Chester — The Philadelphia Union host D.C. United on Saturday at Subaru Park and look to build off their 3-0 victory over Atlanta United.

With nine games into the in the MLS regular season, Union head coach Bradley Carnell, shared his thoughts heading into Saturday’s match and into the club’s 10th match of the season.

“Winning games helps momentum and it helps the vibe and the feeling around camp. You know we always thought we were on the right track and although before the last game we didn’t get the results or a tie here or there, I thought that the intention that we set out early on in the last game against a very good team, at some point Atlanta will turn the corner, at some point that we’ll get results and I was just glad that it wasn’t against us at this current moment in time. But then we turn the page and and we get ready to sort of clean the slate and go again in a new week.”

Looking to Continue the Winning Ways in Chester

All-time, the Union have 13 wins, one draw, and three losses in Chester against D.C. United in MLS regular season play. In fact, you have to go all the way back to May 10, 2014, for the last time D.C. United won in Chester — a 1-0 result.

Last season, the Union defeated United 4-0 behind a brace from Daniel Gazdag and goals from Mikael Uhre and Tai Baribo. While Gazdag is no longer with the club, both Uhre and Baribo are still in Chester. Uhre could be a name to watch to score his second goal of the season, as the 30-year-old striker has five goals in six regular-season matches against D.C.

However, for Carnell and company, they know that the match with Troy Lesesne’s squad will be a matchup against a version of themselves, with D.C. starting to find form nine matches into the season.

“Obviously looking at film you know they’ve kind of weathered a storm and and they’ve trended really well in the last two games and they get the victory against Red Bull away from home. So you know, thinking about how good that camp’s feeling now I think that’s some of the talking points. Obviously trending in the right direction so that’s for us making sure we know what we’re coming up against, and if we train every day against ourselves we should know what type of opponent we’re coming up against.”

Like Carnell, Lesesne was an interim manager of the New York Red Bulls in 2023, replacing Gerhard Struber in May after Struber was let go. Prior to that, he was an assistant from 2022 to 2023. When he was not retained by the Red Bulls, Lesesne joined D.C. United as head coach in 2024.

Looking at D.C. United

Lesesne’s squad comes into Saturday’s match riding momentum from a 2-1 road win over the New York Red Bulls — their first win in their last five matches.

Currently, D.C. sits in 25th place in the MLS Supporters’ Shield standings, having allowed a league-high 19 goals in their first nine matches. However, they’ve only conceded one goal in their last two games, suggesting Lesesne’s side may be finding form.

If they hope to steal points in Chester, they may have to do so without some key players. João Peglow, who had a brace last week against the Red Bulls, is out with a thigh injury. Leading scorer and last year’s Golden Boot winner Christian Benteke, who has five goals this season, is questionable with a quad injury. Midfielder Jackson Hopkins is also questionable with an ankle injury.

If Benteke is unavailable, D.C. could be without seven of the club’s 11 goals this season. Look for Dominique Badji or Jacob Murrell to step in for Benteke.

As for Philadelphia, Ian Glavinovich is still in rehab, though Carnell said he is progressing well. Jovan Lukic is out after picking up a red card against Atlanta United.

The Union will welcome back midfielder Jesús Bueno and defender Olivier Mbaizo. Carnell shared his thoughts on where Mbaizo currently stands.

“I think we’ve always spoken about it- competition is good, and I think we’ve shown Nate to be very versatile as well playing in the 10 or last week left center back. We’ve seen Frankie being able to play left back or or outside back, so you know there are moments and and opportunities. We know exactly what type of club we are and and what we’re trying to do.”

Kids’ Day in Chester

Saturday’s match is Kids’ Day in Chester, with kickoff scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Among the activities for kids before kickoff:

The plaza will feature an inflatable human foosball setup. There will also be face painting, a balloon twister, and an airbrush artist.

From 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., families can find their fur-ever friend as Subaru and the Union host over 40 dogs available for adoption from 10 local pet organizations.

The Sons of Ben tailgate will also feature kid-friendly activities.

The match will be broadcast on Apple TV as part of the MLS Season Pass.

Jillian Almoney contributed to this article.

Main article photo credit: Philadelphia Union