Category: Soccer/Union

As dispiriting as the Union’s loss to New York City FC on Sunday was, something manager Bradley Carnell said afterward felt just as significant.

“We know we’re not quite where we need to be, and that’s totally understandable, but it’s no excuses either,” he said. “Obviously, the team’s not happy, and a lot of it is self-inflicted over the last two weeks, if you look at that — two red cards in two games. And this is something [where] when one guy’s disconnected, or when one red card happens, then we’ve created a mountain [for] ourselves to climb.”

He then added a believe that “we have a young, hungry, squad, and sometimes the moment gets to us a little bit. And this we have to learn, we have to grow [from], and we have to have these experiences.”

With no midweek game this week, Carnell had time to address that, and he said during his meeting with media on Thursday that he did so.

“We’ve expected more out of ourselves in terms of being sharp, mentally and cognitively,” he said in a news conference ahead of Saturday’s game against the San Jose Earthquakes at Subaru Park (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). “Just thinking about an ‘if’ moment or a follow-on from a set piece or a follow-on from an attacking sequence.”

There was some good news, as new left back Philippe Ndinga arrived in Chester. But he isn’t ready to play yet, and Carnell signaled it might be a few more days.

“He’s raring to go, but there’s a bit of paperwork to get through, a bit of medical stuff to get through,” Carnell said. “Push comes to shove, we can get him squad-ready, potentially. But I don’t want to just make a claim like that just yet.”

So for now, the Union are going to have to sort things out with what they have. After hosting the Earthquakes on Saturday, Mexican power Club América will come to town Tuesday to start the Concacaf Champions Cup’s round of 16.

One step can come at the attacking end of the field. Carnell said he counted 20 instances in just Sunday’s first half “where we had a positive transition moment, where we turned over the ball and started a sequence in an overload [man advantage], and we don’t come to fruition [with] that.”

The other can come anywhere, but it starts in the head.

“Self-inflicted red cards, I would say, this is not the way that it should be done,” Carnell said. “Very cheap ways to let your teammates down, and, you know, I think [Olwethu] Makhanya’s learned a good lesson, I think ‘Eze’ [Alladoh]’s learned his lesson, and we can continue to grow as a team.”

A reunion with Julián Carranza

When former Union striker Julián Carranza joined Mexican club Necaxa in January, it felt inevitable that his new and old teams would cross paths. Right on cue, it will happen this summer.

Necaxa is one of three teams the Union will face in the group stage of the Leagues Cup, the annual tournament pitting MLS squads against those from Mexico’s Liga MX. The game is Sunday, Aug. 9 at Subaru Park.

The Union dealt Carranza to Dutch club Feyenoord in July 2024, as he wanted to raise his stock for Argentina’s World Cup team. But it didn’t work out for him, as he scored just five goals in 30 games.

Then he went on loan to English second-division club Leicester City, and that was even worse: zero goals in nine games, and a lot of time on the bench. Necaxa offered around $4 million to bring him to Mexico, and Feyenoord accepted. Carranza has three goals in six games there so far.

The reunion will be the Union’s second contest of the group stage. All three group games will be against Mexican opponents, and all will be at Subaru Park. The opener will be against traditional power Cruz Azul on Thursday, Aug. 6, and the finale will be Thursday, Aug. 13, against Santos Laguna.

Leagues Cup 101

Leagues Cup groups are set based on a combined table of the 18 MLS teams that qualify (the 18 that make the playoffs) and the 18 teams of Mexico’s Liga MX. They are ranked by last year’s regular-season standings, then split in half based on geography.

From there, each mixed pot of 18 teams is ranked again, then split into three groups of six. Each group has one MLS team and one Mexican team from the top third, one each from the middle third, and one each from the bottom third. Each team then plays three games, all against teams from the other country. (The other MLS teams in the Union’s group are Chicago and NYCFC.)

Yes, this is complex, but we’re almost done. Tournament results are counted in one big table, similar to Europe’s Champions League. The top four MLS teams and the top four Mexican teams advance to the quarterfinals.

The point of it is to have as many MLS vs. Liga MX games as possible, since they’re more interesting than matchups of teams within each league.

For all the technicalities, the big prize at the end is clear. The top three finishers qualify for next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup, with the winner earning a bye into the round of 16.

Wrexham AFC, the Welsh soccer team owned by Philadelphia native Rob Mac (the former Rob McElhenney), is coming back to town this summer.

And this visit will be its highest-profile one yet.

Subaru Park will host a friendly between Wrexham and Sunderland of the English Premier League at 7 p.m. on Aug. 2. And the Red Dragons also could be a Premier League team by then. They’re currently sixth in England’s second-tier Championship with 11 games to go. If they hold on, they’d go into the playoffs for promotion to the top flight.

Wrexham will play three games in the U.S. this summer, all on the East Coast, with the final match here. It also will face Leeds United on July 25 at Tampa’s NFL stadium and Liverpool on July 29 at New York’s Yankee Stadium.

Wrexham last came to Subaru Park in the summer of 2023. At the time, the club had just been promoted from England’s fifth tier to its fourth, League Two, so it played the Union’s reserve team instead of a higher-level squad. But the game still drew around 15,000 fans, with the vast majority wearing red. Mac called it “a dream come true.”

Liverpool’s visits to the United States always draw big crowds, with Philadelphia among the examples. Two years ago, the Reds’ friendly against Arsenal drew 69,879 fans to Lincoln Financial Field, the largest soccer crowd in the stadium’s history. That record likely will stand for a while, since see some seats will removed near the field for security and logistics reasons because of the World Cup.

Leeds coming over also will be of interest. It’s the first time the historic English club has come to the United States since its return to Premier League prominence in 2020. (In fact, it will be Leeds’ first visit to the U.S. in 29 years.)

It could also be the first time Medford native Brenden Aaronson plays in the U.S. with Leeds, if he stays at the club through the summer and depending on his summer schedule post-World Cup.

After facing Wrexham, Leeds will play Sunderland in Harrison, N.J., on July 30, just 11 days after the World Cup final in nearby East Rutherford. They’ll then head to Chicago to play Liverpool at Soldier Field on Aug. 2.

The Union are off on July 30, which would make it easier for fans around here who want to see Aaronson play in person.

Kickoff times and broadcast details aren’t set yet.

All of the games are being run by TEG Sport, the promoter that brought Arsenal-Liverpool here. The company will open up presale tickets on March 10, and fans can register here. Sales to the general public will start March 12.

The full schedule of games in the tour is below.

Saturday, July 25: Wrexham vs. Leeds United at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.; Liverpool vs. Sunderland at GEODIS Park, Nashville

Wednesday, July 29: Liverpool vs Wrexham at Yankee Stadium, New York

Thursday July 30: Leeds United vs. Sunderland at Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, N.J.

Sunday, Aug. 2: Sunderland vs. Wrexham at Subaru Park; Leeds United vs Liverpool at Soldier Field, Chicago.

After Sunday’s 2-1 loss to New York City FC, Bradley Carnell and Indiana Vassilev agreed: if the Union had started the game with the same intensity with which they finished it, they likely would have been the victors.

Instead, a slow start condemned the Union to chasing a second-half equalizer for the second time in their first two MLS games. Just as Tai Baribo put the Union down, 1-0, with a first-half goal in the club’s loss at D.C. United last weekend, NYCFC’s Hannes Wolf put the Union behind, 1-0, ahead of the halftime break on Sunday.

The Union were able to tie the game, 1-1, on a Vassilev penalty in the 89th minute. But after Olwethu Makhanya was shown a second yellow card for dissent in the 92nd minute, Tayvon Gray put NYCFC back in front with a header in the 99th minute.

“The guys know there was more here for us, to be had, during the game,” Carnell said in his postgame press conference. “I think if we started the way we played the second half, I think, for sure, we get a result.”

The Union created their fair share of chances in the first half, but almost every scoring opportunity the team had over the first 45 minutes ended with an unthreatening shot. Of the six shots the team took in the first half, four were off target and two were blocked before they could challenge NYCFC keeper Matt Freese.

“If we’re a little bit cleaner in the first 20 minutes, and we score a goal, and we’re up 1-0, go into half 1-0, it’s momentum,” Vassilev said. “Trying to keep the momentum, I would say, is such a big part of this game. I think we haven’t done too good of a job at it so far.”

Freese, a former Union player and Wayne native, hardly had to move off his line in the game’s first half. His first save did not come until the 54th minute, a routine collection of a limp shot at the center of the goal from Agustín Anello.

New pieces

The Union’s sluggish first half is the kind of growing pain to be expected of a team that moved on from three of its most productive offensive players in the offseason.

Baribo, Kai Wagner, and Mikael Uhre combined for 44 goal contributions across all competitions last season and all find themselves in different jerseys to start 2026.

However, nine of the Union’s starters for Sunday’s match were on the pitch for the team’s 1-0 Eastern Conference semifinal defeat at the hands of NYCFC in the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs. Of Sunday’s starting lineup, only Anello and Japhet Sery Larsen were not with the team in November.

The Union were without Ezekiel Alladoh, as the striker, acquired for a club-record $4.5 million in December, serving a one-game red card suspension after being sent off in the 59th minute of the Union’s opening loss to D.C. United.

Anello and Vassilev began the game in midfield in the Union’s announced 4-4-2 formation. But both played wider on the field and closer to the front line than indicated on Carnell’s team sheet, with Anello interchanging with striker Milan Iloski.

“Milan has some more depth in his running in behind,” Carnell said. “That’s what we wanted in the first half. It didn’t really work out that way. When [Anello] goes up top, especially in the second half, the first 15 minutes, before he came off, I thought we created a bunch … I thought that’s how we got back in the game.”

Anello was replaced by Stas Korzeniowski in the 59th minute and broke through on a penalty he earned. Korzeniowski also had arguably the Union’s best chance for an equalizer from live play, hitting the right post in the 75th minute.

The Union’s wide midfielders were not the only lineup oddity for Carnell, as Nathan Harriel, the team’s usual right back, played left back against New York City. Frankie Westfield, who has replaced Wagner at left back, played on the right side.

Carnell should have his replacement for Wagner soon, as the Union’s signing of left back Philippe Ndinga was officially announced by the club on Friday.

As Carnell noted, the Union had more success going forward as the team pushed for a goal in the second half. The Union recorded 10 shots in the second half on Sunday, five of which were on frame.

Red card blues

Unlike the D.C. game, the Union pulled themselves level thanks to Vassilev’s conversion from the penalty spot. However, the Union found themselves playing with 10 men for the second time in as many MLS games after Makhanya was shown a second yellow for dissent in the 92nd minute.

Makhanya’s red allowed NYCFC to attack for the remaining eight minutes of additional time. Gray won it in the 99th, beating Ben Bender to the back post on a cross from Agustín Ojeda and sending a header past Andre Blake. Bender, typically a reserve midfielder, replaced Westfield at right back in the 59th minute.

In two MLS games, the Union’s inability to secure points has been affected by players being sent off for dissent.

“Two games, two red cards in the second half,” Harriel said. “We’re shooting ourselves in the foot. We have to just have better discipline.”

The Union will have a full week of training before facing the San Jose Earthquakes at Subaru Park on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). The Union will be without Makhanya against San Jose (2-0-0, 6 points), as the center back will serve a one-game red card suspension.

After San Jose, the Union will turn their attention to a Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 clash with Club América on March 10.

The Union entered Sunday evening’s match looking to avenge the playoff loss that halted their 2025 playoff campaign in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Instead, New York City FC beat the Union, 2-1, in the team’s Major League Soccer home opener at Subaru Park.

Hannes Wolf put NYCFC up, 1-0, in the 36th minute, and Indiana Vassilev tied the game at one in the 89th minute. But before the Union could escape with a draw, Olwethu Makhanya was sent off in the 92nd minute.

With a man advantage in 10 minutes of second-half additional time, NYCFC (1-0-1) was able to find the game’s decisive goal, a header from Tayvon Gray in the 99th minute.

The Union (0-2-0) outshot NYCFC, 17-13, over the course of the match, but New York City put 10 of those shots on goal, opposed to five shots on goal for the Union.

The Union struggled to create meaningful chances in the first half. They took six shots in the first 45 minutes, but none of them were on frame. NYCFC keeper and Wayne native Matt Freese finished the first half without a save.

“We just need to be sharper,” Vassilev said. “It’s the second game of the season. New York’s a really good team … The second half, I thought we were really good, as well. I thought we deserved more than a goal.”

Conversely, NYCFC kept Andre Blake busy in the first half. It found its first goal in the 36th minute, as Hannes Wolf cleaned up the rebound from one of Blake’s four first-half saves.

Nicolas Fernandez got in behind the Union’s back line and launched a shot from close range at Blake, who palmed the shot away from the net. The Union could not control the shot’s rebound, which fell to an unmarked Wolf at the top of the 6-yard box.

As Blake scrambled to get back to the center of the net, Wolf put New York City up, 1-0, with a left-footed strike.

Looking for an equalizer, Union manager Bradley Carnell brought on Ben Bender for Frankie Westfield and Stas Korzeniowski for Agustín Anello in the 59th minute.

The Union nearly earned a penalty in the 66th minute, as Jovan Lukić went down while trying to get to a Danley Jean-Jacques pass in the 18-yard box.

A video replay was initiated to deem if the contact New York City’s Raul Gustavo made with Lukić warranted a spot kick, but Chris Penso, the match’s referee, decided that no foul was committed.

Still pressing to find a goal, the Union brought on Cavan Sullivan for Milan Iloski in the 83rd and Sal Olivas for Bruno Damiani in the 86th.

Korzeniowski earned the Union a penalty in the 89th minute after being fouled by NYCFC’s Thiago Martins in the 18-yard box.

The Union’s usual penalty takers, Damiani and Iloski, were off the field by the time the team was awarded the kick, so Vassilev stepped up to take the penalty. He beat Freese from the spot to tie the game, 1-1.

“We just took a lot of guys off, and I just happened to be on the field, so I took it,” Vassilev said. “Freese is a good goalie. I thought he was going to dive, so I went down the middle.”

Ten minutes of additional time were tacked on to the end of the second half. The Union played much of it down to 10 men, as Makhanya was shown his second yellow card of the match for dissent in the 92nd minute.

It was the second time a Union player has been shown red in as many MLS matches. Ezekiel Alladoh served a one-game red card suspension on Sunday after being sent off in the team’s 1-0 loss at D.C. United. Makhanya will serve a one-game suspension when the Union face San Jose on March 7.

“Our stuff, over the last two weeks, from a disciplinary standpoint, is probably substandard,” Carnell said.

Carnell made a defensive substitution in the 94th minute, bringing on Geiner Martínez for Vassilev to compensate for Makhanya’s absence.

With its man advantage, NYCFC was able to find a second goal to break the tie in the 99th minute. Tayvon Gray sent a headed attempt past Blake to win it for New York City, 2-1.

“It’s just unfortunate,” Carnell said. “For all the effort that the guys put in, that we don’t earn at least a tie or even have enough chances, in abundance, to win the game. So now we’re left with zero points in the first two games, and this is something that we are fully focused on going into next stretch of games here.”

Up next

The Union will return to Subaru Park to face the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).

San Jose (2-0-0, 6 points) is the first of six Western Conference opponents the Union will face this season.