The pressure is rising on Philadelphia and manager Peter Nowak, who have a difficult job ahead in MLS Round 2.
Monday, Nowak’s young men fell to Portland at rainy Jeld-Wen Field. They had good moments out there, but eventually looked like the league’s youngest team, not reacting well at all following Zac MacMath’s bad moment in goal.
Before you watch NBC lead soccer voice Arlo White and his fancy, high-tech breakdown of the Union defensive breakdowns, consider this ahead of Sunday’s match (4 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network): the Rapids present a very different set of challenges. Portland is very direct, especially on that smaller field at Jeld-Wen. Colorado, now operating under Oscar Pareja, has already established a game built on passing and possession. The Union will need to make a hasty adjustment, because two losses in two games is not the way a young team needs to merge into the season.