It's been about two weeks since the Philadelphia Union took the field in their last match against the Chicago Fire. A 2-1 loss kept the early-season theme of poor play going, as Philly sits dead last in MLS. Zero points from five games played is less than ideal, and the club's vibe is bleak from top to bottom.
Sporting Director Ernst Tanner is officially suspended from the club following violations of MLS policies and the professional conduct standards required of League and Club leadership, as substantiated by an investigation. Couple that with the club selling their best players and not replacing them, and a rigid style of play that has not paid off, and Philly is now following up their Supporters' Shield victory by sitting in the basement of the league.
Today, they take on Charlotte FC, a club that's been a thorn in Philadelphia's side over the last few years. Will the Union be able to find a way to get their first points of the season on the road after an extended international break?
In MLS, there aren't many easy stadiums to go to and get a result. However, going to Charlotte has proven to be difficult for many teams over the last few years. The Union has never beaten Charlotte in North Carolina and has taken just two points in four matches at Bank of America Stadium. If the Union is going to get its first-ever win in Charlotte, it will need a unified effort and better play on the pitch.
After falling to NYCFC in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs last year, Charlotte has had a bit of a topsy-turvy start to their 2026 season. In their first five matches, Charlotte has two wins, two losses, and one draw; they sit in fourth place in the East, but one thing sticks out about this team.
In the five games, Charlotte has scored 10 goals this season; however, seven of those goals came in two matches when they were up a man. When Charlotte FC plays 11v11, they have scored three goals and conceded five. The key to the game for Philly in this one will likely be not going down a man and not getting too stretched out.
In the games where Charlotte has done well, their front three of Kerwin Vargas, Idan Toklomati, and Wilfried Zaha have feasted with space to run into. The Union has been stretched between their attack and defense, giving opponents space to run into in the final third. If Philly can be more compact and organized, then they can stop Charlotte's main threat. That will take buy-in from a struggling group, something Union coach Bradley Carnell says has been happening over the international break.
In his press conference ahead of the Charlotte match, Union head coach Bradley Carnell spoke about his team needing to work together to dig out of the slump they have been in to start the season. The club had an intra-squad scrimmage last weekend that Carnell said was a good exercise, and now the focus is to double down on how they want to play and put that into practice in the game vs Charlotte.
This will be the first week of the year that Philly has four training days before an MLS match. In the first five weeks of the season, the Union had midweek Concacaf Champions Cup games, which led to a disjointed look on the field, according to Carnell. Now that the focus is solely on MLS, the boys in blue will be looking for more cohesion between players and inside their style of play.
Carnell has mentioned that the players have had good conflict, dialogue, and constructive criticism during the international break, which he hopes will push this team forward. The team's intensity and curiosity to improve were what was needed; now it's time to see if they can put it all together on the pitch.
Some Union players are returning from international call-ups, but Carnell has said his squad is mostly at full strength. The only player who was delayed in returning to Philly was Andre Blake, but he said he will be ready to go no matter what. Aside from Agustin Anello (hamstring) and Quinn Sullivan (knee), the squad is at full strength. Forward Ezekiel Alladoh is believed to be available after rejoining the team and being "dialed in" following his time away due to rumored behavioral issues.
The Union will need all of its players to play as a cohesive unit against Charlotte to pick up points. That's something that hasn't happened over 90 minutes this season. After a two-week stretch of hard conversations and targeted training sessions, Philly will hopefully be in a spot where they can at least play how they want to for 90 minutes. While that is likely the key to victory, it may also be their downfall.
We have seen that there isn't really a plan B for Philly if their pressing style doesn't pay off. When it doesn't, they get frustrated and don't have the players to turn a draw into a win or a loss into a draw. This could doom the Union if they continue to fail to get points. Their first draw or win of the season could be the spark they need to turn things around, which means this club is yet again at a tipping point just six games into the season.
GK: Blake
LB: Ndinga, CB: Makhanya, CB: Sery Laren, RB: Westfield
DM: Lukic, DM: Jean Jacques
AM: C. Sullivan, AM: Vassilev
ST: Damiani, ST: Iloski
