Union Look For First Win Vs. Portland
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia Union will be back home on Saturday night to entertain the Portland Timbers.
It has been a slow start for the Union so far in 2017 as they come into this match 0-2-2 on the season. Last time out on Saturday, the Union lost on the road to D.C. United, 2-1.
Union midfielder Chris Pontius says that, while there is some frustration, they are confident they will turn things around.
"If you look at a lot of the games we've played, the ball just hasn't bounced our way," Pontius tells KYW Newsradio. "We've put together some good soccer, been unfortunate in terms of goals we've given up. That's the name of the game sometimes. You're going to have these ups and downs throughout a season, I'd rather have it at the beginning of the season and be a hot team going into the playoffs later on."
Listen to the entire interview with the Union's Chris Pontius:
Portland is 3-1-1 in the early going and with 10 points they are alone in first place in the Western Conference. Last time out they played New England to a 1-1 draw at home. The Timbers have scored 13 goals in their five matches.
"They've got a very, very good playmaker in (midfielder) Diego Valeri on the ball," he says. "(Midfielder/forward Darlington) Nagbe comes to life when he gets on the ball. (Forward) Fanendo Adi comes to life. They've got some lethal weapons. So you've got to be aware of them, limit the amount of touches in dangerous spots that they can get the ball."
Last season these two teams met in Portland on September 17th. The Union losing, 2-1.
Saturday night's game will start at 7:00pm.
