Chester — As the MLS regular season winds down for the Philadelphia Union and the rest of the other 29 squads across the league, with less than a month until the MLS Cup Playoffs, there is still a lot on the line for the Union. They are in the midst of a Supporters’ Shield race, a potential CONCACAF Champions Cup berth, and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, to name a few.

However, for Bradley Carnell and his squad, all of that is just noise on Saturday. They are more focused on the task at hand as they travel to our nation’s capital to take on D.C. United in a pivotal match that will be key to keeping those goals outlined above within reach.

“We know the job at hand,” said Carnell during his weekly press conference ahead of Saturday. “We know that we responded, and we had a good game against New England, and the clean sheet was really important. And I think that just brought a lot of belief and confidence back to the team by securing the clean sheet, and more importantly, also securing the three points.”

To the outside observer, this match might look straightforward: the club in first place in the league facing a team on its second manager of the season, a new GM, sitting in 14th place in the Eastern Conference with a -29 goal differential. Surely that should be three points in the bag, right?

Well, in some regards, yes. But look closer, and there may be reasons for pause. René Weiler’s squad, since he replaced Troy Lesesne during the season, has found a spark. They’ve earned results in four of their last five matches, including points against NYCFC, Orlando City, Inter Miami, and pushed Miami hard last week in a 3-2 road loss.

“Every team has DP, 10s and nines, and great midfielders all that can create,” Carnell said when asked about United. “So you know, then it’s about us again. What are we doing to mitigate that? What are the chances we’re mitigating? We know, Benteke is threat in many, many different areas, and this is part of the process to try and stop, stop him, stop the supply, and make sure we get on the front foot and dominate the game how we want to.”

Christian Benteke and Gabriel Pirani have been D.C.’s main attacking weapons this season, combining for 15 of the club’s 29 goals and chipping in six assists as well. They will be a focal point for the Union defense, who will aim to limit their opportunities as they did back in April at Subaru Park, when Philadelphia earned a 3-0 win.

If recent history is any indication, Audi Field has been a good place for the Union. They have earned points in their last three matches there. To continue that trend, however, they will be without Tai Baribo, who is serving a one-game suspension for yellow-card accumulation, leaving the club without its leading scorer. Frankie Westfield is away in Chile with the U.S. U-20 squad preparing for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup after an impressive season on the defensive end.

Not all is lost, though. Nathan Harriel has been the club’s “Swiss Army knife” this season and could return to his natural right back role while Westfield is away. Carnell mentioned that Union II right back Giovanny Sequera had been training with the club this past week, and he also noted that Olivier Mbaizo has returned from a minor illness and could step in if needed.

“When Olivier is at his best, he’s awesome,” Bradley mentioned. “He crosses in a really good ball. He’s a dedicated defender. We just have to keep him ready, because it’s not easy doing that secondary position and waiting till you’re called upon, and then all of a sudden you need to perform under that pressure.”

As for the forwards, Bruno Damiani, who scored in the last match, has grown into his role as the season has progressed and will look to be a factor again on Saturday. Mikael Uhre has five career goals against D.C. United, and even though things have not gone as planned for the Danish forward this season in terms of goals, he remains a threat every time he steps on the field—see his performance against Colorado as an example.

So Carnell and company will have solid options to rely on Saturday, which they will need if they hope to maintain their standing in the league. Even if Philadelphia wins all three of their remaining matches, putting them at 69 points, Inter Miami still has two games in hand. Should Miami win out, they would surpass Philadelphia on Decision Day with 70 points.

There are also teams like San Diego, FC Cincinnati, and others who could impact playoff seeding and the Union’s Champions Cup chances if Philadelphia struggles down the stretch.

But for Carnell and his squad, that’s not their focus. They remain committed to the here and now, as they have been all season.

“I mean, the mood is playing for something to win and not trying to play to protect something to lose,” he said. “Which then creates a bit of freedom. If I all of a sudden, now change the narrative from how I started the season, and have a fearful approach and fear of failure, then, then there’s the guys that we all doomed to fail, right? So this is the thing for us. It’s about keeping true to who we are as a team, as a squad, regardless of how many games are left, regardless is who’s behind us. We know where we are as a group, so that’s very important for us to acknowledge that and embrace that.”

The match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday evening at Audi Field in D.C. If you cannot make it to the match, it will be available on Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass.

Main Article Photo Courtesy of the Philadelphia Union