

Posted by

Kamal Hylton ,

August 7, 2014 Email

Kamal Hylton

On Twitter:

@KamalHylton

First thoughts

Coming off a 1-0 win in CONCACAF Champions League against Salvadorian side CD FAS, the Montreal Impact will now seek to carry that momentum into league play when they travel to Chester, Pennsylvania and PPL Park to battle Philadelphia Union.



With their demoralizing 2-0 loss to Canadian rivals Toronto FC last weekend, Les Bleus have seen their losing streak slump to seven games, with the gap between themselves and the red line now at 13pts. They will take on a Union squad that are currently four games unbeaten, including taking a share of the spoils against Eastern Conference leading Sporting KC last time out.



Keep Thinking

The main storyline coming into this match is the return of Jack McInerney to Philly. The 22-year-old goal poacher will be facing his former club for the first time since being traded for Andrew Wenger. With Di Vaio playing against FAS in mid-week, it’s likely that McInterney will get the nod up front and it’ll be interesting to see both the reception he gets form the Sons of Ben when on the ball and how he’ll approach taking on a defensive unit that knows him so well.



The Union have a slightly different look to them from the last time these two played, with the team opting to go with Maurice Edu as a central defender and moving Amobi Okugo into the holding midfielder role. Since being named interim coach after the firing of John Hackworth, Jim Curtin has picked up nine points in six matches and the Union look a more solid side defensively which is something that had been getting away from them earlier in the season.



Two players that have looked to get on track since Curtin took over are the Sebastien LeToux and Connor Casey. They’ve combined for 4 goals in the last 4 matches and are giving options to a player like Vincent Nogueira. The Frenchmen has had to step into a more leading and advanced role in the last few matches in the absence of Argentine Cristian Maidana, a player that has missed the last few games due to a hamstring injury.



In the case of Montreal, it’s tough to see them making a huge charge up the Eastern Conference standings but they could play a big role in how everything continues to shape up with their next five league opponents coming in the form of Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Columbus and Houston, all clubs from the East.



Final Thoughts

The losing streak has to end at some point and with a motivated Jack McInerney up top against his old side this is as good a game as any. However, it’s difficult to see them taking the full three points from PPL Park if the Union have Maidana back alongside Nogueira, LeToux and Casey. But a road point after a midweek Champions League win would be a good building block going forward.



Prediction

Montreal Impact 1-1 Philadelphia Union