NY City FC vs Philadelphia Union 7/9/20 - MLS Picks & Predictions

Last Updated: 07/06/2020 at 2:30 PM ET

New York City FC hosts the Philadelphia Union on Thursday to restart the MLS regular season in a format similar to the World Cup, following a lengthy hiatus due to the coronavirus outbreak across the globe. Each of the 26 clubs in the MLS will play in group stages and those results will count for the regular season. Following 16 straight days of group stage play, the top two clubs from each of the groups as well as the four best finishers in third place will begin the knockout stage.

New York City FC began its 20/20 campaign with two disappointing 1-0 losses on the road before the season was suspended. New York City FC was defeated by Columbus Crew on March 1 and by Toronto on March 7. The start was not what NYCFC was looking for but did begin the regular season in the MLS while also playing CONCACAF Champions League matches. The roster for New York City FC is free of injuries, which should make the club one of the most difficult to beat.

Philadelphia Union opened it's regular season on the road against Dallas and was defeated 2-0 on February 29. Philadelphia followed that with a high scoring 3-3 draw at Banc of California Stadium against the highly-talented LAFC on March 8. Philadelphia Union is expected to compete for the Eastern Conference title and make a long run deep into the knockout stage of the MLS reformatted season.

Both New York City FC and Philadelphia Union were expected to be contenders this season in the Eastern Conference. NYCFC has one of the deepest rosters in the MLS, while Philadelphia started its regular season stronger than did New York City with a draw and loss compared to two straight losses for NYCFC. Final Score Prediction, Philadelphia Union to win 2-1

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