The first-place Philadelphia Union look to keep hold of their top spot this weekend, heading back on the road to take on Nashville SC at Geodis Park. Tune in with MLS Season Pass on Saturday night to watch the action!
Despite Sunday’s unfavorable 1-0 result against Columbus Crew, Philadelphia Union are still atop the East and at the front of the Supporters’ Shield race with 40 points, and they’ll aim to add to that total this weekend against a formidable conference opponent in Head Coach BJ Callaghan’s Nashville SC.
The side from the Music City has ascended up the standings with an 11-match unbeaten streak in league play, now sitting just two spots below Philly with 11 wins, five draws, and four losses.
The match ahead is a massive one for both sides, as Philadelphia Union are coming off their first loss in twelve matches, while Nashville SC aim to add another to their unbeaten streak.
“Every streak comes to an end. We found that out last weekend,” Head Coach Bradley Carnell said Thursday. “They're in a great shape, great form, great squad. It's fun watching them and it's a signature. We use very similar styles, they just pack it in a different shape and form.”
The top four teams in the East are each within three points of each other, and with a busy slate of matches and momentum building more than midway through the season, this weekend could finish in a standings shake-up.
Saturday's showdown marks the second meeting between Philadelphia and Nashville SC in 2025; this weekend’s hosts handed Philly their first loss of the season back in March by way of goals from Golden Boot race leader Sam Surridge, Ahmed Qasem, and Hany Mukhtar. The final score was 3-1, but alot has changed since then.
“Matchday 4 is not Matchday 21 is a big change between them, and I feel we have got better in many, many aspects while still being true to who we are. Also, trying to, take more shots than opponent or concede less than the opponent, and I think we've kind of got that balance right of what we're trying to do at the moment,” Carnell said.
“I think the past results, bar this past weekend showed a lot of that. But yeah, do feel we're in a good shape despite last week's results.”
Favorably for Philadelphia Union, there’s a handful of players on the mend after missing multiple matches due to injury. While the official availability report has yet to be released, Carnell gave a glimpse into the status of his guys and who’s progress their monitoring before departure.
“I think Frankie [Westfield] is edging closer, but probably still too soon this weekend. Mika [Uhre] is edging a little bit closer to knowing whether the plan of action and the direction we chose for his rehabilitation was the right one – so a couple days expected there. Mbaizo’s trending in the right way, and we'll make a decision tomorrow as well. But yeah, other than that, I think it's good to get numbers back and be a little bit more competitive in training."
The match marks the team's final road match before back-to-back visits from New York Red Bulls at Subaru Park in Open Cup and league play -- click here to purchase tickets!
