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  • Flyers send Jett Luchanko back to junior team, Guelph

    Flyers send Jett Luchanko back to junior team, Guelph

    Guess who’s going back, back again. Jett Luchanko is returning to juniors.

    The Flyers announced Monday that the center has been returned to Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League after he skated in four of the Flyers’ first eight games. According to a team source, there has been no decision yet on who will be recalled from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to take Luchanko’s spot on the roster.

    The team could have played Luchanko in as many as nine games before triggering his NHL contract.

    “Very simple, we want him to play high minutes,” Flyers general manager Danny Brière said. “We liked what we’ve seen. He could have stayed here; he showed that he can play. But we want more than that for him in the long run.

    “And we felt at this point it was time for him to start playing high minutes and more of an offensive role, get back to playing power play, killing penalties, facing the top opposition on the other team, on a nightly basis.”

    Luchanko averaged 8 minutes, 58 seconds of ice time with the Flyers, registering one shot on goal and a plus-minus of minus-3. Last season, also in four games, he tallied three shots on goal across an average of 14:03 with the same plus-minus.

    The only difference is that last season, under former coach John Tortorella, Luchanko was playing higher up the lineup. Under new coach Rick Tocchet, Luchanko had been slotted in on the fourth line, often between Garnet Hathaway and Nikita Grebenkin.

    “He’s going to play in the NHL, there’s no doubt about that. Now, how high does he get? That’s really up to him, but it’s in there,” Brière said. “The speed alone is going to scare a lot of teams eventually — when he gets more comfortable, when he gets more assertive out there. The speed alone is probably his biggest asset. … It took me a while to feel comfortable enough to make those plays, so I know exactly what he’s going through. It takes time.

    “From our end, we need patience; we need to give him time to find that comfort, and on his end, his job is just to find a way to break through.”

    Flyers top 20 prospects: Porter Martone is No. 1, but where do Alex Bump and Jett Luchanko rank?

    Luchanko struggled to find his footing this season despite his high hockey IQ and passing ability. He missed development camp because of a groin injury and was held out of rookie camp for precautionary reasons.

    He also continued to grapple with the Flyers’ push to see the 19-year-old shoot more; he also had only three shots on goal in five preseason games. As an NHL scout told The Inquirer in early October, Luchanko, who is listed at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, doesn’t look NHL strong yet and needs to play a harder, more confident game.

    “I wouldn’t say shooting’s his thing,” Riley Armstrong, the Flyers’ director of player development, told The Inquirer in April. “I think that’s one thing that we’re working on with him. He’s always been kind of that pass-first guy. … And a lot of it is confidence, having confidence that you can beat a goalie.”

    Added Brière: “It’s a comfort thing. He just needs to feel comfortable. I know how you feel as an 18- or 19-year-old. You’re coming in, you’re trying to please everybody around you. You’re on the ice with guys you’ve been watching on TV. You have a Travis Konecny beside you, obviously, you’re going to force a pass there. It’s human nature. That’s just how it is.

    “It takes time, and hopefully he’s going to get out of that pretty soon. And we’ve seen him play in juniors. He can shoot the puck. He’s got a good shot. It’s just the confidence that he needs to do it here now.”

    Drafted 13th overall in 2024, Luchanko tallied 21 goals and 56 points in 46 OHL games last season with Guelph. After his season ended with the Storm, he had a 16-game stint with the Phantoms in the American Hockey League, which included seven playoff games. He racked up nine assists in the AHL, including two in the first-round series clincher against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

    While there was a thought to send him to the AHL on a conditioning stint, it meant he would have had to sit for some time to be eligible. But the Flyers were happy with his progression with the Phantoms and at training camp as well.

    “We saw a big progression last season when he came in to play in Lehigh — he was pretty impressive. He played really well,” Brière said. “He was arguably our best player down the stretch and into the playoffs. So that was really encouraging to see.

    “He was able to put up points as well, but that was the product of playing heavy minutes in junior to feeling comfortable on the ice … and that takes time.”

    Flyers prospect Jett Luchanko showing ‘why he was a high pick’ with impressive run in AHL playoffs

    Because of the NHL-CHL agreement, which prevents CHL players under 20 years old from going to the AHL, he could only be returned to the Storm. That rule will change next season when each team will be granted one exemption.

    “Well, it [stinks] because he’s in that mushy [middle]. … There’s certain things that, [to be fixed], he just has to go play a lot,” Tocchet said. “You can’t do it up here, whether you play 10, 11, minutes: more decisive with the puck, more shooting mentality, use his speed offensively, not just defensively. … Because of the rules of it is what it is, he has to go somewhere where we can just get settled and play.”

    The expectation is that Luchanko will play for Canada at the World Junior Championship, which begins after Christmas. Luchanko suited up last year in a limited role, despite being one of the better players, for the squad that lost to Czechia in the quarterfinals. A native of London, Ontario, he had one goal in five games.

    “We also want to prepare him for the World Junior Championship because it’s tough if he’s playing 7, 8 minutes a night for the first three months of the season, and you send him to the World Juniors, and they expect to play him 15 to 18, maybe 20 minutes,” Brière said.

    “It’s a tough adjustment to change like that. So you’ve got to get used to those minutes, and it should give him plenty of time to get conditioned to play in high minutes.”

    Entering Monday, Guelph is 6-5-2-0 in 13 games and has won three straight.

  • This forthcoming Center City restaurant is built around home cooks’ recipes — and reality TV will decide what’s on the menu

    This forthcoming Center City restaurant is built around home cooks’ recipes — and reality TV will decide what’s on the menu

    Ed Baumstein is betting that Philadelphia’s next great restaurant won’t come from a professional chef — rather, from the kitchens of everyday Philadelphians.

    Baumstein, a longtime business executive, is behind the ambitious Recipe Philly, a 175-seat restaurant, opening next spring at Broad and Arch Streets. In a novel hook, the menu will exclusively feature recipes created by the winners of a competition, and the creative process will be filmed as a docuseries of the same name.

    A rendering of the bar and entrance at Recipe Philly, planned for Broad and Arch Streets.

    Baumstein said those personal stories will differentiate Recipe Philly from other food-competition shows. “We’re capturing the story behind the dish and the people,” he said in a phone chat last week. “There have been several applicants already that give me goosebumps — the love that goes into the dishes and the people they cook for. It’s almost romantic.”

    How Recipe Philly will work

    The competition will begin Nov. 8 with a casting call and registration at the Convention Center’s Broad Street atrium; pre-registration is open at recipephilly.castingcrane.com. With cameras rolling, contestants will fill out recipe cards and share the stories behind their dishes, not the dishes themselves.

    Josh Randall, the warmup host for American Idol, will emcee that day’s filming. Production will continue as producers whittle the entries down to about 100 contestants, and then to about 35 finalists.

    Contestants will compete across eight categories: appetizers, soups and salads, poultry, pasta, seafood, meat entrees, desserts, and an “other” category for creative outliers. Film crews will tape at contestants’ houses and on the site of the new restaurant as the competition continues. The recipes will be judged — by “chefs, food influencers, and community voices,” according to the show’s press release — based on taste, creativity, and story.

    A rendering of the dining room at Recipe Philly, planned for Broad and Arch Streets.

    Each winner will receive $1,000, with additional category prizes of $2,000, and their names and photos will appear on the restaurant’s menu next to their dishes. They’ll also eat for free at the restaurant as long as their recipe remains featured.

    “Here’s the beauty of this,” Baumstein said. “We have no idea what we’re going to serve yet. It’s part of the intrigue of the show.”

    The docuseries will consist of eight to 10 episodes, beginning with the November casting call and the early stages of restaurant construction. Later episodes will focus on the competition, the judging, and the restaurant’s transformation from an empty space to a fully realized dining room designed by Nelson, an international design and architecture firm. (Joe Scarpone, himself a former chef-restaurateur, and Alex Snyder, both of MPN Realty, represented Baumstein in the lease at the One City building. Stefanie Gabel and Jacob Cooper of MSC represented the landlord, an affiliate of Alterra Property Group.)

    Baumstein said he expects to secure a network or streaming partner in early 2026. He also wants to expand the idea to other cities. “Every restaurant will have a completely different menu — indigenous to its home city,” he said.

    From potluck to prime time

    Baumstein, 70, a graduate of Olney High School and Temple University, is an unabashed Philadelphia booster. “This city’s vibrant, especially when it comes to food,” he said in an interview last week. “It’s the best-kept secret in the country — 25% cheaper than New York, 25% cheaper than D.C., and just full of family and community.”

    Baumstein’s inspiration for Recipe Philly traces back to his days running SolomonEdwards, the Philadelphia-based consulting firm he founded in 1999, expanded internationally, and sold three years ago.

    Signage for Recipe Philly on the windows of the One City building on Oct. 24.

    During the 2008 recession, Baumstein’s chief financial officer proposed canceling the company’s annual holiday parties. Baumstein refused. Instead, he invited employees to his suburban Philadelphia home for a potluck dinner. “I was just blown away by the enthusiasm that our colleagues brought to the Christmas party,” Baumstein said. “They were super-excited about making their dishes. They watched the buffet table to see who was eating their dishes. We gave out little prizes, and just getting that three minutes of fame was unbelievable.”

    SolomonEdwards compiled the recipes into a cookbook, which Baumstein kept as a reminder of how food brings people together. “What I love more than food is the inspiration that people give you,” he said. “In a world full of negativity, I wanted to create something that highlights the positive.”

    The team behind the kitchen

    Baumstein’s Homebred Hospitality owns the Recipe Philly brand. His restaurant partner is chef Andy Revella, who has handled menu development and operations for restaurants including Bennigan’s, Steak & Ale, and Rainforest Cafe and is a former director of food and beverage for Harrah’s Casino. Jarrett O’Hara, formerly culinary director of Federal Donuts, is vice president of culinary operations.

    Baumstein said the total budget was $4 million — comparable to similar restaurants.

    A rendering of the private dining room at Recipe Philly, planned for Broad and Arch Streets.

    Asked if he had ever thought of opening a restaurant before, Baumstein replied: “No, and thank God, and I’m not going to be the one responsible for the daily operations. That’s Andy’s job. I’ve grown some big companies, and I think probably what my skill set is hiring really smart people that are talented and are able to get the team all rowing together in the same direction.”

    Filming for Recipe Philly begins Nov. 8 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Registration and details are available at recipephilly.castingcrane.com.

  • Montco woman files for class action after her cat suffocated in a food container

    Montco woman files for class action after her cat suffocated in a food container

    Curiosity killed the cat, the adage goes, but in the case of Ace the kitten, the fault lies with a defective pet-food container, according to a proposed class-action lawsuit filed in Philadelphia’s federal court.

    Valentina Mallozzi, of Montgomery County, says in the complaint that, in July, Ace managed to get into a locked Iris pet food container she ordered from Amazon. But once the 3-pound kitten was inside, the airtight lid dropped and locked Ace inside.

    The lawsuit, filed last week, accuses Iris USA of creating a defective product that it markets as safe for pets. The complaint says Mallozzi is one of many pet owners who tragically lost their cat to an Iris container.

    The complaint aims to represent all people in the United States who purchased an Iris container. The complaint does not include an estimate of how many people are included in the class, or how much money Iris would owe each person.

    Iris USA, a subsidiary of Japanese plastics manufacturer Iris Ohyama, did not respond to a request for comment.

    Mallozzi bought the Iris airtight stackable containers for $29.99 from Amazon in March, the complaint says. The containers have a locking mechanism that Iris claimed is designed to “keep pets from sneaking a second or even third breakfast with the secure locking latch,” according to the complaint.

    Screenshot of a post in the Prevent Pet Suffocation Facebook group, which shares the story of Peach the cat who died trapped in a Iris USA food storage container, from Valentina Mallozzi’s lawsuit against the company.

    The problem, the suit says, is that cats can open the latch from outside, climb in, and get trapped as the mechanism automatically locks them in. The airtight seal that keeps pet food fresh makes the trap deadly, as a “pet will suffocate within a few minutes,” the complaint says.

    The lawsuit cites posts from the Prevent Pet Suffocation Facebook group in which cat owners share stories about their beloved pets getting trapped in an Iris container.

    One post included in the complaint shares the story of Baby Bear, a family’s cat who was found dead in an Iris container by an 8-year-old girl.

    “My cat, Max, also suffocated in an Iris pet food container,” a woman responded. “I know the pain you’re going through.”

    Iris USA was put on notice, and not only by people on social media, the complaint says. In March, the Center for Pet Safety, a Virginia-based nonprofit, put out a report evaluating the risk food containers represent for pet suffocation that specifically calls out Iris.

    The latch mechanism on the lid “significantly increases the risk of pet suffocation,” the report says.

    The lawsuit says the product should have come with a label warning of the suffocation risk for pets that can unlatch the lid.

  • What does Two Robbers’ pub burger actually look like? An investigation into Philly Reddit’s Burgergate.

    What does Two Robbers’ pub burger actually look like? An investigation into Philly Reddit’s Burgergate.

    A picture is worth a thousand words, or at least 974 Reddit upvotes.

    A photo of a sad-looking burger wrongfully attributed to Two Robbers — the homegrown hard seltzer-turned-hard soda brand with bars in Fishtown and South Philly — has been circulating on the r/Philly subreddit since last Wednesday, when user Seraphanarie posted a since-deleted photo of a flier they claimed their boyfriend found while walking in Fishtown.

    “Two Robbers Pub Burger,” the flier reads in bold all-caps font. “This is literally the burger that came out [on] October 10, 2025.”

    The heinous-looking burger in question: A barely-there beef patty so crumbly it doesn’t stick together sandwiched between a dry, unseeded bun. The scene is so dismal that the cheese is falling off the side of the burger, almost as if it’s trying to run away.

    “The people need to know!!” the Reddit post was titled, with a caption that said, “whoever posted this is doing the lord’s work.”

    A screenshot of a Reddit post from u/Seraphanarie of a flier with a photo of a disintegrating burger patty that alleges the burger was served at The Lodge by Two Robbers on Oct. 10, 2025.

    The burger in question supposedly hailed from Two Robbers Lodge, the beverage company’s cozy South Philly offshoot. Twin brothers Vivek and Vikram Nayar founded Two Robbers in 2019 as a bespoke hard seltzer brand before pivoting to canned vodka sodas in 2024. The company opened a futuristic tasting room in Fishtown at 1221 Frankford Ave. in 2023, and added the Lodge — a homey pub inside the former Hawthornes space in South Philly — earlier this year.

    Both locations are known for serving simple yet well-executed burgers, with the Lodge’s Pub Burger clocking at a sturdy 8 ounces of custom Pat LaFrieda dry-aged beef and ground chuck.

    So when the flier emerged, Philly’s Redditors, like us, wanted to know: What gives?

    Pub burger and fries from the Lodge by Two Robbers in June 2025. It features an 8 ounce patty made with a mix of dry aged beef and ground chuck.

    The post received close to 1,000 upvotes and over 170 comments, with Redditors poking fun at anyone who has high expectations of a burger from a seltzer bar.

    “This is what you get for ordering a burger at a craft seltzeria,” one user commented. Another said it looked like a burger they made at home: “It was horrible.”

    In actuality, the flier may be nothing but a ketchup-covered smear campaign. A reverse Google image search traces the photo back to a 2018 post on the meme aggregator 9GAG titled “Nasty Burger.” An Inquirer reporter could not confirm that a physical flier existed after several walks around Fishtown, and the original poster declined to comment, citing the “overwhelming” amount of attention they had received.

    The different, but equally notable, smash burgers served at Two Robbers’ Fishtown tasting room. They are Craig LaBan-approved.

    Two Robbers co-owner Vivek Nayar said he was in his car after a trip to the bank Wednesday afternoon when he was bombarded with texts from coworkers about the Reddit post. He started seething straightaway.

    “We immediately knew when we saw the photo [that] it wasn’t our burger. It wasn’t our restaurant,” Nayar told The Inquirer last week. “Just thinking about that picture makes me sick.”

    Less than a couple of hours later, Nayar had revived his own Reddit account, posting a passionate defense in r/philly.

    “I just wanted to come on here to tell you all, it’s not our f—ing burger and that photo wasn’t even taken at our restaurant … those aren’t our fries, that’s not our table, that’s not our plates,” he wrote. “Truly a DIABOLICAL move for someone to go out on [Reddit] and post this.”

    Nayar’s screed has been upvoted more than 2,500 times. The 35-year-old Olde Kensington resident — who claims he is “too old” for Reddit — said he was surprised by the positivity his post has received, with some users even going as far to wonder if Burgergate was just a masterful attempt at guerrilla marketing.

    “I wish I was that smart,” Nayar said.

    Defenders said that the Lodge’s burger “looks thicc” and was worthy of a visit.

    Burgergate is not the first time Two Robbers has polarized Philadelphia. As the Nayars prepared to open their controversial moss-green tasting room in Fishtown, community members took to Facebook to complain about the paint job. For months after, a rowhouse across the street had signs that read “I Hate Two Robbers” hung in the window. They’ve since been taken down.

    “I Hate Two Robbers” posters hung in the window of the rowhouse across from the canned cocktail brand’s Fishtown tasting room at 1221 Frankford Ave. for months after it opened it 2023.

    Nayar said he doesn’t view the incidents as connected. Fishtowners were just coping with perpetual gentrification. Whoever posted the flier is just a hater, Nayar said. He doesn’t care to investigate further.

    “It’s hard for me to blame people for piling on,” Nayar said. “If I saw a post like that and had nothing to do with Two Robbers, I would find it hilarious.”

  • Jefferson Health says it will terminate Lehigh Valley Health Network’s contracts with UnitedHealthcare

    Jefferson Health says it will terminate Lehigh Valley Health Network’s contracts with UnitedHealthcare

    Jefferson Health says it will terminate Lehigh Valley Health Network’s contracts with UnitedHealthcare next year, stating United, the nation’s largest health insurer, is paying less than their negotiated rates, Jefferson said Monday.

    The contracts will remain in effect until Jan. 26 for Medicare Advantage patients and until April 25 for patients with commercial insurance through their employer. In the last 18 months, Lehigh Valley Health facilities treated 70,000 people with United insurance, Jefferson said.

    “Like all health systems, we are facing significant headwinds as costs rise faster than reimbursement,” Mark Whalen, Jefferson’s chief strategy and transformation officer, said in an email.

    “When reimbursement falls substantially below negotiated levels, it threatens our ability to fulfill our mission of providing exceptional care to all patients.”

    Whalen said Jefferson will continue working to secure a better deal with United, as it has for more than two years.

    United said in a statement that its most recent proposal went to Lehigh Valley in April. “We have yet to receive a counter proposal from the health system, whose last proposal was provided in December 2024 and included a near 30% price hike in the first year of our contract,” the statement said.

    Jefferson countered with a statement saying that its dealings with United are not part of a normal contract renegotiation. “This ongoing dispute is caused by United Healthcare’s implementation of a multiyear 30% price decrease that was not agreed to, not accepted and is not sustainable, Whalen said.

    The timing of the United announcement is noteworthy. Medicare Advantage open enrollment is underway until Dec. 7 for plans that take effect Jan. 1.

    The potential termination of United’s Medicare plans on Jan. 26 puts United’s customers who depend on Lehigh Valley for health services in a quandary. Should they stick with United or switch to another plan, such as those offered by Jefferson’s insurance arm?

    United said Jefferson’s decision to make its announcement during open enrollment looked like “a negotiating tactic.”

    The Minnesota company has about 27,500 Medicare Advantage enrollees in the main counties served by Lehigh Valley Health doctors, according to federal data from September.

    The impasse does not affect Philadelphia-area Jefferson patients with insurance from UnitedHealthcare.

    Insurance regulations require notice to patients before contracts end.

    In March, Jefferson went out-of-network with Cigna Health for a few weeks during a similar impasse in negotiations. Jefferson and Cigna quickly reached a deal after the termination.

  • The Eagles and Dallas Goedert could have parted ways. Instead, the tight end is having a career year.

    The Eagles and Dallas Goedert could have parted ways. Instead, the tight end is having a career year.

    Let’s allow Jordan Mailata to explain the season Dallas Goedert is having in the way Mailata does best, with a touch of swearing and some humorous perspective.

    “That … guy,” Mailata said Sunday after Goedert caught two touchdown passes in the Eagles’ 38-20 win over the New York Giants. “We almost didn’t bring him back. Can you believe that [stuff]? How funny is that? How funny is that?”

    Yes, there was a time during the offseason when it appeared as if the Eagles would part ways with Goedert after seven seasons. Goedert himself even confronted that possibility before the Eagles reworked his contract to bring him back on a one-year deal worth more than $10 million but less than the $14.25 million that would have been owed to him on his previous deal.

    Just how valuable has Goedert been to the Eagles? He is tied for the NFL lead in receiving touchdowns with seven. He reached a career high with his sixth touchdown of the season on a second-quarter score Sunday and then got to the end zone again early in the fourth quarter to extend the Eagles’ lead to 31-13 and put the game out of reach.

    No, the Eagles aren’t better without A.J. Brown, but for one game they were

    Goedert’s return to the Eagles benefited both parties. The Eagles didn’t have many better alternatives, and Goedert, 30, was coming off of a 2024 season when he played in a career-low 10 games thanks to multiple injuries. Imagine the dollar signs he’s seeing right now with seven touchdowns in seven games. He will be a free agent after the season.

    “I’ve just been enjoying this season,” Goedert said Sunday. “Not too worried about the future, just trying to be where my feet are, enjoying it.

    “It’s been a lot of fun, and we just got to keep getting better. There’s a lot of season left and we want to win a lot more games. Not worried about personal things. It’s a cool little stat, but I’m just trying to help the team win.”

    Goedert runs through New York Giants safety Tyler Nubin in the second quarter en route to a touchdown against the Giants.

    He has been doing that, especially in the red zone, where the Eagles have been the most prolific team in the NFL. Goedert said the red zone philosophy has changed a little bit this year under new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.

    After Sunday, the Eagles are at 17 touchdowns in 20 trips, good for an NFL-best 85% success rate. Six of Goedert’s seven scores have come in the red zone.

    The Eagles didn’t have A.J. Brown on Sunday, so they went to their big-body tight end instead, on what happened to be national tight ends day. The Eagles lined Goedert up left on the outside of the formation for a second-and-2 from the 6-yard line near the end of the first half. Goedert ran a quick slant toward the middle of the field, then caught the ball at the first-down marker before barreling through two defenders for the touchdown.

    The Eagles had two games to get themselves right before their bye. They did that and then some.

    His second touchdown was even prettier. The Eagles ran a run-pass option on a second-and-8 from the 17. It’s a play they like to run and often do it well. Goedert started on the left side of the formation and worked right after the snap. Jalen Hurts put the ball in Tank Bigsby’s stomach, but pulled it out. The linebacker charged with covering Goedert slipped, and Goedert changed his trajectory with the end zone in mind.

    “Usually I catch it going to the flat,” Goedert said. “They kind of squeezed the linebacker and I felt like I could get vertical.”

    Vertical he went. Goedert caught the ball at the 9, turned toward the end zone, and held the ball out ahead of him as he crossed the goal line.

    Goedert’s fourth-quarter touchdown against the Giants helped extend the Eagles’ lead.

    Asked about hitting his career high already, Goedert said, “keep it going. Let’s get some more.”

    As for Mailata, the left tackle said he’s not surprised by Goedert’s fast start.

    “That guy works his [butt] off during the week. He really does,” Mailata said. “I think we’re pretty lucky to have the people we have in this room because they’re hard workers, and I think it sets the culture for the young guys to see hard work is always rewarded.”

  • The Union’s postseason return brought intensity — and Andre Blake’s shootout heroics

    The Union’s postseason return brought intensity — and Andre Blake’s shootout heroics

    Two years isn’t a long time to wait between playoff games, in MLS or any other sport. But the Union’s return to the postseason brought an intensity to the air at Subaru Park that hadn’t been felt for a while, even with the many soccer spectacles that have come to town since then.

    It also brought a very compelling game, if not always for the right reasons. At the end of the night, it felt like the series-opening win over Chicago had been four games in one: the scoreless first 70 minutes, the Union’s surge to a 2-0 lead, the Fire’s comeback, and the penalty-kick shootout.

    Let’s take each in turn to go inside how the home team prevailed.

    Three is a magic number

    The first stanza was defined as much by referee Sergii Boyko as by the lack of goals. He seemed to have little interest in calling most of the first half’s contact as fouls, less interest in the crowd’s opinion of him, and the least in Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady’s repeated time-wasting on the ball.

    Those antics took much of the energy out of a crowd of 19,019 that for once was in the stands well before kickoff. Perhaps that was helped by the starting time being advertised in some places as 5:30 p.m., though it was long known and correctly printed elsewhere as 5:55. (Cue the joke that the time should be printed wrong more often.)

    The fans were alive when Chicago’s starting lineup was introduced, launching a storm of boos at manager Gregg Berhalter for his previous tenure with the U.S. men’s national team. Then they shook the rafters when Quinn Sullivan was unveiled as the pregame drummer, a few weeks after surgery on a torn ACL that ended his season.

    Union cough up late lead to Chicago Fire but win Game 1 of playoff series in a shootout

    And they were touchingly silent during a pregame tribute to Brad Youtz, one of the Sons of Ben supporters’ club’s founding members, who died earlier this month. His loyalty began even before the Union existed, as he helped lead the fan movement that brought an expansion team here.

    The view of what transpired next looked familiar to any watcher, from Youtz upstairs to the new generation in his old River End seats.

    With the Supporters’ Shield mounted in the River End, an impeccably-observed moment of silence at the first Union home game since Brad Youtz’s passing.

    My longtime friend has the best seat in the house today.

    [image or embed]

    — Jonathan Tannenwald (@jtannenwald.bsky.social) October 26, 2025 at 5:51 PM

    Berhalter’s 3-4-3 tactics had helped the Fire build a six-game winning streak heading into their first playoff berth in eight years. That setup turned the screws on the Union, the latest proof that for all that has improved in Bradley Carnell’s first year as manager, the team can still struggle to solve three-back defenses.

    Uhre delivers again

    The game changed when Carnell turned to his own toolbox, with the first substitutions in the 64th minute. One of them, Mikael Uhre, broke the game open.

    It was a classic quick move down the field, with Milan Iloski sending Uhre down the right side. He was one-on-one with former Union teammate Jack Elliott and drew on some inside knowledge.

    The long-term vision for Union captain Alejandro Bedoya? Return to the MLS Cup final. Full stop.

    “He probably knows that normally I would go on my right,” Uhre said. “So I was thinking, let me cut it in and then see how it opens up. And then I could see Indy making the run on the back post.”

    That was Indiana Vassilev, and Uhre found him with a dazzling, lofted pass across the 18-yard box. A quick trap, a quick shot, and Brady was flattened.

    Five minutes later, the player who arguably changed this team’s whole season had another defining moment. Here came the Union again, this time with Iloski on the ball on the right flank. He had Vassilev and Uhre charging up the middle, and Chicago’s defense was expecting a pass.

    Instead, Iloski kept the ball, cut left on Elliott, and slammed a shot into the top corner.

    Jay Sugarman wants the Union to get more respect, and knows winning MLS Cup will make that happen

    “As I was dribbling forward, I noticed there wasn’t a lot of options,” Iloski said. “I knew off the dribble I could beat anyone in this league. Once I let the guy kind of get close to me … I just got the ball out of my feet and then focused on hitting the ball on target.”

    That same self-confidence would come in handy just over 20 minutes later. But there was still a long way to go.

    Chicago’s comeback

    Even after Jonathan Bamba’s goal out of a corner kick traffic jam in the 84th, there was little reason to believe the Union would blow the lead.

    But between Chicago’s goals, Berhalter made a tweak that turned the game, subbing in attacking midfielder Brian Gutiérrez for centerback Sam Rogers. Removing a defender ended up helping Iloski, but the Fire benefited more, and for the second game in a row Gutiérrez showed why he’s a U.S. national team prospect.

    “He was playing in these half spaces — that was really difficult for us, and they had some success to the end of the game,” Union goalkeeper Andre Blake said. “We couldn’t stop him from getting on the ball and he’s a great player, so he was able to create some dangerous plays for them.”

    The Union’s return to the playoffs is a milestone moment for Bradley Carnell

    At the start of stoppage time, Jakob Glesnes tripped Mauricio Pineda just outside the Union’s 18-yard box. And just as happened a previous time when Glesnes tripped Lionel Messi against Miami in May, this was a game-changing moment.

    Bamba shot the free kick into the wall, the ball came right back to him, and he laid it off for Elliott to fire from 30 yards — low, hard, and straight past his former teammates. That he did not celebrate made the moment even more resonant.

    Andre Blake (right) looks back at his net after Jack Elliott’s game-tying free kick goal got by.

    When Boyko finally blew the whistle to end regulation, the game headed straight to penalty kicks. It was a moment that both elevated the drama and exposed again the strangeness of the MLS playoff format: a best-of-three first round and single-game knockouts the rest of the way.

    Plenty of other competitions around the world these days go straight to penalties after regulation, as a kindness to players’ health. But none so contort things by making a score barely matter over the course of a series.

    Amid a Union injury bug, Cavan Sullivan will stay a little longer before the under-17 World Cup

    MLS used to do what the rest of the sport has long done: single-game rounds all the way, or a two-game, home-and-away series in which the aggregate goal tally decides the winner. In this best-of-three setup, it doesn’t matter if you win 2-0, 2-1, or by any other score; or if the tie after 90 minutes is 2-2, 1-1, 0-0, or 5-5. All that counts is which team wins.

    It helped the Union this time, and it’s certainly an American tradition. But that doesn’t make it a good soccer principle.

    Andre Blake celebrates after Chicago’s Joel Waterman put his penalty kick off the crossbar.

    Blake’s shootout heroics

    Carnell offered the zinger of the night when he called the game “a contrasting of two styles — one team just trying to waste every second and try and get out of here. Probably, they got what they wanted, [which] was penalties.”

    Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.

    The Union’s Frankie Westfield was one of the U.S.’ breakout players at the recent under-20 World Cup

    Blake had studied Chicago’s takers with the Union’s outstanding goalkeeper coach, Phil Wheddon. A veteran of the U.S. men’s and women’s national teams and American clubs going back to the early 2000s, Wheddon delivered again this time, working out a set of signals from the bench that Blake needed only a glance to see.

    While Brady ran his mouth, the best goalkeeper in MLS for a decade running did his job. Blake stuffed Elliott, got a big piece of Hugo Cuypers’ shot even though it went in, and psyched Joel Waterman into hitting the crossbar.

    Andre Blake (center) and Milan Iloski (right) had enough of the antics of Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady during the shootout.

    That easily overcame Uhre being saved on the Union’s first turn of the shootout. Iloski, Frankie Westfield, Tai Baribo, and Jesús Bueno were perfect afterward.

    “In truth, I was a little bit nervous before my penalty kick,” Bueno said. “But when Blake gave me the ball, I just looked at him in the eye, and we laughed, and we knew that everything was going to be OK.”

    So it proved, and now it’s on to Game 2.

  • A South Street wine bar is revived in Center City

    A South Street wine bar is revived in Center City

    Three and a half years after fire shut down the quirky Wine Dive on South Street West, Chris Fetfatzes, Heather Annechiarico, and Susan Freeman are reviving it in a former nail salon in Rittenhouse.

    Its soft opening at 1534 Sansom St. — next door to Marathon Grill and on the same block as such nightlife destinations as Ladder 15, Oscar’s Tavern, and Shay’s Steaks & More — will be 4 p.m. Oct. 31 with limited hours and an abbreviated menu. Grand opening is set for Nov. 6. Hours will be 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. with the kitchen open until 1 a.m., with a late-night menu offered after 10 p.m.

    Bar at WineDive Rittenhouse, 1534 Sansom St.

    This incarnation of WineDive, in a smaller space, is a bar only; the bottle shop section at its opening in 2020 did not make it to Center City — neither did the space between “Wine” and “Dive.”

    Fetfatzes describes WineDive as “Old Hollywood meets Atlantic City,” drawing retro inspiration from the early casino days, specifically the cheesiness of the Playboy Hotel. The interior, seating about 30 people at tables and 14 at the bar, blends amber glass blocks, dark wood paneling, tufted seating, and low lighting.

    The facade of WineDive (and Liquorette upstairs) at 1534 Sansom St., as seen in June 2024.

    The menu includes roast beef sandwiches inspired by South Philly luncheonette Shank’s & Evelyn’s, with horseradish and provolone on seeded kaiser rolls; chicken cutlets; loaded baked potatoes; shrimp Lejon (the bacon-wrapped shrimp dish made famous by Clam Tavern in Delaware County); wedge salads with creamy Russian-ranch dressing; and brûléed pimento cheese dip with Cheez-Its. Desserts include rotating baked cookies, ice cream sandwiches, and soft-serve “ice cream bumps” in flavors such as brown butter and warmed apple pie.

    Wine director Tim Fordham has assembled a list of 20 wines by the glass list that will change six times a year, with selections including grower Champagne, Alpine whites, skin-contact orange wines, and classics from Burgundy, Barolo, and Bordeaux. Freeman said the list also would include wines from women-owned wineries and female winemakers.

    WineDive’s previous location, as seen in January 2020, was 1506 South St. It was next to what was then the Cambridge and is now Sonny’s Cocktail Joint.

    Cocktails lean toward nostalgia, Fetfatzes said, with interpretations of drinks such as the Rusty Nail, Surfer on Acid, Pickle Martini, Mind Eraser, and Tequila Sunrise.

    WineDive’s signature $5 house wines will return, and weekly themed programming will include Microdose Mondays (small pours of rare and allocated bottles), T for Tuesdays (a late-night happy hour focused on wines and spirits beginning with T, such as tempranillo, txakoli, and tequila), Bottomless Baked Potato Wednesdays, “Naturdays” (highlighting natural wines and pét-nats), and industry brunch Sundays, a 10 p.m. late-night brunch aimed at hospitality workers and night owls.

    The owners, branding themselves Happy Monday Hospitality, also have Grace & Proper, Sonny’s Cocktail Joint, and Quick Sip Delivery, an on-demand wine delivery service.

    Upstairs from WineDive, they’re working on Liquorette, a European-style cocktail bar to open in early 2026. They also intend to reopen the original South Street WineDive, at 1506 South St., in the future.

  • Lululemon to release first-ever NFL apparel collection that will include Eagles gear and Eagles players

    Lululemon to release first-ever NFL apparel collection that will include Eagles gear and Eagles players

    The NFL announced it has partnered with Lululemon and Fanatics to release a new apparel collection featuring all 32 teams across the league. This is the NFL’s first collaboration with the retailer.

    The collection, which will be available exclusively at NFL Shop, Fanatics, and team shops starting Oct. 28, will feature Lululemon pieces for both men and women — and some Eagles.

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    “Together with Fanatics, we are introducing an elevated collection that redefines modern fan apparel and is uniquely designed for everyday comfort,” said Renie Anderson, the NFL’s executive vice president and chief revenue officer. “Lululemon boasts a loyal fan base built on culture, meaningful connections, and innovation, qualities that thoroughly reflect the NFL.”

    Former Eagles player Emmanuel Acho (right) poses with his brother and former Bears player, Sam Acho, to promote the NFL’s partnership with Lululemon and Fanatics.

    The collection will include products from the retailer’s signature lines like Define, Scuba, and Align. Featured items will include crew neck sweaters, hoodies, quarter zips, crop tops, athletic wear, and belt bags.

    To promote the collection, former players are part of the brand’s “Welcome to the Fam Club” campaign, including Nick Foles and Emmanuel Acho, both former Eagles. Joe Montana and Ryan Clark are also featured in the campaign.

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    “True NFL fans wear their pride. For them, fan gear is more than apparel, it’s a badge of loyalty and a way to instantly connect with a community that is like a family,” said Celeste Burgoyne, Lululemon’s president of Americas and global guest innovation. “We looked to honor that passionate devotion and are thrilled to be part of that ritual found throughout the NFL season.”

    Although this is the first time Lululemon has partnered with the NFL, this is the second collaboration between Lululemon and Fanatics. The two partnered in 2024 to curate a collection of NHL Lululemon gear for 11 teams before expanding to all 32 teams the following year.

    The collection featuring gear from all 32 NFL teams is set to release Oct. 28.

    “We’re thrilled that Lululemon is bringing its premium apparel into the NFL for the first time,” said Andrew Low Ah Kee, Fanatics’ CEO of commerce. “This launch reflects our commitment to delivering elevated fan experiences and expanding our assortment with products that blend sport, fashion, and fandom. We’re proud to offer it across our online platform and team stores, giving fans new ways to show up with pride — on game day and every day.”

  • Trump administration posts notice that no federal food aid will go out Nov. 1

    Trump administration posts notice that no federal food aid will go out Nov. 1

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture has posted a notice on its website saying federal food aid will not go out Nov. 1, raising the stakes for families nationwide as the government shutdown drags on.

    The new notice comes after the Trump administration said it would not tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, flowing into November. That program helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries.

    “Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA notice says. “At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats.”

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    The shutdown, which began Oct. 1, is now the second-longest on record. While the Republican administration took steps leading up to the shutdown to ensure SNAP benefits were paid this month, the cutoff would expand the impact of the impasse to a wider swath of Americans — and some of those most in need — unless a political resolution is found in just a few days.

    The administration blames Democrats, who say they will not agree to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate with them on extending expiring subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans say Democrats must first agree to reopen the government before negotiation.

    The Shapiro administration has posted messages blaming Republicans for the government shutdown, impacts to SNAP benefits

    Democratic lawmakers have written to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins requesting to use contingency funds to cover the bulk of next month’s benefits.

    But a USDA memo that surfaced Friday says “contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits.” The document says the money is reserved for such things such as helping people in disaster areas.

    It cited a storm named Melissa, which has strengthened into a major hurricane, as an example of why it’s important to have the money available to mobilize quickly in the event of a disaster.

    The prospect of families not receiving food aid has deeply concerned states run by both parties.

    Even before the shutdown imperiled SNAP benefits, the federal budget bill did. But we can take action. | Opinion

    Some states have pledged to keep SNAP benefits flowing even if the federal program halts payments, but there are questions about whether U.S. government directives may allow that to happen. The USDA memo also says states would not be reimbursed for temporarily picking up the cost.

    Other states are telling SNAP recipients to be ready for the benefits to stop. Arkansas and Oklahoma, for example, are advising recipients to identify food pantries and other groups that help with food.

    Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., accused Republicans and Trump of not agreeing to negotiate.

    “The reality is, if they sat down to try to negotiate, we could probably come up with something pretty quickly,” Murphy said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We could open up the government on Tuesday or Wednesday, and there wouldn’t be any crisis in the food stamp program.”