Atlanta United Vs Philadelphia Union: 3 things to watch for – Injuries galore

Atlanta United host the Philadelphia Union on Thursday night in the Eastern Conference semi-final. Here are three things to watch for as the Five Stripes look to defend their MLS crown.

Thursday night’s Eastern Conference semi-final will feature Atlanta United as they host the Philadelphia Union in a clash between the second and third seeds of the MLS Cup Playoffs. Atlanta are fresh off a 1-0 home win against the New England Revolution that saw their captain go down with a shoulder injury and their goalkeeper come up big.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia captured their first-ever playoff win at home against the New York Red Bulls in a 4-3 thriller after going to extra-time. The Union battled back from a 3-1 half-time scoreline, rewarding their fans for going ten years without a playoff win. However, they too lost their captain to injury, adding to an already intriguing match-up.

Here are three things to look for ahead of this huge Eastern Conference playoff match.

3. Injuries for both teams

Atlanta United and the Philadelphia Union both have their fair share of injuries heading into Thursday’s semi-final clash. Atlanta will be without defenders Miles Robinson and Michael Parkhurst, both of which have been instrumental in the team’s success over the last three years. Philadelphia may be without their captain Alejandro Bedoya and/or one of their more consistent strikers, Kacper Przybylko.

For Atlanta, their depth will truly be tested on Thursday night. Manager Frank de Boer will most likely roll out three central defenders in the form of Florentin Pogba, Leandro Gonzalez Pirez and Franco Escobar. However, there is a strong possibility there will be no defensive players on the bench, save for left-back Mikey Ambrose who hasn’t seen the pitch with the first team since July 7. Jeff Larentowicz, who usually plays as a defensive midfielder, may be used as a defender as well.

For Philadelphia, their situation may actually be more complicated. In the first round against the Red Bulls, Jim Curtin opted for Andrew Wooten and Sergio Santos as the team’s two strikers. Przybylko is usually one of those strikers but he missed the victory with a foot injury. It remains to be seen whether or not he will be fit to play on Thursday. Curtin might go with the same striker pairing and use Przybylko as a sub. Losing Bedoya would be huge, although Curtin said after the win that their captain had to sub off due to cramping and not a quad injury as many assumed.

Both teams experienced rollercoaster seasons with extreme highs and equally extreme lows. Now, they must continue to battle through untimely injuries if they want to advance to the conference final and get a shot at MLS Cup.