Both the Philadelphia Union and the Columbus Crew were looking to use Sunday’s match to build on last season’s successes as well as their early successes in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League. But neither team was able to get into a grove during the match, and it ended all scoreless after a cagey, chippy ninety minutes.
There were no major surprises in the Union’s starting XI as they kept the same lineup from their CCL matches. One significant difference is that Paxten Aaronson made an appearance on the expanded bench.