Hello and welcome to this week’s tactical preview of Columbus Crew SC vs. Philadelphia Union. The Black & Gold welcome the Union for a 7:30 pm ET kickoff and turn around with a quick “return leg” on Wednesday in Philadelphia. Lineups have been announced for today’s home match so let’s see what we can expect from Gregg Berhalter’s team tactically and what they will have to look out for from the Union.
The starting XI this week comes with a few surprises — and no, none of them is Christian Martinez. But Lalas Abubakar, who performed admirably in Columbus’ last match, retains his starting role for two games running.