Union II returns to MLS Next Pro action this Saturday afternoon as they look for their first win at their temporary home venue, WSFS Bank Sportsplex. Atlanta United 2 are the visitors to the Sportsplex this Saturday as they look to push up towards the league leaders' race and gain a bigger lead on Ryan Richter's men.
Philly is looking to gain some momentum with this game against Atlanta after they could only take a single point away from their last game against Columbus Crew 2. After Ryan Richter was forced into a number of changes to the starting XI due to injuries to the likes of Eddy Davis and Willyam Ferreira, Union II fell to an early Columbus goal thanks to a Zachary Zengue close-range finish 25 minutes into the game.
Union II fought back after going 1-0 down early on and responded as fast as any team possibly could through Stas Korzeniowski heading home from a Matheus De Paula just four minutes after Columbus took the lead. Union II kept up the pressure, but it was thanks to their defensive line and especially their goalkeeper, Andrew Rick, who made several saves throughout the 2nd half to keep the scoreline tied.
The game ended 1-1 after 90 minutes and headed into the penalty shootout. After a total of 20 penalties, Columbus finally took the shootout after Jordan Griffin missed his penalty, and Ryan Richter's men only took a single point from a possible three.
Union forward Malik Jakupovic scored another goal in another start for the second team.
Image Provided / Philadelphia Union II
The visitors for this game on Saturday head into the game in 4th place in the Eastern Conference standings, above Union II by five positions and four points. The team from Georgia, in their last game out, went to Huntsville City and took them apart with ease, flying to a 6-2 win. In fact, Atlanta United 2 has only lost one game in their last five, winning the other four games.
This will be the first meeting between these two teams this 2026 season; however, they faced each other just once last season at Subaru Park in early April. Ryan Richter's men cruised to a massive 5-1 win, and I'm sure the Union II coach will want to repeat that scoreline in hopes it sparks a good run of form for his team.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 3 pm ET at WSFS Bank Sportsplex on Saturday, 23rd May. Tickets are available online, but if you can’t make it down to the ground for the match, it will be streamed worldwide, for free, on both the MLS Next Pro website and the OneFootball platform.
Union II center back Rafael Uzcátegui (40) scored an exclimation point goal in a 4-1 win!
Image Provided / Philadelphia Union II
