Philadelphia Union vs. Inter Miami – MLS, April 24, 2021

The Union will look to extend their winning record against Inter Miami when the teams clash at Subaru Park on Saturday, April 24.

The Herons suffered two defeats to Philly in their maiden MLS campaign – and Phil Neville’s new-look side was unable to prevent a loss to the Galaxy on the opening weekend of the new season.

Before we get to my Philadelphia Union vs. Inter Miami prediction, let’s check out the odds and take a closer look at the teams.

At first glance, the tasty price for the Philadelphia win stands out to me. I expected the U to be the favorite here, although I didn’t expect the odds for the home victory to be so high.

Of course, the Herons have just entered a new era under Neville. They are likely to improve as the season unfolds, but let’s not forget that Inter Miami finished a whopping 23 points behind Philly in the Eastern Conference last year.

The defending Supporters’ Shield champion faced a tricky assignment against the 2020 MLS Cup winner last weekend. Unfortunately, the heavyweight clash didn’t exactly live up to the hype.

Philadelphia and Columbus produced a goalless draw in Ohio, although the Union outshone the Crew in many areas. Jim Curtin’s side enjoyed the majority of possession, created more goalscoring opportunities, and completed more passes.

It was difficult to gauge how the U would fare without departed stars like Mark McKenzie and Brenden Aaronson.

Jack Elliott and Jakob Glesnes looked like a solid center-back pairing, Leon Flach enjoyed a solid MLS debut in midfield, while Kacper Przybylko continued to cause problems in attack.

Curtin’s men beat Miami 2-1 in their first competitive meeting before sealing an easy 3-0 victory last time around. If they play as they did against Columbus, they could easily make it three wins in a row against the Herons.

There is no hiding from the fact that Inter Miami led the Galaxy on two occasions last weekend and still managed to lose.

Robbie Robinson gave his side the lead on the stroke of half-time before Gonzalo Higuain made it 2-1. But after Chicharito bagged a brace, Sacha Kljestan made it 3-2 to the Galaxy.

Despite seeing just 34% of the ball, Neville’s men managed to chalk up 19 attempts, with eight shots hitting the target. Conversely, the Galaxy dominated possession but only registered six shots throughout the match.

I’m sure that Neville will want his players to dominate games going forward, but the new head coach struggled to get his point across last time out.

After making a slow start to life in Florida, Higuain will be pleased to have opened his account for 2021 on the opening weekend. Miami will need the Argentine striker to score regularly this season.

Don’t get me wrong. I expect the Herons to excel under Neville. I can see them growing into the campaign, but the team still has some obvious frailties that need taking care of.

On the flip side, Philly is a well-oiled machine. Curtin’s men can count themselves unlucky to have drawn with Columbus last weekend, so I’m backing them to punish Inter Miami on Saturday.