Union Look For Bounce Back Performance Against Chicago
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia Union will be home tonight to take on the Chicago Fire in MLS action.
Philadelphia comes into tonight's match alone in first place in the Eastern Conference with 23 points thanks to a 6-4-5 record. Philadelphia has been great at home this season, undefeated in seven matches (5-0-2). But they do come into tonight off a loss. The Union fell on the road to NYCFC on Saturday, 3-2, despite charging back after falling in a 3-0 hole in the first half.
"Obviously, there were some mistakes on our part," Union rookie defender Keegan Rosenberry tells KYW Newsradio. "A slow start and you could kind of tell we had been on a break for the past couple weeks (for Copa America). But I think the big takeaway for us is we obviously didn't have our best day and yet we always thought we had a chance to tie or win the game and we came close to that. So I think just our mentality throughout the game, even though we did have a slow start, to continue to battle and almost get a point on the road."
Listen to the entire interview with Union defender Keegan Rosenberry:
Rosenberry has been outstanding as a rookie here in 2016. The #3 overall pick in this year's MLS SuperDraft, Rosenberry has played every minute of every MLS match this season for the Union. He talks about what he's has learned here during his first half a season as a pro.
"I think maybe just consistency of performances and just moving on from mistakes quickly," Rosenberry says. "That's when we're at our best is when the team and individuals just don't think too much into mistakes they're making and we get on with it and continue to keep it simple. Because when we do that, I think our approach to each game is going to give us success."
Tonight will be the second meeting for the Union and the Fire. The first came back on April 2nd in Chicago, the Union losing that game 1-0 in bad weather. That win is one of just two victories for Chicago this season as the Fire are last in the Eastern Conference with just 11 points.
"The start of the game (tonight) is going to be really important," Rosenberry says. "Coming off a poor showing for us in New York, and because of the result last time against Chicago, I think the way we start the game in the first five or ten minutes, in terms of the flow of the game tonight, is going to be big for us. I think if we can put our stamp on the game in that short time period, we're going to have success throughout the rest of the game."
Philadelphia and Chicago will get started tonight at 7:00pm.