Can Philadelphia Union recover against New England in time for Playoffs ? | OneFootball

The Union returned from the September international break with a match vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, where they fell to a 7-0 thrashing in Canada. After suffering the most lopsided defeat in club history, Philly then travelled to Tennessee to face off against Nashville SC in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal.

MLS top scorer Sam Surridge continued his phenomenal form by scoring on either side of the interval to give Nashville a 2-0 lead. Whilst Quinn Sullivan would halve the deficit immediately after coming on, Surridge completed his hat-trick in the 84th minute to secure their spot in the final, where they will face Austin FC on September 30.

Since its founding in 2008, Philadelphia Union have failed to win a single major trophy, although they have come close in recent years. They secured their first title in 2020 by finishing with the best regular-season record in MLS and coming away with the Supporters' Shield, only to lose 2-0 to New England Revolution in the first round. Philly found themselves within inches of reaching their first MLS Cup Final in 2021, only to relinquish the lead and lose 2-1 to eventual winners New York City FC in the Conference Final.

Philadelphia Union’s current form and Playoff prospects

Vancouver Whitecaps FC v Philadelphia Union | Rich Lam/GettyImages

Despite not spending big on superstar players, Philadelphia managed to continue to stake its claim as one of the top sides in North America, finishing second in the 2022 MLS Supporters' Shield standings and making it all the way to the MLS Cup Final, only to lose to LAFC on penalties.

They proceeded to finish fourth in the East (fifth overall) before losing to FC Cincinnati in the Conference Semifinals, before falling short of the playoffs in 2024.

It's why Philly decided to part ways with Jim Curtin after 11 years at the helm and appoint Bradley Carnell, who steered St. Louis to the best regular season record in the West during their maiden season in 2023.

Despite losing key figures like Dániel Gazdag and Jack McGlynn, Philly enjoyed a bright start to the campaign with three wins on the bounce, setting the tone for a stellar debut season under the South African manager.

"I'm a big Bradley Carnell fan," stated Mike Lahoud, who played 65 times for Philly between 2012 and 2016. "I think he completely gets the city, he gets the club, and he's the right manager to take the team with what's missing. They need a trophy. That's the only thing that's missing."

Philadelphia currently boasts the best record in MLS with 57 points from 30 matches, one above San Diego FC and two above Cincinnati. However, after a shaky run of form that has seen them lose to New York Red Bulls and Vancouver and draw to Houston Dynamo and Toronto FC, they no longer control their own destiny in terms of winning the Supporters' Shield.

With four matches left, the highest they can finish is with 69 points, whereas Miami and Vancouver can both finish with 70.

The Union players will be devastated to have missed out on a trip to a fourth U.S. Open Cup Final (having lost in 2014, 2015, and 2018), where they likely would have been overwhelming favorites against Austin.

However, they cannot afford to wallow in despair; they need to immediately bounce back with wins vs. New England, who are all but eliminated from the playoffs, and D.C., who are eliminated, before facing NYCFC and Charlotte.

Can Philadelphia pull off their sixth consecutive victory against New England? Stay tuned for what will be a pivotal game for the Union.