Union-Rapids Preview

The Philadelphia Union have climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference thanks to a season-opening unbeaten streak at home. The Colorado Rapids have been ever better on their own field.

Colorado looks to win a franchise-record seventh straight home game and tie the team mark for longest overall undefeated streak Saturday night in a matchup of conference leaders.

The Rapids (8-2-3) lead MLS with 27 points and have opened 6-0-0 at home for the first time since 1999, which also equals their longest win streak on their own pitch.

Colorado tied that mark with a 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City on May 11 before heading to the road for a pair of matches. It tied Columbus 1-1 three days later and ended Seattle's four-game home winning streak with a 1-0 victory last Saturday.

Defender Axel Sjoberg headed in a corner kick late in the first half for his first MLS goal as the Rapids moved to 6-0-2 in their last eight and within one of tying the franchise-record nine-game unbeaten run last set in 2013.

"We talk about concentration and finding ways to win games, and today was one of those," coach Pablo Mastroeni said. "It wasn't the way we chalked it up. We made some adjustments at halftime, and I thought in the second half, we defended really well and had some of the better opportunities to go another goal up."

Zac MacMath lowered his MLS-best goals-against average to 0.69 with his league high-tying fifth shutout ahead of his first matchup with his former team.

MacMath was drafted fifth overall by the Union (5-3-4) in 2011 and became the youngest goalkeeper in MLS history to start 100 games before being loaned to the Rapids last season. He was then officially dealt to Colorado in December for a second-round pick in the 2017 draft after making three starts late in 2015.

He'll face a Philadelphia club that has scored in each of its last eight matches and is 2-0-4 in the past six. The Union are 4-0-2 at home and 1-3-2 on the road after substitute Ken Tribbett's first career goal in the 75th minute at Orlando City SC gave them a 2-2 draw Wednesday.

Tribbett, a rookie defender, made his return to the field from an ankle injury that kept him out since he started the first five games.

"I was at the right place at the right time," he told MLS' official website. "It's one of those classic goals where the ball just followed my foot and I was able to put it in. It's great to get back out there with the boys. It's what you want to do as a professional, to be able to step in in a moment of need for the team and play pretty well and I was excited to do it."

The Colorado native said he's "ecstatic" to be playing in his hometown, where the Union won for the first time in three tries in their last visit in 2013.

That's Philadelphia's only victory in eight all-time matchups.

"It's one of the places I've been looking forward to the most to go play and now I think we're headed there on a high and it's going to be a fun trip," Tribbett said.

Colorado will likely be without midfielder Jermaine Jones, who is with the United States team in preparation for next week's Copa America. Jones is tied for the club lead with three goals despite playing in seven matches.