Philadelphia Union vs. Atlanta United Match Preview | OneFootball

This weekend in MLS has some enticing matchups at the top of the table, but don’t look past the Wooden Spoon race. Philadelphia Union host Atlanta United in a battle between the two teams at the bottom of the overall MLS standings. The Union look like they may have turned over a new leaf in the second half of the season, while Atlanta’s first half nightmare hasn’t gotten any better.

Match Details

Who: Philadelphia Union vs. Atlanta UnitedWhat: MLS Regular SeasonWhere: Subaru Park, Chester, PennsylvaniaWhen: Saturday August 1, 7:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM PTWatch: Apple TV

Union Building Confidence After Break

I sound like a broken record every week when I write about how bad Philadelphia’s first half of 2026 was. That’s because it is almost unheard of for a team to win the league, or the regular season anyway, and then be the worst team in the league the very next year. Not just in MLS, that’s absurd in every sports league around the globe. The Union were on pace to tie the MLS record for lowest points in a season since the current 34 game format came into place.

Now, Philadelphia is starting to put that disaster behind them. They have looked like a different team in their two matches post-World Cup and deservedly won them both. Last week’s 1-0 win over Seattle Sounders was their first MLS victory of the season with a clean sheet, the other two coming in 0-0 draws.

Most of the headlines are around interim manager Ryan Richter or the return of star left back Kai Wagner, and rightfully so. However, that means the form of Milan Iloski has gone under the radar. The 27 year old striker has scored in his last five games for the Union, including a hat trick against Inter Miami in Philly’s last fixture before the break. Before this hot streak, Iloski only scored twice in his first 12 league appearances of the season. He is a very dangerous finisher, best showcased during his time on loan at San Diego FC last year. A native of San Diego suburb Escondido, Iloski scored 10 goals in 14 games for his hometown club. He’s now finding his confidence again and is a force to be reckoned with for opposing defenses.

Atlanta In Seemingly Endless Rut

As bad as the Union were in the first half of the season, Atlanta weren’t much better. Unlike Philadelphia, they don’t have any newfound positives to hang their hats on. It’s been like there never was a midseason break for the Five Stripes. 

Atlanta has earned just one point out of a possible nine since MLS resumed play and now haven’t won a game since May 2nd. They almost certainly would’ve had this match circled on their calendar as the best opportunity to end that winless run, but it’ll be more challenging now that Philly have found form.

Although I could fill a library with the problems surrounding this team, the most glaring weakness for Atlanta is the striker position. The struggles of Emmanuel Latte Lath, who arrived for a MLS record fee when he was brought in, have been well documented. He now looks set to leave the club as a return to England is imminent.

MLS veteran Fafa Picault started up top in Atlanta’s last two matches, but that experiment has yet to produce any success. They do have a new option ready to be tested. MLS Next Pro Golden Boot leader Arif Kovac was called up to the first team for those last two games. With 15 goals in 18 games for Atlanta United 2, Kovac has earned a chance with the first team and can’t be any worse than what they already have.

Match Prediction

Philadelphia Union just leapfrogged Atlanta in the table last week and now look to build a bit of a gap between themselves and the bottom of the league. Although only one point separates them, it’s clear that these are two teams going in opposite directions. Atlanta was dismantled by the New England Revolution last weekend and I think a similar thing could happen at Subaru Park. I’ll go for a 3-1 win for Philadelphia, getting revenge for the loss they suffered by that scoreline at the hands of Atlanta in March.

Prediction: Philadelphia Union 3-1 Atlanta United