Philadelphia Union’s 2026 MLS season so far can be summed up by the visual of Ezekiel Alladoh on the bench at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night, with his face in his hands and clearly frustrated with how his first season in Philadelphia is unfolding.
The Blue and Gold’s record signing, who was brought in this past off-season to replace the departing Tai Baribo and Mikael Uhre, had a great opportunity to put his team up 2-0 in the second half, but his attempt from close range was cleared off the line by a Rev’s defender.
“If you go up 2-0 the complexion of the game is totally different, and in a phase where we’re scratching the surface to try and get to everything and find a solution, it was there for us…one moment gets away from us and kind of derails [us], that’s how fragile everything is right now.” - Union head coach, Bradley Carnell
Less than two minutes later, New England’s Luca Langoni would find the back of the net to bring things level and completely change the momentum of the game.
“That action could speak for our whole season. There have been so many little moments throughout the season to kind of get the show back on the road, and a little bit of adversity or a little bit of anxiety or a little bit of something here or there just throws a spanner in the works, which is unfortunate. We win together, we lose together, and we stick by each other, and that’s been the message.” - Union head coach, Bradley Carnell
The Philadelphia Union score against New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner (30) in the first half at Gillette Stadium.
David Butler II
New England would go on to win that game via a late winner from Carles Gil, a devastating result for Bradley Carnell’s side, who are fighting desperately for points but continue to come up short. Just one win on the season through the first 12 games for last year’s Supporters’ Shield winners, and it gets no easier with a mid-week trip down to Orlando on Wednesday, which Carnell knows will require a full 90-minute effort in order to come back to Chester with their second win on the season in the bag.
“Disappointment, bitterness. Against a team in New England where they’ve gone 5-0 and we put them in a really tough game, you could not see who was the 2nd place team and who is the last place team currently and credit to out guys - but we have nothing to show for it at the end of the day so naturally emotions are high and the feelings are low, but like I said we’re in this together.”-Union head coach, Bradley Carnell
Union head coach Bradley Carnell gives Cavan Sullivan instructions before the teenager came on as a substitute vs. DC United.
Image Provided / Philadelphia Union
Luckily for the Blue and Gold, they are a team struggling to get started in the 2026 season as well. In a battle between the two teams at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, Orlando comes into Wednesday’s clash with a record of 3W-1D-8L for a total of 10 points on the season and has been outscored by a total of 34-16.
Orlando City did pull off an impressive comeback against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami to claim victory in the Florida Derby in Matchday 11, but followed that confidence-building win with a 2-0 loss on the road to CF Montreal a week later.
The Lions are led by midfielder Martín Ojeda, who has netted seven goals for Orlando City this season, including a hat-trick in the comeback against Inter Miami. Iván Angulo leads Orlando with five assists on the year.
Orlando’s biggest struggle seems to be their backline, which has conceded a league-worst 34 goals in their first season without goalkeeper Pedro Gallesse. Maxime Crépeau is now the man between the posts for the Lions, who have yet to record a clean sheet in MLS play in 2026 and have conceded 16 goals in 3 starts earlier this season (5-0 to NYCFC, 5-0 to Nashville SC, 6-0 to LAFC).
Cavan Sullivan (6) looks to create an attack for the Philadelphia Union vs Columbus Crew SC.
Image Provided / Philadelphia Union
“I try to absorb a lot of the noise coming from the outside. No one is happy, no one is content, no one is thinking “oh we’re just going to wait for the [World Cup] break” - no, the next game is the next moment and the next 3 points on the line” - Union head coach, Bradley Carnell
Bradley Carnell and the Union, who have struggled to find the back of the net this season with just 10 goals, know Orlando is an opponent they might be able to find success against offensively to help build some confidence back in this team before the World Cup break.
In order to win more games, the Union is going to need goal production from Somebody. Danley Jean-Jacques and Milan Iloski currently lead the club with 2 goals each this season, while Ezekiel Alladoh and Bruno Damiani, the two strikers Philadelphia has broken its transfer record on in recent years, have both failed to find the back of the net this season.
The Philadelphia Union prepares for its battle with Toronto FC.
Image Provided / Philadelphia Union
The Blue and Gold will have to do it while missing a few players. Frankie Westfield, who left Saturday’s match early and required a trip to the hospital, is dealing with a hip contusion and is being labeled “Day to Day”, which is positive to hear given how much pain the young defender looked to be in on Saturday. Japeht Sery Larsen and Jesus Bueno are the other names who are still dealing with some issues and look to be unavailable for Wednesday’s match down in Orlando.
“I think it takes a dent to everybody's confidence wherever you are on the line, in the front office, or in the performance building, everyone is searching now, everyone is looking and everyone is trying every measure possible to turn this around and I'm grateful for that because everyone knows they're in the same boat and rowing in the same direction, but right now we just have to mitigate a lot of things happening in game, and a lot of things that are happening in terms of the application of what we’re trying to do. I stand up there to assume responsibility first and foremost and move on, and I want the guys to feed off that, to let them play freer, let them show the emotions on the field and show the passion that drives them every day.” - Union head coach, Bradley Carnell
When: Wednesday, May 13th @ 7:30 pm
Where: Inter&Co Stadium - Orlando, FL
Where To Watch: AppleTV
