Philadelphia Union vs Toronto FC Prediction
The Philadelphia Union will play host to Toronto FC at Subaru Park in Chester, PA on Wednesday, August 4 at 7:30 pm EST. The hosts have been in mediocre form, to say the least.
They have one win in their last seven matches. The vast majority have been draws, but all against teams in the bottom of the table. Most recently, they played the second-to-last Chicago Fire to a 1-1 draw despite taking 25 shots. And Chicago went down to 10-men in the 34th minute.
Toronto FC have been slowly climbing their way out of the bottom of the Eastern Conference. A very bad start riddled by coaching problems had started to take a turn for the better.
Since coaching changes and Jozy Altidore’s return to the lineup, they have played the top three Eastern Conference teams and have one win and two draws. They’re playing well and with new confidence.
Keys to the Match
For Toronto, the toughest part of the match will be getting through the Philly backline. The Jamaican international Andre Blake is a brick wall and has 10 goals against this season. Philly are composed defensively, which is why it is going to be extra important that Jozy Altidore gets himself high up on the pitch and makes the ball stick to his foot.
“Right now, we have a lot of confidence, but we’re still hungry.”#TFCLive
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) August 2, 2021
The Union have been a historically successful team, but they have also played the same style of soccer and used the same formation for the past two years. If Toronto’s coaching staff has done their homework, they should know that there is plenty of room on the wings for Morrow and Laryea to get high and wide from their wingback position.
For Philly, they need to be better on the attack. They cannot beat a team that sits deeper on the pitch, and with Toronto leaning into a 5-3-2, that’s exactly what they are going to run into.
The ball gets wide, crossed in, and nobody finds their way onto the end of it. Despite playing a narrow 4-4-2, they have not been doing a great job of combining and dominating the middle of the field. Therefore, few of their shots are coming right up the throat of the Toronto FC defense.
Philadelphia Union vs Toronto FC Prediction
It’s a risky bet. I would place a small portion of your bankroll on it, but soccer is a game of skill as much as it is a game of form. Toronto has been playing well or at least been playing to a draw.
Their record is recovering from a poor stint with a manager that refused to play Jozy Altidore who has shown himself to be key in build-up play.
An athletic veteran striker good in hold-up play changes the way a team attacks. All for the better. Philly Union was red hot at the beginning of the season but has since been pretty mediocre. They haven’t had a solid result against a top-flight team since late June in which they were out-possessed and outshot.
The Union isn’t a strong team right now, drawing just about everybody they play that is their level or below. The more I write, the more Toronto could take this one. Bet light on a draw (+340) or Toronto win (+400) with the moneyline.
