The match ahead is shaping up to be a competitive one – not only is it a battle for first place in the conference with Columbus Crew sitting at the top of the standings with 24 points, it will also mark the first time the club’s all-time leading goal scorer, Daniel Gazdag, will play in Subaru Park as an opponent.

The Hungarian international was traded to the Ohio side in April, and before his departure, he played in five regular seasons for the Boys in Blue, recording 59 goals, and 31 assists over 125 total appearances. Though he’s now a conference opponent, his contributions to the club are etched in Philadelphia Union’s history, and his return adds another layer to an already anticipated meeting.

“Dani was a great human being to work with. An exceptional footballer, exceptional person, and it was fun in the time that I had with him to work together,” Head Coach Bradley Carnell said of the former Union midfielder during his Friday press conference.

“I hope the feeling is mutual, and it’ll be great to have a match up against him.”

Gazdag and his new team will take the pitch in Philadelphia having had a few more days rest than the hosts, who are in their first three-match week of the season. With the strenuous schedule in mind, Carnell rotated his lineup for the past two matches, most recently giving two Union homegrowns in Cavan Sullivan and David Vazquez their first starts on Wednesday.

Despite his efforts to manage early in their busy month, the team’s Open Cup opener went for 120 minutes plus penalties, and in that span, every rostered player, with the exception of backup goalkeeper Oliver Semmle, saw minutes on the pitch. Five of those 17 contributors, namely Jeremy Rafanello, Alejandro Bedoya, Olwethu Makhanya, Cavan Sullivan, and Andrew Rick, played the entire match.

“Health wise, obviously we had to extend ourselves a little bit longer than we wanted, but that’s the beauty of playing Cup competition. You have to be ready to deal with anything and then to have a backup plan,” Carnell said.

“I think we’ve recovered well. There’s a couple of guys questionable, but as of now, we’ll be ready and prepared for a good Columbus matchup.”

Despite the longer shifts than intended, only one player who made an appearance on Wednesday made it onto Carnell’s injury report. Defender Olivier Mbaizo, who played 81 minutes, is questionable as of Friday after training, along with starting goalkeeper Andre Blake who was not part of the team’s Open Cup matchday roster.

Up until this point, Philadelphia Union has boasted their best start through 11 games in club history with 22 points, five clean sheets, and a +11 goal differential, and they’ll look to build on their already strong foundation come Saturday night.