Saturday night will be a chance for Columbus to seek revenge against the Philadelphia Union as they host the reigning Eastern Conference Champs. Last time these two teams met, The Union beat The Crew 4-1 in the 2023 season opener.
Since that matchup, player personnel have changed. Columbus has said goodbye to Milos Degenek, Eloy Room, Luis Diaz, and Lucas Zelarayan. Also have had some injuries along the way since the last time these teams played. Will Sands was lost for the season with a torn ACL in April against Charlotte FC.
With Columbus making some key additions to help bolster their defensive back line with players such as: Malte Amundson, Rudy Camacho, yevin Cheberko, Julian Gressel, and adding a forward to replace Zelarayan in Diego Rossi, this team has matured from the opening match of the season.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR.
Columbus is tied for first with Atlanta United with 61 goals on the season and lead the league in assists with 66. Columbus also is the league leader in goals inside the 18 with 52. Through 30 matches, Columbus leads the league in possession at 56.9%. Also Columbus is just 7 goals away from breaking a club record of 67 goals in a season. Look for the connection between Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi to get the Columbus Attack going quickly, and Columbus to assert their game plan on the Union quickly. Hernandez currently sits with 13 goals on the season and two goals away from tying the league leaders for the golden boot race.
12th MAN ON THE PITCH.
This Saturday, Columbus will host Philadelphia at Lower.com Field behind their 13th consecutive home sell out and the 14th of the season. The fans have played a huge role in the game-day atmosphere all season as opposing teams have come into a hostile fortress. Bolstering a home record of 11-1-3 is second to only Fc Cincinnati this season. Lower.com Filed has proven to be one of the toughest places to play this year.
You can catch this match on Apple TV MLS season pass at 7:30pm.