Entering the 2016 season, most people predicted that the Colorado Rapids and Philadelphia Union would be two of the worst teams in Major League Soccer.

Preseason outlooks were relatively dire, but recent history backed up those assertions.

Last year, the Union lost 17 games en route to a 9th place conference finish, missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year and inheriting the mantle of 'longest postseason drought' among all 20 MLS clubs.

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• COMPLETE UNION COVERAGE

Colorado barely had a full roster put together this winter and was coming off a 37-point season with nine wins, 15 losses, and 10 draws.

Fast forward about seven months and both teams are atop their respective conferences. In terms of unexpectedness, it's the MLS equivalent of pigs flying or a Game of Thrones storyline actually going somewhere.

It's striking to see the similarities between these clubs. Both teams employ a defense-first mentality and stay extremely disciplined inside of a 4-2-3-1 shape. They do not concede cheap goals. They've found ways to maximize the production of aging and/or cast-off MLS veterans. The squads are starting to look like the former MLS center back and former MLS defensive midfielder that currently coach them.

Colorado play-by-play man Richard Fleming has witnessed the Rapids transformation first hand. He joined PhillyVoice for a chat about Saturday's game, which begins with a discussion about how numerous teams are turning it around this season.

Richard Fleming: "...NYC FC, Colorado, Philadelphia, Real Salt Lake, all of these teams are still hovering there. A lot of these teams were literally the cannon fodder of 2015, and now they're up there. It's not just three or four weeks into the season, they've kept it going. I think they're all good stories."

Philly Voice: I think it's interesting how these teams are similarly built, you could say. They both play the same formation; it's your typical, safe, 4-2-3-1. Each team has a pair of defensive midfielders that's getting the job done for them. Philly has a young defense. Colorado has a defense that has some recycled guys; they've come over from other teams but they're holding up very well. They're keeping up this hard-nosed, defensive identity. I think the question for both teams is whether or not this style of play is sustainable.

Fleming: "I think the Rapids still have to show a little bit in the offensive third. I remember speaking to Michael Harrington when he joined the Rapids from Portland in the 2013 season, and he said 'we were nicking games, particularly at home, it wasn't necessarily pretty, but we were grinding out results'. Now, you can sustain that. It takes a hell of a lot of discipline over a long period of time, but you still want to give yourself that bit of a buffer every so often. The Rapids have only won one game by more than a goal this season. I think five of their eight wins have been 1-nil. Two have been 2-1. And the other one against Seattle (3 to 1) was their biggest winning margin. So, they are edging games, and, yeah, at some point, you would imagine that a team is going to hit you (for multiple goals). The question is whether you can respond with more than one or two goals. I think the one thing that's playing into the Rapids favor, that people are potentially clinging to, is the injuries. Kevin Doyle was out earlier in the season. Now Marco Pappa is out. They haven't had Pappa, Shkelzen Gashi, Doyle, and Jermaine Jones on the field at the same time. You could suggest that arguably their best playmaker, their best 'difference maker' in Marco Pappa, hasn't been in the mix during this recent spell. But the latter midfield half of Sam Cronin and Micheal Azira, that's a no-nonsense, no frills kind of unit. And I'd put the goalkeeper and back four in (that category) too, which is that they're no glitz, no glamor kind of guys. So it's down to the other four guys to be the offensive threat and the offensive flair. I think without Pappa they've just missed a little bit. They've got great intelligence and they've got great ball winning ability, even in the final third. I think, in width, Gashi brings something different. I think they lack something on the other side. Luis Solignac has never scored a goal for the Rapids while he's played out wide, but he's workmanlike. There's a workmanlike quality in that offensive third. It needs a bit of flair and a bit of creativity, and for those guys to 'unlock'. We've talked about it here in Colorado; it's about nicking games, but these games are going to get tougher. People are going to press and look to unlock you. Do you have more than one goal answers?"

Philly Voice: It's funny that you mention that bit about Marco Pappa and the other three guys. Jim Curtin has said that he hasn't had his best starting eleven on the field yet. Maurice Edu has been out. Ilsinho has been out. Vince Nogueira has been in and out of the lineup. But another similarity is that I feel like both of these teams are starting to look like their coaches, and how they played in MLS. That wasn't always the case in the beginning. Guys like Peter Vermes, Jay Heaps, and other defensive midfielders or center backs, it takes their team a year, or two, or three, to kind of mold themselves into that defensive kind of team. Do you think Pablo Mastoeni's influence is finally showing through this year?

Fleming: "I think there's certainly that. If you look, I think he certainly has that personnel. I think Azira and Cronin very much complement each other. I don't think the Rapids necessarily had that last year. I think what they also have this year, and you mentioned that they're not scoring a lot of goals, but they are more 'threatening' in that final third. It may sound a bit bizarre, but I think they do have the ability to break down sides. It's just something they didn't have last year. They didn't offer anything relating to creativity in the final third. That was a big concern for Rapids fans. We knew that they could defend. We knew this Rapids side was resolute defensively. But I think teams realized very quickly that they didn't offer much in the attacking third of the field. Teams would come into a game, even in Colorado, and they would dictate and boss play. I mean, having a 100 percent record at home after six games is quite staggering, bearing in mind that they only won five at home all of last season. The home form is clearly far, far better than it was. I think some of that is now they have the personnel to suitably apply Pablo's methods and Pablo's style. I think, psychologically, they're just giving teams a little bit more to think about in the other half of the field."

Philly Voice: The most intriguing storyline for this matchup is the goalkeeping. Here you have Zac MacMath, who was basically discarded by Philadelphia. Now he's going up against the guy who was drafted to replace him, who sat on the bench for two years before getting the starting job. It's going to be two former teammates in a battle for first place, which is weird considering all of the Union goalkeeping nonsense that's gone on in recent years.

Fleming: "It's been tough for Zac. He sat on the bench for all but the last three games of last season because of Clint Irwin's form. He came in for the U.S. Open Cup last year, but it was tough, very tough. So, of course, he received an opportunity when Clint Irwin was traded to Toronto, then the news comes of Tim Howard's signing. So mentally, it's difficult from that standpoint for Zac. He's been on the brink of (securing the job), he thinks he's got his shot, and then comes the big news of Tim Howard. He's responded absolutely wonderfully. He had a couple of little wobbles. He had the wobble at D.C. United and the wobble at Real Salt Lake. But as a collective defensive unit, he now has a 0.69 goals-against average, which is the best in the league. What they love about Zac is his footwork. He's kept his head down. He's not complaining. He's worked, and worked, and worked, and he's very much a part of that defensive unit. You saw last week against Seattle, he made some big saves, especially that one against Clint Dempsey. That shows the strength of character, of a guy who is, you know he's still 24 years old. He's still very young in goalkeeper terms. He's not had it easy in terms of appearances and chances, but he's grown over the last few games. He's so much a part of the early success story for the Rapids, but it's wonderful that these two guys are going to come up against each other.

I think it's also great that we're seeing Andre Blake grow. We all saw that big save on Wednesday night against Kaka. That's one that I'm sure he's going to be able to recall to his grandchildren. He's very much commanding and he's a great shot-stopper. It's the same with Zac. We're talking about goalkeepers who are cementing their places in two of the leading sides, and they're young. They're very young for goalkeepers. The expectation is that they will only get better. It's difficult to see a contest between two goalkeepers, since they don't come into contact, but they'll share a few words before and after the game I'm sure."

Philly Voice: You've got Philly coming out to Colorado straight from Orlando. They'll probably have some tiredness on short turnaround. Obviously for Colorado then, Jermaine Jones and Shkelzen Gashi are with their national teams ahead of Euro 2016 and the Copa America Centenario. I think both of these clubs aren't necessarily going to be at 100 percent strength going into it. How do you see this one playing out?

Fleming: "Looking at the recent record between these sides, it's three wins, one loss, and four draws in the Rapids favor. So you see that draws have been (frequent) in those games. These are two sides that press. These are two sides that look to transition and win the ball the back quickly. That's the one thing the Rapids have done at home. They've been very aggressive in closing down the space. If you look at foul stats, some might say they're the dirtiest team in Major League Soccer, but others would say they're the most difficult side (to play against) in Major League Soccer. It depends what side of the coin you're on with that. They're a physical side and they've been able to do it even on the road in physical conditions. Philly also looks to press and 'get at' teams. You don't necessarily see that when teams are on the road. Normally teams try to be a little bit more conservative and sometimes that can invite pressure. It's interesting to note that these two teams, even though they're defensive-minded, they're going to close down space and look to press each other to win back possession. I think the 4-2-3-1 lends itself to being more defensive, depending on how the team (moves) as a unit. Opportunities might be few and far between. You look at the formation and the meagerness of the two defenses and this could be a tight encounter. As I mentioned previously, you look at the Rapids record this season – they won late against LA, they won late against Kansas City, they won late in that 2-1 snow game against New York. In the latter stages, they keep going, and pushing, and thrusting. But there's not usually too many goals in them."

Philly Voice: With both of these teams being at the top of their respective conferences, it's because they play good defense and they don't give much to the opponent. They're hard to break down. Aesthetically, I think people look at that style and they see it as.. not boring or naive necessarily, but they see it was a safe way to approach the game. Maybe it's a "stage one" way to style your team if you don't have the resources to buy superstars. In a broader sense, do you think the greater MLS community can appreciate what the Rapids and the Union are doing this season?

Fleming: "Whatever sport you're in, whether it's touchdowns, or home runs, or slam dunks – we all want to see scoring. That's what we want to see as fans. I remember talking to former England manager Graham Taylor a few years ago, and England were playing in a few games and hadn't scored too many goals. He said to me, from a purist point of few, that he can take as much satisfaction from the work that a good defensive team does to shut another team down, rather than a 4-3 or 5-2 result. But also I think, as a team, you work to your strengths. You play to your strengths. If you've got exciting and attacking players who can defend a little bit... I remember Newcastle under Kevin Keegan, they would concede four, but score five. It was very open. So I think there is a sense of, I can see both sides. I think there's a sense of working to your strengths and what you know. There's working to the personnel that you have available to you. But it also goes back to what we said before. If another team scores two, do you have the ability to score three? That's the big test. We know that you're not going to concede too many, but at some stage, that might not be the case. Your defense might have an off day. Can you react?

That's the big test that the Rapids have not really had to answer yet, and maybe Philly as well. A number of Union defeats, they've not had 11 men on the field. The argument could be, that with 11 players, they may have won at Chicago or Seattle. I don't think the two sides have been fully tested in that arena, in the sense that, 'if we concede more than we normally do, how do we respond'? It's very disciplined, very tight, and working through a gameplan. From a fan's perspective, is it easy on the eye? I imagine if you're at the top of the east and the top of the west, then other fans aren't going to like the fact that their teams aren't. Ask Philly fans if they'd rather be scoring more goals and conceding more goals, and be fifth in the east. Or, would they rather be at the top while keeping it tight? Same with the Rapids. There are very few sides I think that can bring everything to the party, that can be exciting, and adventurous, and gung-ho, and also be top of the table."