The Philadelphia Union will return to MLS action following their third-place finish in Leagues Cup play when they visit D.C. United on Saturday.
The status of the Union's top scorer remains uncertain. Julian Carranza has scored 10 goals in MLS play. However, a minor calf strain forced him to miss the last two games in the Leagues Cup, a 4-1 semifinal loss to Inter Miami and a 3-0 victory over CF Monterrey in the third-place game Saturday.
The Union (12-7-4, 40 points) will need all the attacking help they can get against D.C. United, who have played to two 0-0 draws at Philadelphia -- one each in the Leagues Cup and the MLS regular season.
"Julian was on the field today doing his final sprinting tests," Philadelphia manager Jim Curtin said Wednesday. "Looks like he's moving pretty well. I'll check in with the medical staff but I'm hoping he's available for D.C., which would give our attack a big boost. We missed him a lot at the end of the Leagues Cup competition."
D.C. United (8-11-6, 30 points) resumed their league schedule Sunday with a 1-0 setback on the road against the New York Red Bulls when John Tolkin scored in the 88th minute off a free kick.
The result dropped D.C. beneath the playoff line into 10th place in the Eastern Conference, two points back of CF Montreal and the Chicago Fire entering the weekend.
The match included an encouraging D.C. United debut from 21-year-old Gabriel Pirani of Brazil. The summer loan signing steps into the playmaking role vacated by the recent departure of Taxi Fountas.
"We thought Gabi was our best attacking player on the day," D.C. assistant coach Pete Shuttleworth said this week. "We threw him straight in and let him start the game, and we're delighted with what we came out with. His ability on the ball is good. He gives us something a little bit different."
D.C. United need Pirani to turn that promise into production soon after scoring one goal in their last five games across all competitions. Christian Benteke has gone seven MLS games without adding to his team-leading total of eight.
More must-reads: