Philadelphia Union's wait for a first home victory of the 2026 MLS season goes on after a 1-1 draw with Columbus Crew at Subaru Park on Saturday night. It was their third successive stalemate on home turf, a result that did little to ease growing concerns about a side struggling to convert promising moments into three points. With so much optimism, Carnell nevertheless insisted the character shown in the latter parts of the game offers a foundation to build from.
Columbus grabbed the initiative as early as the 10th minute, punishing Union midfielder Ben Bender's yellow card in the ninth minute. From the resulting free kick, André Gomes whipped a dangerous delivery into the box, and the ball fell to Hugo Picard, whose lofted effort found the far corner beyond an outstretched Andre Blake. It was precisely the kind of avoidable goal that has plagued Philadelphia all season, a moment of individual error snowballing into a deficit they would spend the rest of the evening chasing.
Head coach Bradley Carnell turned to his bench in search of a spark, sending on Agustín Anello at the break to replace Jovan Lukić, and the move eventually paid dividends. In the 70th minute, Anello drove down the right flank and cut the ball back perfectly for Milan Iloski, who tapped home at close range to level proceedings, his first goal of the evening and the moment that spared Union’s blushes on what had been an otherwise blunt attacking display.
Carnell, speaking to the media after the final whistle, acknowledged the broader picture while emphasizing what he considered genuine signs of progress.
"On the xG charts, but we got into good spaces, and I'm glad we're creating chances out of the run of play," the Union boss said. "I'm glad we're impacting the game through substitutions as well. It's a tie on the night, at one point, but we continue to fight." - Union Head Coach, Bradley Carnell
"We're looking for wins," he said. "Whether it's the away column or the win column at home, all of these things, regardless, right now we just need to pick up wins. With spirited performances like we showed in the second half, you will yourself to a win. This is sometimes a windy, bumpy road, and we find ourselves on it. But what you see is the boys digging deep, committing, fighting, giving everything to the very last minute. And if we were getting shelled, Andre would have had himself a team of the week performance, which he didn't, because he didn't have a great deal to do, so that is a large positive on the night. We have to start with small building blocks at the moment." - Union Head Coach, Bradley Carnell
The positivity, though, is becoming harder to sustain for a club that has collected just two points from a possible 12 in May and remains anchored to the foot of the Eastern Conference with a goal difference of minus ten. Saturday's match was also Philadelphia's final home fixture before the FIFA World Cup-enforced league break, a final chance to give the Subaru Park faithful something to cheer, and they left largely deflated.
One road fixture stands between Philadelphia and the World Cup pause, and it could hardly be more daunting. The Union travel to face Inter Miami, a side scoring 2.4 goals per game and boasting Lionel Messi in the form of his life, with nine goals in his last ten MLS appearances. For a Union side still searching for its first home win, a trip to face the league's most lethal attack is a stern final test before the calendar mercifully offers a reset.
