Chester – All good things must come to an end, and Bradley Carnell and his squad saw their eleven-match unbeaten streak end last Sunday evening in Columbus, Ohio, when the Philadelphia Union suffered their first defeat at the hands of the Columbus Crew, 1-0, thanks to a Mo Farsi first-half goal. And while there were a lot of positives to take away from the match, Philadelphia will be looking to pick up points once again as the club finishes up their three-match road tour, looking to keep their one-point lead in the MLS Supporters’ Shield race and in the Eastern Conference.
But for Philadelphia Union head coach Bradley Carnell, as he has stated many times, he is not concerned about the standings at this point in the year—he is more concerned about his squad.
“I am not interested in the standings right now. If you look at our work, a body of work, and that’s interesting for me, how we’ve grown as people, how we’ve grown as players and coaches and staff and everyone in this in these four walls, from a pretty desolate state in January.”
“So that’s what I look at the bigger picture. So I’m not even taking into any account where we are at number one. For sure we have the status, and for sure we have a target on our back. But at the end of 34 match days, that’s when you round up the table and see where you’re finished. And right now, we’re training in a good way, but it’s got, by no means to say we are the top dogs in the in the east, if you just look at who we are and you know we’re proud of who we are, for sure. But yeah, there’s, there’s other teams that have a shout in the say too.”
Their opponent on Sunday might have a shout at that, to say the least. Former Philadelphia Union assistant B.J. Callahan’s Nashville SC has been on a roll as of late. Heading into Saturday night’s match at GEODIS Park, Nashville is currently on a 13-match unbeaten run, having not lost since April 25 when they were shut out 3-0 by the Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field. However, Bradley Carnell had praise for the job the first-time MLS head coach and former USMNT assistant coach has done so far.
“I love watching him, and I’m one of his biggest fans. But yeah, there’s, there’s a separation now, and we know we have a game to play against a really good opponent. The thing I like is match day 4 is not match day 21- is a big change between them. And I feel we have got better in many, many aspects, and still being true to who we are and, and also, , trying to take more shots than the opponent or concede less than the opponent. And I think we’ve kind of got that balance right of what we’re trying to do at the moment. And I think the past results, bar this past weekend, showed a lot of that. But yeah, I do feel we’re in a good shape despite last week’s result.”
However, all praise for Callahan aside, just like what Philadelphia experienced in Columbus last Sunday, Carnell is hoping to stop Nashville’s unbeaten run just like theirs was ended last week.
“Every streak comes to an end. We found that out last weekend. So they’re in a great shape, great form, great squad. It’s fun watching them. And kind of, yeah, listen, it’s a signature that we use very similarly, similar styles. They just pack it in a different shape, in a form. But it’s fun to watch and to see it succeed as well.”
This Nashville side has seen a resurgence since last season and is currently on an 11 league match unbeaten streak and 13 overall when you count their Open Cup victories. Sam Surridge is currently leading the Golden Boot race with 16 goals and two assists on the season, two of which came from the penalty spot. And former MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar has also seen a revitalization. The 30-year-old German currently has eight goals and five assists on the season and will be one of two key focus points for Callahan on Saturday at home, where Nashville holds a 6-3-1 record this year with a +12 goal differential in 2025.
However, Nashville has been friendly for Philadelphia—the club holds a 2-1-1 all-time record there. Last season, the Union won 2-1 thanks to goals from Daniel Gazdag and Julián Carranza. And while neither are with the club now, Saturday could prove to be the best time for the Union to avenge their loss in March to Nashville, which saw Saturday’s opponent hand Carnell his first loss as the Union’s manager in a 3-1 defeat and saw Jovan Lukic score Philadelphia’s lone goal of the contest.
And while Nathan Harriel and Quinn Sullivan are still on duty for the USMNT as they face Mexico on Sunday, the Union could be getting some reinforcements back.
Tai Baribo is questionable but progressing, as is right back Olivier Mbaizo. Frankie Westfield is improving, but Saturday will be too soon based on Carnell’s assessment and is listed as out. As for Mikael Uhre, he is progressing as well, but will also be out for today’s contest. Jesús Bueno is also listed as out with a hamstring injury. Additionally, Jakob Glesnes returns from his yellow card accumulation suspension, lending much needed strength to the back line.
That said, the squad is slowly coming back together—which is a good thing. There’s no need to rush players back when there are still 14 games remaining and Philadelphia has a favorable road ahead with a manageable schedule and no Leagues Cup in 2025.
Regardless, three points on Saturday would go a long way for this squad to stay on top of MLS and regroup heading into a potentially busy July and August. The match is scheduled for 8:30 PM EST and will be available on Apple TV as part of the MLS Season Pass.
Main Photo Credit Courtesy of the Philadelphia Union
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