Oh, we're in for a treat with this one, aren't we? Houston Dynamo are set to clash with Philadelphia Union, and color me excited. Let's delve into this a bit, shall we?
First up, the gatekeepers of the goals. Philadelphia Union has Andre Blake and Andrew Rick between the sticks. Blake, with a rating of 7.10, has managed to pull together 6 saves, while Rick is sitting at a 6.70 rating with 2 saves. Not too shabby, gents. And for Houston Dynamo, we've got Jonathan Bond as the man in between the posts. His rating might be slightly lower at 6.83, but with 9 saves he's been fairly resourceful.
Looking at the top dogs from each team now. Philadelphia Union boasts of Kai Wagner with a commendable 7.55 rating, and Bruno Damiani is not too far behind with a 7.40 rating and 2 goals to his name. Watch out for that trigger foot, folks. Nathan Harriel too seems like a noteworthy bloke with a 7.30 rating, and boy does he love the ball. 75.8% pass accuracy, anyone?
Shifting gears to Houston Dynamo, the name leading the pack is Jack McGlynn, sitting pretty with an 8.50 rating. There's something in the waters of Houston, folks, because even Franco Escobar isn't too far behind with a 7.48 rating and a goal to his credit. To make the top three, Ethan Bartlow slides in with a 7.33 rating.
If we bother with the Regular Season Records, the Philadelphia Union stands at 13-4-5 compared to Houston Dynamo's 7-5-10. And to round it all up, recent results show that Philadelphia Union has had 2 wins against CF Montreal and New York Red Bulls, compared to Houston Dynamo's lone triumph over San Diego FC.
Alright, now that we've had a look at the nuts and bolts, it's prediction time. Let's stroll down on a limb here, folks, and say with the prowess of Bruno Damiani and Kai Wagner coupled with their recent hot streak, Philadelphia Union looks set to take this one.
Albert’s Prediction: Philadelphia Union by 2
