Philadelphia Union put scorching form to test vs. Orlando City

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Major League Soccer

·24 September 2026

Philadelphia Union put scorching form to test vs. Orlando City

By Jaime Uribarri

Two resurgent teams meet on Saturday when the Philadelphia Union host Orlando City in a high-stakes Eastern Conference showdown.

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How to watch & stream

Apple TV

When

Saturday, Sept. 26 | 7 pm ET/4 pm PT

Where

Subaru Park | Chester, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia Union

Standings

6th in Eastern Conference
36 points (10W-10L-6D)

Last game

Philadelphia continued their incredible post-2026 FIFA World Cup momentum with a comeback for the ages, turning a three-goal deficit into a 4-3 win at Sporting Kansas City to extend their undefeated run to 11 games (9W-0L-2D).

Cavan Sullivan led the remarkable turnaround with 1g/1a at Sporting Park. The 16-year-old phenom has set numerous milestones amid a breakout season that's earned him and fellow homegrowns Neil Pierre and Frankie Westfield their first US men's national team call-ups for the September/October international window.

Players to watch

Milan Iloski: The former San Diego FC forward has a team-best 19 goal contributions (13g/6a) during his first full season with the Union.
Bruno Damiani: The Uruguayan striker is enjoying a three-game scoring streak, producing 5g/1a over this span.
Quinn Sullivan: Cavan's older brother has 1g/5a in his last three games as he regains match fitness after recovering from an ACL tear.
Kai Wagner: The Union's all-time assists leader has been another key catalyst since rejoining the club in July from EFL Championship side Birmingham City.

Need to know

Philly sat bottom of the league table with just one win entering the World Cup break. It's been a completely different story since, with the Union not only jumping into the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs picture, but emerging as a legitimate dark horse contender.

Can they keep the magic going against Orlando? Saturday's test may be the most difficult yet for interim head coach Ryan Richter, who will have to make do without Philly's three USMNT-bound teenagers, as well as goalkeeper Andre Blake (Jamaica) and midfielder Danley Jean Jacques (Haiti).

Orlando City

Standings

7th in Eastern Conference
34 points (10W-12L-4D)

Last game

Orlando's five-game league unbeaten streak (4W-0L-1D) was snapped with a 4-2 defeat at New England. Goals from Iván Angulo and Martín Ojeda almost secured a road point for the Lions, but Peyton Miller and Carles Gil both scored in second-half stoppage time to give the Revs the victory.

The Lions were without Antoine Griezmann, whose status for Saturday is uncertain after he suffered a knock during their midweek defeat at the Columbus Crew in the US Open Cup semifinals.

Martín Ojeda: Orlando's all-time leader in goal contributions has 2g/1a in six games (all competitions) since returning from a thigh injury.
Iván Angulo: The Colombian winger/fullback has rediscovered his scoring touch of late, with three of his four goals this season coming in September.
Maxime Crépeau: The Canadian international goalkeeper started every match during Les Rouges' historic run to the 2026 World Cup Round of 16.
Robin Jansson: The long-serving captain has been a staple of Orlando's backline since joining in 2019 from AIK Fotboll in his native Sweden.

Need to know

Orlando have also undergone a second-half transformation, going 6W-3L-2D since the World Cup pause.

This turnaround coincided with the arrival of Griezmann, who has posted 8g/3a in the first 10 matches of his MLS career.

But with the French legend questionable, rising homegrown Justin Ellis (1g/10a) earning his first USMNT call-up and Croatian winger Marco Pašalić also on international duty, the Lions will have to lean on depth to get a positive result.