MLS: Philadelphia Union vs. New York City FC Preview, Odds, Prediction

Philadelphia Union and New York City square off on Sunday afternoon at Subaru Park in Chester. This is one of the most interesting games of the entire round, as these two teams fight for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. For the moment, New York City is first, with one point more than Union, and with a game in hand as well. They have the most formidable defenses in the East, with eleven goals allowed, meaning that these two units play very rough and tactical football. Yes, they have solid attacks, but the defense is their primary weapon.

Preview

Philadelphia Union (+150) didn’t lose in the past five games, and has one defeat in the previous nine, which was in the US Open, but apart from that, Philly posted just one victory, having seven draws in the meantime. It is one of the weirdest records in the league so far, and to be honest, we can’t determine what is wrong with Jim Curtin’s unit.

The last five of their games had under 2.5 scores, which is normal for Union, who tends to play a bit defensive-minded football. Their record at Subaru Stadium is three wins, and five draws with a goal difference of nine scored and four allowed.

All in all, the priority for Union is to protect its own net first and only attack later. Daniel Gazdag, the Hungarian international, is the best player with seven goals scored and three assists.

New York City FC (+160) is the reigning MLS champion, and they are topping the East at the moment, displaying solid football up until this point. Though, the champs have experienced a very tough loss before this event.

They not only suffered elimination from the US Open Cup, but it came by the hands of the most hated enemy, the New York Red Bulls, who rolled over the local rivals, 3-0. This was the second game in a row for the FC in which they haven’t won, the first being a draw against the Colorado Rapids, 1-1, at home.

Only two of their most recent ten have ended with both teams scoring, and on seven occasions, NYCFC kept its net intact. Yet, away from home, they have three losses and two wins in the past five across all the competitions.

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The hosts look healthy and prepared for winning this event, and for the moment, they don’t have any important players ruled out.

Meanwhile, the champs are without Anton Tinnerholm, Kevin O’Toole, and Gabriel Pereira.

Head to Head Games

The first meeting this year was in March, and Union won in New York, 0-2. These sides met four times in 2021, and NYCFC had more success, winning two, with one ending with a draw and one with Philly’s victory.

Also, we must say that only one in the past five games ended with over 2.5 goals.

Prediction

These two sides know one another very well, as they played five games in the previous 13 months. That’s why under 2.5 goals is the best choice, in our humble opinion. Also, the defensive-minded style of play is another reason for that.

Pick: Under 2.5 goals