Mikael Uhre and Jesús Bueno are likely close to returning for the Union

Union manager Bradley Carnell indicated Tuesday that striker Mikael Uhre and midfielder Jesús Bueno are on the verge of returning from injuries heading into Wednesday’s game against CF Montréal at Subaru Park (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).

“I think everyone’s just about ready to go, bar Ian [Glavinovich],” Carnell said at his game-day eve news conference, referring to Glavinovich’s long-term absence with a knee injury. “There’s a couple of question marks and we’ll wait ‘til tomorrow to make a game-day decision on a couple guys, but we’re trending in the right way.”

Uhre has missed the last five games because of a groin injury, and Bueno has missed two games with a hamstring tweak.

Fans are welcome to wait until Uhre and Bueno are actually on the field. Carnell sounded optimistic about Uhre in particular on Friday afternoon, saying he was “still progressing, getting closer,” and trending in the right way” for a game-day decision. But he was ruled out a few hours later when the league’s injury report was released.

This time, Carnell’s words might hold up. Uhre was off the injury report sent out by MLS on Tuesday evening, while Bueno was listed as questionable.

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Of course, no one was asking to rush Uhre back, especially from a groin injury. But it’s extra helpful to have as much depth as possible for a midweek game, with a road trip to Houston on deck this weekend. That will be as much a steam bath as a sporting contest, and also will be the Union’s first meeting with Jack McGlynn since selling him to the Dynamo in February.

The Union will take the field Wednesday with the best record in MLS (13-5-4, 43 points), part of a five-team logjam in the Eastern Conference. Though Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami is in fifth, the Herons hold an advantage with three fewer games played due to playing in the Club World Cup.

Montréal arrives firmly rooted in last place in the East and leaguewide (3-13-6, 15 points). They fired manager Laurent Courtois in March after a five-game winless streak to start the season, and interim replacement Marco Donadel — who played for the team formerly known as the Impact from 2014-18 — has a 4-10-6 record so far.

Those results include elimination from the Canadian Championship cup tournament in a two-game quarterfinal series against Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League, a good team on that circuit but a step down from MLS’s level.

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This game will be the first time that former Union centerback Brandan Craig, a native of Northeast Philadelphia’s Morrell Park neighborhood, returns to town with his new team. The Union cast Craig off to free agency after last season, Montréal signed him, and he has played in 13 games this year, including full-game starts in the last four.

One of those games was a 4-1 loss to Inter Miami in which Lionel Messi danced by Craig and a slew of other defenders on both of his goals.

Montréal’s squad also includes Chester-born centerback George Campbell. He moved to Atlanta at a young age, grew up in Atlanta United’s academy, and has been up north since 2023. But he won’t play Wednesday as he prepares for a reported move to English second-division club West Bromwich Albion. He was also held out of Montréal’s 1-1 tie Saturday at Orlando.