Union (4-9-3) at Galaxy (5-5-7)
10:30 on Comcast SportsNet
Fresh off a dramatic shootout win over the Rochester Rhinos in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, the Union will play their first league game in two weeks when they take on the Los Angeles Galaxy at the StubHub Center Saturday night.
Here are five things you need to know.
1. No rest for the weary
Although the Union were pleased to move into the Round of 16 of the U.S. Open Cup, playing an extra 30 minutes before winning in penalty kicks was not ideal, especially before making a cross-country trip to Southern California to take on the reigning MLS Cup champs.
Union head coach Jim Curtin initially hoped he’d be able to use some reinforcements but said Thursday that none of the team’s injured players — a group that includes strikers Fernando Aristeguieta and Conor Casey, center back Steven Vitoria and midfielder Michael Lahoud — progressed enough to make the trip.
And on top of that, Sebastien Le Toux sprained his MCL on Tuesday and will miss at least two to four weeks, meaning the Union are especially thin in the attack where C.J. Sapong will likely have to play all 90 minutes at striker and youngsters Eric Ayuk and Jimmy McLaughlin could be in line for significant minutes on the wing.
“We’re thin, obviously, up top, and after the 120 minutes, it’s going to be difficult,” Curtin said. “But we have to go in as the underdog against the defending champs in a tough place to play and put a team out there that’s going to compete for points on the road.”
2. The Brian Carroll Show
Although many of the team’s starters played 120 minutes on Tuesday, Curtin was able to give a much-needed night off to Brian Carroll, the team’s 33-year-old midfield workhorse who has enjoyed something of a career revitalization over the past month.
After playing sparingly during the first two-and-a-half months of the season, Carroll has started the last five league games and helped Philly to a 3-2 mark in that stretch by playing very smart soccer and partnering well with playmakers Vincent Nogueira and Maidana in the midfield.
And getting a couple of weeks off from games may help Carroll even more.
“Brian was nursing a little bit of a groin tightness,” Curtin said. “But we think that’ll be fine for L.A.”
3. Sylvestre still the No. 1 guy
Because Brian Sylvestre played a 2015 U.S. Open Cup game for the Carolina Railhawks — the NASL team from which the Union acquired him on a short-term loan — he was ineligible to play for the Union on Tuesday.
That opened the door for John McCarthy to come in and make three huge saves in the PK shootout with Andre Blake, on the mend from knee surgery, backing him up.
But despite McCarthy’s memorable night and the impending return of former top overall pick Blake, Curtin confirmed that Sylvestre will remain the starting goalkeeper this weekend, adding that the club is still trying to lock him up to a longer-term deal.
“We’re still pursuing it,” the Union coach said. “We’ll see what makes the most sense with the goalkeepers moving forward. It’s a big decision and one we’re actively pursuing.”
Sylvestre has started six games for the Union since coming over from Carolina and already has three shutouts.
“I’m going out there and working hard every day,” Sylvestre said. “I’m staying focused on what I have to do and I’m not thinking about the long-term situation and how it plays out.”
4. In this Galaxy
Although the Galaxy have won three of the last four MLS Cups, they haven’t been one of the league’s elite teams so far this season as they currently sit in sixth place in the Western Conference.
Like the Union, they’ve dealt with some injury issues with reigning MVP Robbie Keane (groin) among those missing time. But the Galaxy’s star striker is set to play against the Union and is coming off a hat trick in Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup win over PSA Elite.
The Union will also have to worry about stopping rising star Gyasi Zardes — who’s played only 30 minutes over the Galaxy’s last two league games because of international duty with the U.S. national team — and getting past standout defenders Omar Gonzalez and Robbie Rogers.
In other words, even though Landon Donovan has retired and they’re barely in the playoff picture, the Galaxy still have plenty of star power.
5. This and that
• The last two times the Union have faced the Galaxy, they’ve been drubbed by identical 4-1 scorelines.
• The Union are 1-5-1 all-time vs. the Galaxy but their one win was a memorable one with Michael Farfan scoring a late road winner in one of former manager John Hackworth’s first games in 2012.
• This is Curtin’s first game coaching vs. the Galaxy and his first trip to L.A. as a coach since playing there for Chivas USA in 2008 and 2009.
• If Nogueira is shown a yellow card, he’ll be suspended for the team’s next match.
• This is the only meeting between the teams this season.