Chester—When the Philadelphia Union kick off tomorrow against St. Louis City, it will be a reunion of sorts for Philadelphia head coach Bradley Carnell and midfielder Indiana Vassilev, as both will face their former club for the first time as members of Philadelphia.

For Carnell in particular, who will face his former club for the first time since his firing on July 1, 2024, there will surely be some emotions. However, the Union coach was quick to point out in his weekly press conference that, to him, it will be just another match.

“At the end of the day, it’s just another game, a cross-conference opponent,” he said. “But sure, there’s special people there still that I connect with and keep in touch with, so it’s a nice atmosphere, it’s a good experience, so I’m going to welcome it. A lot of the faces and the people I’ve been in contact with all the time—so special memories for sure. But at the end of the day, it’s three points on the line.”

And getting those three points would be a great way to cap off these first five games of the season for Carnell and company as they look to wipe away last Sunday’s disappointing 3-1 loss to Nashville SC and try to finish with 12 points heading into next week.

But for Carnell, the staff, and the players, they have moved on from Sunday and are focused on the task at hand, not letting the defeat faze them tomorrow against St. Louis.

“We played exactly how we wanted to play. We created numerous chances. We don’t get certain things that didn’t go our way on the day, but take nothing away from the performance. I knew exactly the type of game against Nashville, what it was going to be. I think we prepped and planned for it in the right way. Disappointing not to get points at home and not the result, but at the end of the day, we had it in our own hands, and, you know, unfortunately, moments or momentum didn’t go our way on the day.”

Should Philadelphia get three points tomorrow, they will have to do it without some of their key players so far this season. The Union’s and MLS’s leading scorer, Tai Baribo, was called up to the Israeli national team. Union goalkeeper Andre Blake is with Jamaica, Daniel Gazdag is with Hungary, Danley Jean Jacques is with Haiti, Jesús Bueno is with Venezuela, and Neil Pierre and Frankie Westfield received call-ups to the United States youth national teams.

But as seen last year against Portland, just because the Union are missing many starters does not mean they cannot get points. Speaking of Indiana Vassilev, one would figure he will get the start in the midfield against his former club, as should newly signed striker Bruno Diamani. And what about Ale Bedoya and the homegrown signings? Will they get playing time? That will be determined tomorrow evening.

One thing is for sure: Olwethu Makhanya will not be on the roster tomorrow after receiving a red card in Sunday’s match.

“That’s what happens when you stick to the principles and stick to the philosophy. Oftentimes, you get rewarded. You might have a setback. It’s a learning moment, a growing moment. I think it’s a totally natural cause for him to go through. But yeah, listen, I mean, the timing obviously is not great timing, but we have to live and learn and grow from this moment.”

So while Makhanya is out tomorrow, that means an opportunity presents itself for Ian Glavinovich to get his first start for Philadelphia. The club has been bringing him back to fitness slowly, but as Bradley stated Thursday, he is ready to go—along with everyone else except Markus Anderson, who is still recovering from an ankle injury.

“Everyone’s great, everyone’s training, everyone’s ready. The only exclusion is probably Markus Anderson. But, um, what have you seen from Ian in terms of—he’s had to kind of learn by watching—what do you see from him? Yeah, I mean, he’s a good player, that’s why we signed him. So when he’s coming back and getting his fitness, and, you know, we can see his value on the training ground every single day.”

On the flip side, St. Louis comes into this match without allowing a goal in four matches to start the season. New manager Olof Mellberg and company are off to a hot start. And while 2023 Goalkeeper of the Year Roman Bürki is out due to a hand injury, Carnell knows this club is ready to keep its strong form going.

“I would say they are ruthless in transition. You know, there’s a whole bunch of guys that they could start, you know, so yeah, um, again, slightly different way, um, of playing, um, but still, uh, a successful way, I would say, um, and they’ve got off to a good start.”

For fans heading to Chester tomorrow, remember that it is Irish Heritage Night, with promotions and festivities around Subaru Park. The match is set for 7:30 p.m., and for fans unable to make it to Chester, the game is available on Apple TV as part of the MLS Season Pass.

Main article photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union