Philadelphia Union (4-1-3-2)

MacMath

Gaddis-Parke-Okugo-Williams

Carroll

Fabinho-Farfan-Cruz

Casey-McInerney

Bench: Nikolov, Kassel, Daniel, Kleberson, Le Toux, Hoppenot, Wheeler

Toronto FC (4-4-1-1)

Bendik

Bloom-Caldwell-Henry-Morgan

Rey-Russell-Hall-Convey

Osorio

Dike

Bench: Frei, Agbossoumonde, Elmer, Earnshaw, Bekker, Lambe, Wiedeman

- No real surprises for the Union today. Knowing the stakes and their need to take the game to Toronto, you’d expect them to deviate from the two holding midfielders they used successfully last week against Kansas City. Brian Carroll sits back in midfield by himself, but the attacking trio of Kansas City – Fabinho, Michael Farfan and Danny Cruz – is preserved. Jack McInerney comes in for Michael Lahoud to pair Conor Casey up top.


- Lahoud apparently picked up an ankle injury in training late this week that keeps him out of the 18.

- The injured for the Union seem to be mainly populating the bench, where you’ll find Keon Daniel (hamstring) and Sebastien Le Toux (plantar fasciitis). Kleberson fills the role of “attacking midfielder who won’t come off the bench tonight.”

- We’ve already discussed McInerney’s success against Toronto this year. But the forward to watch could be Aaron Wheeler. If the visitors try to turn this into a restart game as they have in the past, Wheeler’s height could help the Union make Toronto pay on set pieces.

- It seems a long time ago that Toronto threatened to come to town with Darren O’Dea and Danny Califf as the probable starting defensive pairing. Also among the former Union player news, Chris Konopka did not make the trip with Toronto.

- Continuing the theme of changes, Toronto goes conservative, with Jonathan Osorio coming in a second striker playing off the shoulder of Bright Dike. It’s somewhat surprising given that Ryan Nelsen has forwards Robert Earnshaw and Andrew Wiedeman healthy and on the bench. Look for them to sit back and counterattack, something that has given them leads against the Union in the other two meetings this year.