For the second time this week, the Philadelphia Union are preparing to face the New York Red Bulls, this time in a regular season battle on the road at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Tune in with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV to watch the action!
The Boys in Blue have already taken on their Eastern Conference rivals twice this season across all competitions, but Saturday will mark their first visit to North Jersey in 2025.
Philadelphia Union hasn’t lost to New York since 2019, most recently winning a midweek U.S. Open Cup classic at the death by way of a game-winner from centerback Olwethu Makhanya. Another highlight was the impact of newly signed striker Milan Iloski, who provided the second half spark with his first-ever Union goal to equalize after the visitors had earned their second lead of the match.
The match finished 3-2 in favor of Philly, extending their unbeaten streak against New York to 16 straight matches. The result was an important one, sending them to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinals in September against Nashville SC. With the win, the team is just one win away from competing for a trophy.
The upcoming competition is a weighty one as well – Philadelphia Union make the short trip down I-95 with hopes of bringing home three points to bolster their top of the table total and keep their Supporters’ Shield aspirations afloat, while New York Red Bulls needs the result to keep them close to the playoff line. They currently sit at 10th in the East, just below the cutoff with the same total as 9th place Chicago Fire.
While the pair of rivalry matches are just three days apart, there will be some changes to Philadelphia Union’s matchday roster, as Jakob Glesnes is unavailable to play due to yellow card accumulation. Additionally, Indiana Vassilev, who started the match on Wednesday, left the action early due to concussion protocol, and it’s unclear whether or not he’ll be available to contribute.
“We have to check now and do inventory on who can play and what's going on,” Head Coach Bradley Carnell said after the match.
“Everyone dug deep here. Everyone played a role. We'll get some of those guys who played limited minutes in a training session as well, and then it's just about recovery. Then we'll see [who’s available] on Friday before we head out to New York."
