PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- When the Philadelphia Union host the New England Revolution on Sunday afternoon at Subaru Park in Chester, they have a chance to capture their first trophy in franchise history — the Supporters’ Shield.
It may not have been an exaggeration when midfielder Alejandro Bedoya said Thursday, “I mean, you can say it — I think we’re the best team in Philly right now. There’s no doubt about that. But, do we get enough credit or coverage? Probably not.”
The playoff-bound Union are undefeated at home this season. If they beat New England this weekend, they will win the Supporters’ Shield, which is awarded to Major League Soccer’s top regular season team.
A reporter asked Bedoya about the amount of media coverage the Union get compared to the Eagles, Sixers, Phillies and Flyers. Some refer to this sports-crazed town as “Four For Four.” Bedoya made sure to modify that phrase into “Five For Five.”
The Eagles are a mediocre 3-4-1, and are first in their division only because the NFC East is dreadful. The 76ers are coming off of a first-round playoff exit, in which the Boston Celtics swept them. The Phillies have missed the postseason nine years in a row. And while the much-improved Flyers are very promising following a second-round playoff appearance as the Eastern Conference’s top seed, the New York Islanders knocked them out in Game 7.
“I think it sucks that we’re a little bit out in Chester, whereas all the other four big teams are in that one parking lot area,” Bedoya said. “With public transportation, it’s probably hard for a lot of fans to get out here.
“But, who knows? I mean, I don’t know. I’m not a guy that I guess listens to sports radio. I’m not into all that, so I don’t know how often they do talk about us. But the sense that I get is that there’s not enough coverage of us.”
Toronto FC is the only other team that could win the Supporters’ Shield this season. They visit the New York Red Bulls on Sunday at 3:30 p.m., the same time the Union host the Revolution. The Union hold the tie-breaker over Toronto.
And regardless of whether the Union take home the hardware or not, they still clinched a berth in the 2021 Concacaf Champions League because Toronto is only able to qualify for the CCL by capturing the Canadian Championship.