It’s been 4 months since the Philadelphia Union have taken the pitch in an MLS match. 123 days to be exact, but who’s counting? Tomorrow, the Philadelphia Union are back on the pitch with an early 9am match against NYCFC.

All 26 teams have made their way to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World. The game will be televised on ESPN and the ESPN App. The teams have been put in groups into a newly created tournament called the MLS is back Tournament.

The Union find themselves in Group A of the tournament with NYCFC, Inter Miami CF, Nashville SC, Orlando City SC, and Chicago Fire. While only two league matches have been played so far in 2020, the Union are actually at the top Group A on the league table.

NYCFC:

In the past, the matches against NYC have been relatively difficult for the Union. That could easily change tomorrow. The Union are considered one of the best, young, talented teams in the MLS and some experts have them winning the entire tournament.

The young guys can lead the way. Brenden Aaronson, Mark McKenzie are the players I’m keeping an eye on tomorrow alongside international talent Kacper Pryzbylko and our veteran leader Alejandro Bedoya.

It will be important to not overlook NYFC tomorrow. They’ve been a huge threat in the Eastern Conference and even reached the finals in 2019. With a new head coach, there will definitely be a strategy change for the club. According to head coach Tim Curtin, NYFC is looking super aggressive and very well organized, which could cause issues, especially with a 9am matchup – the first in 123 days.

No Fans: 

It will also be interesting to see how different the games are without fans. Over in Europe and Germany, two of the best leagues in the world have been playing with pumped in “crowd noise”. The MLS is not using crowd noise, instead, they are using field mics to pick up the in-game sounds from players and referees that many can’t hear. The MLS believes that this will provide for a more “authentic experience”

Can’t Watch? Listen on Fox Sports The Gambler

Our good buddies over at Fox Sports The Gambler announced that they are the NEW HOME for Philadelphia Union Soccer. Gotta love it. Sean Brace and the rest of the crew over there are fantastic, and even have our guy Victor Williams locked in as an Eagles Insider for the upcoming NFL season.