Sunday afternoon brings the 3rd and final game of Union II’s season, kicking off a homestand and, to finish off the trilogy of home games, Ryan Richter’s side welcomes MLS Next Pro league newcomers CT United to Subaru Park for the first-ever match between the two sides.
Union II have enjoyed a perfect start to life in their 2026 MLS Next Pro season, boasting a 100% record, which is one of just a handful of teams in the league that can say so, while also remaining one of just three teams yet to concede a goal this 2026 season so far.
Ryan Richter’s side started their season with a 1-0 win against Toronto FC II, thanks to a Malik Jakupovic goal in the opening 10 minutes of the game. Last weekend, Union II welcomed FC Cincinnati 2 to Subaru Park, and once again they came out 1-0 victors, this time thanks to a bullet header from senior team member Finn Sundstrom.
Union II captain Rafael Uzcátegui challanging for the ball.
Image Provided / Philadelphia Union II
George Marks, who’s been in fantastic form so far between the sticks for Union II, and the 4-man defense that’s led by club captain Rafael Uzcategui, have been the real standouts so far this season. A number of new faces have found themselves with gametime in the early stages of the 2026 season for Coach Richter, and some academy players returning to Union II, like Willyam Ferreira, have been impressive so far as they continue to gain a foothold in the starting 11.
Before I get into the breakdown of CT United ahead of their first visit to Subaru Park, Union II announced a schedule change to two of their games later in the season earlier this week. Union II’s home game against FC Cincinnati 2 on August 9th has been moved to August 8th at 12pm ET. Union II’s away trip to FC Cincinnati 2, originally scheduled for 6 pm ET on August 30th, has now been changed to a 12 pm ET kickoff time on the same date.
Philadelphia Union II midfielder Markus Anderson, looks to progress the ball against FC Cincinnati 2
Image Provided / Philadelphia Union II
CT United became the 30th member of the MLS Next Pro this season and joined the Eastern Conference alongside Philly. They’re one of a very few clubs in the league to be completely independent of any MLS franchise, and they kicked off their club life and 2026 MLS Next Pro season with a huge road win against FC Cincinnati 2, beating the side from Ohio 3-1.
Last week, it looked like the league newcomers were going to pick up another win in their first season after racing to a 2-0 lead over Chattanooga FC; however, Chattanooga fought back and beat CT United 4-2.
The game is scheduled to take place at Subaru Park, with a kickoff time of 3 pm ET, and tickets are still available for fans who want to travel down to watch it live. If you can’t make it to the ground, you can still stream the game for free, worldwide, on either the MLS Next Pro website or through the OneFootball app.
Malik Jakupovic scored his first goal of the 2026 Next Pro season to win the game for Union II
Image Provided / Philadelphia Union II
