Columbus Crew v Philadelphia Union: Curtin still looking to improve road record

Despite boasting a strong road record this season, Jim Curtin still believes Philadelphia Union can do better in their final away match against Columbus Crew.

The Union lost their most recent road outing, falling 2-1 to Orlando City in midweek, but had only lost one of their previous three such games before that.

They are one of three teams currently on 37 points in the Eastern Conference, but sit 10th, below Toronto FC due to winning fewer games.

Curtin knows they need to win their last two matches and hopes they can improve on Wednesday’s performance.

“I think our road record has been good enough this year,” Curtin said. “Overall, at this stage of the year, as you know, the margins are razor-thin.

“We have to do a better job in the attacking end and also defending our box because the goals we concede, we could just do a lot better on it.

“Obviously, we’ll look at it, try and get ready, regroup, and go against Columbus very quickly.”

Meanwhile, Columbus had a four-match unbeaten streak snapped by their 3-2 defeat to Supporters’ Shield winners Inter Miami.

With three games left, they are looking to secure second in the table to give themselves a stronger playoff position.

Wilfried Nancy was disappointed by the defeat to Miami but hopes they can show their fighting spirit in what he expects to be another tough game.

“We know we’re able to compete against top teams, and we showed that against Miami. The next game is going to be another story,” he said.

“They may not have [Lionel] Messi, but they have good players. We have no problem with competing, and even with 10 men in the last game, we were still proactive, we were brave and courageous.”

Finish the regular season strong

— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) October 3, 2024

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Columbus Crew – Diego Rossi

Diego Rossi scored his 12th goal of the season for the Crew on Wednesday, his fourth MLS season with 12 or more goals.

Only six players in league history have more seasons with 12 or more goals than Rossi.

Philadelphia Union – Mikael Uhre

Mikael Uhre has four goals and four assists in his last nine MLS appearances, including an assist on the Union’s lone goal on Wednesday.

Uhre has contributed to at least one goal in seven of those nine matches.

MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN

Columbus are unbeaten in 10 straight home matches against the Union in all competitions (W6 D4), including a 3-1 win in the Leagues Cup semifinals on August 21. The Union’s last win at Columbus was a 2-1 victory at Historic Crew Stadium in August 2016.

However, Columbus have lost two of their last three regular-season home matches (W1) after losing just one of their previous 24 at Lower.com Field in league play. The Crew have allowed 10 goals over the three games after letting in nine goals in its first 12 home matches this season.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s defeat to Orlando City on Wednesday was their 13th loss of the campaign to go along with only nine wins. This will be the first time since 2017 that Philadelphia will have more losses than wins over a single regular season.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Columbus Crew – 58%

Draw – 21.8%

Philadelphia Union – 20.2%