MLS is Back Tournament round of 16: when and how to watch Philadelphia Union vs New England

Topics: MLS is Back, Philadelphia Union, New England Revolution, Jim Curtin, Bruce Arena, Alejandro Bedoya, Brenden Aaronson, Gustavo Bou, Adam Buksa, Carles Gil

The Philadelphia Union and the New England Revolution will play on Saturday, July 25, at 10:30 p.m. ET following the opening round of 16 match between Orlando City and the Montreal Impact.

A tale of two sides that finished second in their respective groups will end with one packing away their belongings, and the other advancing to the MLS is Back Tournament quarterfinals.

The Philadelphia Union amassed to seven points through three games scoring a total of four goals and allowing two goals against, meanwhile, the New England Revolution arrive at this matchup with five points, two goals in favor and one against. Both sides are not satisfied yet as they are looking to prove to themselves and their fans that they have what it takes to not only contend for the tournament championship but also to be worthy of postseason competition.

Philadelphia Union

The Union will walk on the pitch on Saturday night with a record of 2W-1L-2D under their belt. Finishing second in Group A only by goal differential, Philadelphia will feel like they could have done better in the group stage round. However, the U will still carry on the same ambition it carried when they arrived at Orlando; to win the MLS is Back Tournament.

Jim Curtin’s side has looked productive and shown no signs of major weaknesses. A lot of the credit for the stability set on the pitch is given to captain Alejandro Bedoya and 19-year-old Brenden Aaronson. These two midfielders compliment the rest of the team, whether it be Aaronson in attack or Bedoya in a play-making position. Also, the Union will come into this match with confidence in defense having only conceded two goals over the matches.

Controlling Space, Early Reads & Persistent Play

We're breakin' down the decisive & intelligent plays that earned @MarkMcKenzie4_ an @MLS Team of the Week nod #DOOP | @Subaru_USA pic.twitter.com/zLeKYXHvqw
— PhilaUnion (@PhilaUnion) July 25, 2020

Injuries: None

New England Revolution

Bruce Arena has stabilized the New England Revolution since his arrival in 2019. A good example of his work is the team’s performance in the tournament’s group stage matches. New England scored what might seem like an underwhelming two goals, but they only allowed one against. Like Philadelphia, the Revs accumulated five points over the three matches but finished second due to goals scored. Arena and his players have one common goal, and that is to hustle positive results without exposing their defense while going forward.

New England has relied on star players Gustavo Bou, Adam Buksa and Carles Gil to get the team to this round of 16 fixture. Unfortunately for the Revs, Gil did not feature in their last game of Group C as he watched from the sidelines while wearing a protective boot. The playmaker is important for New England in the attack, and it can be argued that his absence led to a scoreless result in the last group game against Toronto.