COLUMBUS CREW SC vs. PHILADELPHIA UNION
MAPFRE Stadium | Columbus, Ohio
Wednesday, August 24 | Week #25 | MLS Game #251
7:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE)
Columbus Crew SC and Philadelphia Union meet for a third time this season in a match that has huge implications on the Eastern Conference playoff race when the clubs face off Wednesday evening at Mapfre Stadium. Crew SC return home after putting an end to their 10-game winless run last weekend in a 2-0 win at the New England Revolution, leaving them five points below the red line in the conference. Union are in fourth place in the division, following their 3-1 home loss to Toronto FC last Saturday at Talen Energy Stadium.
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- Crew SC put an end to a 10-game winless run – their first victory since May 28 – with their 2-0 win at the New England Revolution on Saturday evening. Ethan Finlay scored the opening goal in the win, his third goal in the last two matches.
- The Union suffered their second consecutive defeat on their home ground, dropping a 3-1 decision to Toronto FC on Saturday evening at Talen Energy Stadium. The Union are winless in their last three home matches.
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, and the Union have won the first two. Chris Pontius scored a pair of goals, the game-winner coming late in the second half, as the Union took a 2-1 win on March 12 in Columbus. Pontius then scored one goal and set up another, and Vincent Nogueira and Fabian Herbers netted second-half goals as the Union claimed a 3-2 win on June 1 at Talen Energy Stadium.
- The first-meeting victory was Philadelphia's first-ever win in Columbus. Crew SC had won six of seven meetings there prior, with one draw, including the previous three matches in the Ohio state capital.
REFEREE: Allen Chapman. AR1 (bench): Matthew Nelson; AR2 (opposite): Andrew Bigelow; 4th: Nima Saghafi
MLS Career: 82 games; FC/gm: 23.6; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 19; pens: 32
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: PHI: Raymon Gaddis
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CLB: Wil Trapp, Michael Azira … PHI: Brian Carroll, Ken Tribbett, Tranquillo Barnetta
DISABLED LIST: CLB: Matt Pacifici, Ben Swanson (season-ending injury)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (17 meetings): Crew SC 10 wins, 29 goals … Union 6 wins, 26 goals … Ties 1
AT COLUMBUS (8 meetings): Crew SC 6 wins, 18 goals … Union 1 win, 10 goals … Ties 1
2016 (MLS)
3/12: CLB 1, PHI 2 (K. Kamara 87 – Pontius 46+, 71)
6/1: PHI 3, CLB 2 (Pontius 21; Nogueira 57; Herbers 84 – O. Kamara 14; Cr. Martinez 93+)
• The teams are meeting for the third time this season, and Union have won the first two. Chris Pontius scored a pair of goals, the game-winner coming late in the second half, as Union took a 2-1 win March 12 in Columbus. Pontius then scored one goal and set up another, and Vincent Nogueira and Fabian Herbers netted second-half goals as Union claimed a 3-2 win June 1 at Talen Energy Stadium.
• The first meeting victory was the first ever for Union in Columbus. Crew SC had won six of seven meetings there prior, with one draw, including the previous three matches in the Ohio state capital.
• Coaches record: Jim Curtin vs. CLB: P7 W3 L4 D0 … Gregg Berhalter vs. PHI: P8 W5 L3 D0
