PHILADELPHIA UNION vs. CHICAGO FIRE
TALEN ENERGY STADIUM, Chester, Pennsylvania
June 22, 2016 (WEEK 16, MLS Game #150)
7:30 p.m. ET (MLS LIVE, CSN Plus, The Comcast Network)
Two teams at opposite ends of the Eastern Conference table meet when Philadelphia Union play host to the Chicago Fire on Wednesday evening at Talen Energy Stadium. Union still sit atop the East standings, despite having their club-record eight-game undefeated streak put to an end last weekend in a 3-2 loss at New York City FC. The Fire began their road swing by seeing their MLS-record away winless run extended to 31 games, falling 2-1 to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday evening.
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- Union saw their eight-game undefeated streak – matching the club’s all-time record – come to an end in their 3-2 defeat by New York City FC on Saturday afternoon. It was their first since April 16.
- Fire Homegrown Player Joey Calistri scored his first professional goal, but his team saw their MLS-record road winless streak extended to 31 games – dating back to July 2014 – in the 2-1 loss at the Colorado Rapids on Saturday evening.
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Kennedy Igboananike scored the game’s lone goal six minutes into the second half to give the Fire a 1-0 win April 2 at Toyota Park.
- The Fire have not lost to Union over seven consecutive meetings in MLS play, with three wins and four draws since the last Philadelphia victory in the series, May 18, 2013 in Chester.
- The Fire have won the last two meetings at Toyota Park, their first wins at home vs. Union since 2012; Philadelphia had won two of the four Bridgeview meetings in between, with two draws. The Fire have come away with points on their last three trips to Chester, with draws in the last two meetings there.
REFEREE: Jaime Herrera. AR1 (bench): Matthew Nelson; AR2 (opposite): Jeff Muschik; 4th: Mark Kadlecik
MLS Career: 2 games; FC/gm: 28.5; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 1; pens: 0
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CHI: Matt Polster
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: PHI: Raymon Gaddis, Tranquillo Barnetta … CHI: Joao Meira
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (16 meetings): Union 5 wins, 19 goals … Fire 6 wins, 20 goals … Ties 5
AT PHILADELPHIA (7 meetings): Union 3 wins, 10 goals … Fire 2 wins, 10 goals … Ties 2
FUTURE MATCH: 9/3: Chicago Fire vs. Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m. CT
LAST MEETING (MLS)
4/2: CHI 1, PHI 0 (Igboananike 51)
- Union were reduced to 10 men in the 47th minute when midfielder Warren Creavalle was shown a red card for a tackle from behind on Fire midfielder Razvan Cocis.
- The home side then took advantage four minutes later, when Kennedy Igboananike took a pass from Michael Harrington in the left of the area, made a brilliant turn and hit a left-footed blast to beat goalkeeper Andre Blake.
- Fire goalkeeper Matt Lampson made three saves in keeping the clean sheet, as Union hit the post or crossbar on three separate occasions.
- CHICAGO FIRE (4-2-3-1): Matt Lampson - Rodrigo Ramos, Johan Kappelhof, Jonathan Campbell, Michael Harrington - Michael Stephens, Matt Polster - Arturo Alvarez (John Goossens 62), Razvan Cocis (Nick LaBrocca 87), Kennedy Igboananike - Gilberto.
- PHILADELPHIA UNION (4-2-3-1): Andre Blake - Keegan Rosenberry, Ken Tribbett, Richard Marquez, Fabinho (Fabian Herbers 78) - Warren Creavalle (ejected 47), Brian Carroll - Ilsinho, Roland Alberg (Tranquillo Barnetta 66), Chris Pontius (Sebastien Le Toux 66) - C.J. Sapong.
