. But seriously, I feel bad for NYCFC with all those injuries... Pascal Jansen is literally struggling to manage his team 
I'm not sure what's going on with him but it's definitely making things awkward around the Union