Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union: MLS Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

At Lower.com Field, the Columbus Crew will play Sunday's inaugural Major League Soccer match to catch up to the Philadelphia Union, who are currently leading the Eastern Conference.

After Wednesday's 3-1 victory against Atlanta United, the Crew moved up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference, six points behind Philadelphia, who beat the Chicago Fire 1-0 in midweek.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

On Wednesday, Columbus seemed unfazed by the twelve-day break between matches as they dominated play against the Five Stripes.

With a victory this weekend, Wilfried Nancy's squad may tie their longest winning streak of the 2025 domestic season, which lasted three matches.

Meanwhile, Columbus has won four of their last six home matches in this tournament, and they have secured at least one point in each of those encounters.

The Crew have conceded one goal or less in three of their previous four home matches, and 20 of their 32 goals in MLS this season have come at Lower.com Field.

Columbus has led at halftime of six MLS games this season, winning five of those games and going winless in the other two.

The Crew have an undefeated record versus the Union at Lower.com Field, including a thrilling 3-2 victory in the same matchup last season.

Midway through the 2025 regular season, one of the league's top defensive groups put on another flawless performance, recording their eighth shutout of the year.

Among league teams, Philadelphia has let in the fewest goals (19) and has gone six games in a row without letting in a goal while playing away from home.

Bradley Carnell's squad has already surpassed its record from the 2024 season, which was five, for the joint-most road wins domestically, with six thus far this year.

Despite everyone's best efforts, the Union have not lost a game in their current 13-match undefeated streak across all competitions.

Including four wins as the visiting side, seven of their twelve regular-season triumphs in 2025 have been decided by a single goal or less.

In 2016, they scored a 2-1 victory against the Crew at Historic Crew Stadium, the last time they played in Columbus.

Columbus Crew x Philadelphia Union Team News

In their matchup throughout the week, Columbus was missing Cesar Ruvalcaba Perez due to an ankle injury, Patrick Schulte because of a torso problem, Rudy Camacho because of a thigh strain, and Malte Amundsen due to a knee ailment.

Nicholas Hagen will not be available for Sunday's Crew match since Guatemala is playing Canada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals. Max Arfsten will be playing for the United States against Costa Rica.

Andres Herrera scored the other goal for Columbus, while Canadian attacker Jacen Russell-Rowe scored twice earlier this week against the Five Stripes.

The Union was without Olivier Mbaizo and Mikael Uhre on Wednesday because of adductor strains. At the same time, Tai Baribo was unable to participate in their midweek triumph because he was unable to leave Israel within the international window.

Quinn Sullivan and Nathan Harriel will not be participating since they are competing for the United States at the Gold Cup. Danley Jean Jacques and Andre Blake, who were teammates for Haiti and Jamaica, may return from that event.

In Philadelphia's 1-0 win against the Chicago Fire, Bruno Damiani scored from a penalty kick in the tenth minute, while Andrew Rick had a shutout with two saves.

Our predictions

Philadelphia Union to win @ 4.00 on Sky247.ng

The Crew have come a long way, but the Union have been rock-solid defensively and, nevertheless, manage to score every single game. We are tipping Philadelphia to come out strong in this one.

Elevate your betting experience with SKY247 Nigeria. Join now and discover a thrilling world of sports, live events, and exclusive bonuses. Bet with confidence on your favorite teams and games.