The Philadelphia Union and New York Red Bulls might have finished at different ends of the MLS standings, but they do have something in common heading into the playoffs.
Two of the league’s top defensive sides meet in the first round of Eastern Conference-playoff action Saturday, when the No. 2 seed Union host the seventh-seeded Red Bulls at Chester, Pa.
Philadelphia has been among the East’s top teams all season and finished with 14 wins and 54 points. That proved good enough to claim the second seed, behind runaway MLS leader New England, and a desired early home stay within a conference that featured six clubs with at least 51 points.
“We worked very hard to get a (playoff) home game. We have more confidence here,” Philadelphia coach Jim Curtin, whose squad has outscored its opponents 10-1 and posted four straight clean sheets during its current five-game home winning streak.
While Kacper Przybylko is among the league’s top offensive performers with 12 goals, the backbone of the Union’s success comes through defense. Their 35 goals allowed are among the fewest in MLS.
Only three teams conceded fewer, but New York was one of them.
The Red Bulls, who went 7-1-4 down the stretch to claim the final playoff spot in the East, yielded just 33 goals, and just five over those final 12 matches. That defensive quality has New York team members confident even though they totaled 39 goals in 2021.
“We’re a dark horse team in these playoffs that can go far,” midfielder Caden Clark, who has recorded four goals and five assists in 24 matches this season, told MLSsoccer.com.
“I strongly believe we can win just based on who we are and how we play.”
Philadelphia and New York met three times this season, with five total goals scored. Following the Union’s 1-0 home win over Red Bulls in May, the teams played to a pair of 1-1 draws.
“The games between us are always very highly contested,” Curtin said. “We’re talking very close games … There’s not much separating the two teams.”
–Field Level Media
