Philadelphia Union Vs. New England Revolution: Teams Draw 4-4 In Instant Classic

The 90 minutes at PPL Park on Wednesday night was indeed a real match. Unbelievable as it may be, Philadelphia looked like a bunch of 12 year olds for 45 minutes before managing a great comeback in the second 45 minutes. Maybe it was appropriate that a match being played two weeks late after initially being postponed because of Hurricane Irene was one of the craziest matches the league has ever seen. Maybe more appropriately, as crazy as it was, it extended both teams’ winless streaks to seven match, but the Union will hardly feel like losers after this one.

As far as struggling teams go, few in MLS top the Philadelphia Union and New England Revolution right now. Neither has won in their last six matches and that skid will continue for at least one of those teams, if not both, when they square off at PPL Park on Wednesday night. Another loss wouldn’t be much of a blow to New England, who have been out of the playoff race for a while, but it could be a crippling loss for Philadelphia that continues their free fall.

That the Union are even in a playoff battle is a little shocking. Before their recent six-match losing streak, they were atop the Eastern Conference and looking like the only team in the conference that might not be a complete embarrassment. Instead, they have proven themselves to be just like the rest of the conference and that is not a good thing. They’re out of an automatic playoff spot now that they are fourth in the East and both the New York Red Bulls and DC United are on their heels. It’s not hard to imagine them falling into sixth place before long.