The Philadelphia Union will look to bounce back from a 1-0 loss in their opening match in MLS play as they play leg-two of Connacht Champions Cup (CCC) play against Defence Force FC tonight at Subaru Park. Philly won the first leg in this opening round 5-0 and will look to easily advance to the next round. Barring a 6-0 loss, the Union will move on to the next round of the competition, but how will Carnell’s boys fare in this intercontinental clash?
Last week, Philly had a bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde moment. They thrashed Defence Force FC 5-0 in Trinidad, then were essentially played off the pitch at DC to start their MLS campaign. What will week two hold as they have two matches again this week? The Union takes on the Defence Force at home on Thursday night, and then has their home opener in MLS Sunday afternoon vs NYCFC. Will we see polar opposites again, or will this team find its way to positive results in both matches?
First off, the focus starts with the Defence Force. The Union has a five-goal advantage from the first game and will look to avoid disaster and advance to the Round of 16. Milan Iloski, Ezekiel Alladoh, Olwethu Makhanya, and Bruno Damiani scored the five goals in the first game, and Cavan Sullivan looked like the best player on the pitch when he came on. As Philly prepares for the week, the issues of injuries and roster depth will be tested as this early-season, congested schedule plays out.
One thing that has been clear about this Union team so far in 2026 is that their depth will be tested as they split midweek international competition with weekend MLS play. In the first week, we saw Carnell rotate the team a bit to manage both, and I assume we will see the same this week. Some of that rotation may be because of injuries, as Carnell stated in his pre-match presser that Frankie Westfield, Finn Sundstrom, and Agustin Anello are all day-to-day with various injuries. So who will Carnell trust to see out this match with a 5-0 head start?
The Union is down two defenders and has just one healthy outside back on the roster right now. The rumored signing of left back Philippe Ndinga has been reportedly be secured, but there has been no announcement from the club bc yet about his signing or arrival. Because of this Carnell will have to get crafty with his lineup choices against Defence Force, I could see the lineup looking something like this.
GK: Rick
LB: Mbaizo CB: Martinez CB: Makhanya RB: Rafanello
DM: Bueno DM: Bedoya
AM: C. Sullivan AM: Bender
ST: Alladoh ST: Korzeniowski
Leaning on the backups with a 5-0 lead should get the job done on this one, especially since Philly enters the game five goals to the good. Playing a few players out of position and only playing two starters from the jump will be enough to see out this one. I’d expect Makhanya to start at center back and then Harriel to come in for him after halftime. Alladoh should play the full 90, as he has a red card suspension in MLS after his red card for dissent in DC last weekend.
Other than those players, the rest of this squad is full of rotation guys who will get valuable minutes. They have the opportunity to show the coaching staff they can be counted on with minutes in meaningful matches, given the early-season injuries the squad is dealing with and the potential lack of depth. Who will step up and become the next trusted player?
That question is an important one as Philly enters the busy beginning of this season. We know that the club will be ambitious in tournaments and wants to start off on a good note in league play. We will see this team truly tested here in 2026. Philly will play nine games in the first month of the season, five in MLS play and four in CCC, barring a catastrophic collapse tonight. This is something they didn’t experience last year, as they came out of the gates and focused only on the league.
As Carnell and his side focus on a two-headed monster, can they rack up some points in MLS while also making it to a possible CCC quarterfinal? This team has its set style of play and believes in one another. The hope is that, between roster rotation, a new addition at left back, and players returning from injury, it will be enough to do just that.
Tune into tonight’s Union match at 7 pm on TUDN or FS1 to see how they fare in their second leg of Concacaf Champions Cup, and don’t miss their MLS home opener Sunday at 4 pm on Apple TV!
