Chicago – Coming off a five-day break and playing only their second match in the month of June, the Philadelphia Union headed to Chicago to face former teammate Jack Elliott and the Chicago Fire. The Union were looking to avenge last year’s 4-3 collapse and maintain their place atop the MLS Eastern Conference and Supporters’ Shield standings.
Prior to the match, MLS announced its All-Star roster for the 2025 MLS All-Star Game. Of the 26 players who will represent Major League Soccer against LIGA MX’s best on July 23 at Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium, the Philadelphia Union had two players selected. Jakob Glesnes was added to the roster for the second time in his career, while Tai Baribo earned his first All-Star selection. Baribo leads the Union with 13 goals, ranking second in MLS in scoring.
With injuries and players still on international duty or returning from competition, Union head coach Bradley Carnell was once again forced to rotate the lineup. The bench featured several Union II players, including Neil Pierre, who earned his sixth call-up to the first team, along with Eddy Davis and Nick Pariano—short-term call-ups announced by the club. The biggest surprise was Alejandro Bedoya starting at right back. With Nathan Harriel away with U.S. Soccer, Frankie Westfield sidelined with an ankle injury, and Olivier Mbaizo questionable due to an adductor injury, Bedoya filled in. Midfielder Jeremy Rafanello earned his first MLS start of 2025, and center back Jakob Glesnes made his 200th start for the club across all competitions.
On Bedoya’s performance, Carnell praised the Philadelphia veteran: “Ale sent me a message earlier in the week. He’s very committed to playing the right t back position, and he’ll help us with everything he’s got. And to shout out to the way he did.”
Philadelphia struck first in the 10th minute when a Chris Donovan cross into the box hit the hand of Fire defender Andrew Gutman, resulting in a penalty kick. Forward Bruno Damiani converted the attempt, beating Chicago goalkeeper Jeffrey Gal to give the Union a 1-0 lead. It was Damiani’s third goal of the MLS season.
Carnell was asked about Damiani’s third goal of the season and his role as the club’s highest-paid transfer:
“His quality of chances are really good, and it just hasn’t fallen his way… and sometimes, when you, you know, you score your penalty, that is like sort of living room. He feels comfortable taking these penalties. And we’re hoping that kicks on but no pressure on him. We still need contributions from everybody.”
Chicago started to gain momentum approaching the 35th minute. Jovan Lukic picked up the first yellow card of the match, setting up a Fire free kick that was ultimately cleared by Philadelphia. Zinckernagel fired a shot from outside the box that struck the top of the crossbar, one of several quality chances for the home side as they pushed toward halftime.
Gutman was again involved in controversy, picking up a second handball just before the break. Kai Wagner delivered a shot that deflected and was kept alive in the box. The ball eventually fell to Indiana Vassilev, who rocketed a shot that forced a fantastic diving save from Gal to preserve the 1-0 score heading into halftime.
Early in the second half, Olwethu Makhanya made a poor back pass to Union goalkeeper Andrew Rick, who was forced into an emergency clearance that led to a Fire corner kick. Though the Union cleared the danger, they soon conceded a foul on a Chicago fast break, with Jakob Glesnes taking down a player. Already on a yellow card warning, Glesnes will now miss Sunday’s match in Columbus due to accumulation.
As Chicago continued to apply pressure, Carnell made his first substitution in the 65th minute, bringing on Jesús Bueno for Ben Bender. Gregg Berhalter responded with subs of his own, inserting Kellyn Acosta and Maren Haile-Selassie following a dangerous opportunity from Brian Gutiérrez that was thwarted by a strong challenge from Glesnes.
Markus Anderson then replaced Chris Donovan as Carnell looked to counter Berhalter’s adjustments. As the final 15 minutes approached, Bedoya and Glesnes continued to anchor the Union defensively, while Chicago remained the more threatening side, outshooting Philadelphia 7–4 through 80 minutes.
Eddy Davis III made his MLS debut in the 88th minute, subbing in for Bruno Damiani as the Union aimed to close out the result.
On Davis, Carnell said:
“I’ve seen him being patient, and just accepting some tough blows. Because a lot of guys, they sign pro contracts and they expect to play straight away, and it’s just a journey. And if you put your head down, you know, he has a good family support structure, and, he knows exactly what he wants out of this game, and stay the course is always my sort of recommendation and advice. And you know for sure, they all want to contribute and they do contribute. They contribute in training, they contribute at Union II. And we always go to every game. We’re watching them, we know exactly what they’ll be able to bring, and the system aligns with what Richter is doing down at Union II. So you know, credit to the staff in this game.”
A yellow card to Bedoya for a challenge on Haile-Selassie gave Chicago another late opportunity to equalize. However, Glesnes once again came through in a critical moment, blocking a shot that preserved the 1-0 victory. Rick earned his fourth clean sheet of the year and the club’s eighth overall this season.
The win marked Philadelphia’s first in Chicago since May 2021, when goals from Cory Burke and Jakob Glesnes led them to a 2-0 result. The Union extended their unbeaten streak to 11 matches, the longest in club history, and are now tied for the fifth-fastest team in MLS history to reach 40 points.
Next up, the Union face a daunting challenge against the Columbus Crew and former all-time leading goal scorer Daniel Gazdag on Sunday evening in Columbus, Ohio. Reflecting on the tight turnaround, Carnell voiced his frustrations:
“I’m happy about the three points. I’m not happy about how the team has to prepare four days after five days off. Just for me, it doesn’t make sense. We put ourselves at risk. We put ourselves in harm’s way… injuries, and it’s just yeah, for me, it’s so tough to prepare a team to go play in Chicago on a Wednesday night, and then you got to turn around and play Columbus on a Sunday. So, a little bit frustrated about that, but we’ll start, you know, seeing who’s available tomorrow.”
The match at Columbus is scheduled for a 6:00pm kickoff from Lower.com field and will be available on Apple TV as part of the MLS Season Pass.
Main article photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union.
The One Team We Agree On 
Leave a comment