Philly Leader

Philadelphia Union is headed to the Sunshine State to take on Inter Miami CF for their first match in two weeks. The team has seven games remaining on the regular season schedule, and this final push toward the postseason will be paramount in securing a playoff spot as they sit two points below a play-in spot. The action can be viewed with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV starting at 7:30 PM.

The last time Philadelphia Union faced Inter Miami, Head Coach Jim Curtin’s squad relinquished an early lead to finish with a disappointing 2-1 result. This time, Philadelphia Union will face an Inter Miami squad that has won its last two matches by at least two goals each. The competition could be even fiercer come game time as it’s possible Head Coach Tata Martino could have Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi back on the gameday roster for the first time in months. Messi picked up an injury during his country’s Copa America final victory against Colombia but has since returned to training and is projected to see minutes within the next week.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, players have been trickling back into training from international duty, joining the rest of their team for their diligent preparations ahead of their final stretch of the 2024 season. The matches weren't kind to the Union with multiple players suffering injuries that have left their status uncertain for Saturday's match. Andre Blake returned from his international duties late Wednesday night with some discomfort that could leave him out of this weekend’s contest. Philadelphia Union’s newest signing Danley Jean Jacques also suffered an ankle injury while away with Haiti when he hurt his ankle playing against Sint Maarten.

There was some positive news from Head Coach Jim Curtin during his press conference on Thursday as Tai Baribo, who hurt his hamstring with the Israeli National Team, will still be available against Miami on Saturday. Curtin also noted that Daniel Gazdag has been able to train in recent days and is making positive progress after suffering a minor hamstring injury against New York Red Bulls that prevented the midfielder from joining Hungary during the window.

Team captain Alejandro Bedoya previewed the upcoming matchup and what he hopes to see from his team in their return to action against a marquee opponent.

"It's the start of this final stretch of league play, and it's so important that we get off on the right foot," said Bedoya. "Next game is against Miami, Messi, and co., and it's not going to get any easier, but this is what we put ourselves into. It's imperative that we make sure we start off on the right foot and it starts right here, working hard in training, keeping the intensity up, and hopefully we can keep that momentum from our last win at Red Bull."

In Philadelphia Union’s last match on August 31st, the team put on a dominant 2-0 performance against their Red Bull rivals on the road. Mikael Uhre set the pace early with a powerful strike to the back of net in the fourth minute before assisting Tai Baribo ten minutes later for another goal to solidify the lead. The team has an opportunity to build on that momentum with a pair of road matches starting Saturday at Chase Stadium followed by Wednesday at Yankee Stadium against NYCFC.