How The Philadelphia Union Should Approach Game 2 Against New England

The Union will go after the first-round series victory on Wednesday at Gillette Stadium.

CHESTER — The Philadelphia Union enter Gillette Stadium on Wednesday night without half of their first-choice defenders.

That is obviously less than ideal for a playoff matchup, but if there was any position that the Union could handle such a loss, it is on the back line.

Nathan Harriel and Damion Lowe have been two of the most important parts of the lineup in 2023, and for the Union to make a run at MLS Cup, those two players must be at their best.

Wednesday’s Game 2 against the New England Revolution will test the makeshift back line of Harriel, Lowe, Jack Elliott and Olivier Mbaizo.

One could argue that an extra game as a back four in a potential Game 3 would help the Union develop a rhythm with that unit, but that is not the mentality going into the match.

“To be honest we’re not focused on the format,” Lowe said on Tuesday. “We just want to win both games. Just get the job done. It doesn’t matter if we get 100 days off. We still got to play. We go in, follow the coaches’ instructions, follow the game plan and stick together as a team.”