MEXICO CITY, Mexico — The Philadelphia Union headed into Wednesday evening’s match looking for a spark after a very disappointing start so far in 2026 as they faced Liga MX giant Club América down 1-0 on aggregate.
Following a fast first 45 minutes that saw Philadelphia surrender an early opening goal, the club fought back and, following a Jesús Bueno goal from the penalty spot, almost pulled off the comeback as they drew 1-1 on the evening and ultimately fell 2-1 on aggregate, ending their Champions Cup run.
“I think we we can also hold our heads high,” said Philadelphia Union head coach Bradley Carnell. “We have respect for the opponent, but when the whistle blows, we give it a good game. And I think that’s what we did tonight.”
The starting eleven for the match featured Andrew Rick returning in net as he had done for the previous three matches. The back line featured Geiner Martínez, Japhet Sery Larsen, Nathan Harriel, and Olwethu Makhanya.
Cavan Sullivan returned to the midfield along with Jesús Bueno, Jovan Lukić, and Indiana Vassilev, with Milan Iloski and Stas Korzeniowski starting up top at the forward spots.
Agustín Anello and Ezekiel Alladoh were not on the matchday roster. Carnell had mentioned that Agustín suffered a knock following Saturday’s match in Atlanta. Giovanny Sequera and Malik Jakupovic both received short-term contracts.
Following a Geiner Martínez foul on Brian Rodríguez, Rodrigo Dourado’s sixth-minute goal put the home side up on the ensuing set piece, with the assist coming from Raphael Veiga on the cross that the Union defense struggled to defend.
América almost had another goal following a Martínez turnover while trying to pass into the attacking half, springing Rodríguez on the break and setting him up for a prime scoring chance. However, a clutch tackle from Makhanya sent the ball out for a corner kick as Philadelphia skirted danger for the time being.
Club América thought they had extended their lead in the 22nd minute when Alex Zendejas chipped Andrew Rick. However, upon a VAR check, it appeared that Zendejas’ positioning was barely offside ahead of Makhanya.
Throughout much of the first half, Club América did a good job of exposing the Union when their defensive backs drifted too high up the pitch, allowing América to counter seemingly at will. If not for some key stops from Makhanya, timely saves from Andrew Rick, and a few self-inflicted offsides, the lead could have been much greater in the first half for América.
With two minutes of stoppage time, Philadelphia finally had a wonderful opportunity to draw the match level as Sullivan’s pass found Stas Korzeniowski in the box. However, Stas was unable to get proper footing on the opportunity, squandering the best chance the club had in the first half.
Following the missed opportunity, Club América found themselves in another advantageous situation when Jovan Lukić was called for an apparent handball in the box, awarding the home side a penalty kick. But upon another VAR check, the ball was ruled to have hit Jovan’s side and not his arm, and the call was overturned as the halftime whistle blew and the Union again skirted danger.
“I thought we had to weather a storm in the first half, and we went with a lineup that you know could have bridged the gap between the first kick of the game to the halftime, and the mission was to get to half at zeros,” said Carnell on the first half of action. “Unfortunately, we concede very early. And when you concede here at the stadium against that team after five minutes, the result could go another way. But I’m so proud of the boys that they dug deep and pulled themselves out. And you know, we had to shift in a few moments in the first half there, just to survive the onslaught, but without any real danger.”
Frankie Westfield and Bruno Damiani came on out of the halftime break for Geiner Martínez and Stas Korzeniowski for Philadelphia, while América substituted Sebastián Cáceres for Ramón Juárez.
Philadelphia received a glimmer of hope early in the second half as Frankie Westfield was taken down in the box, awarding the Union a penalty kick. Jesús Bueno converted from the spot to draw the match level at one, with Philadelphia still needing one more goal to go ahead on aggregate.
“I think Jesús Bueno has been in an excellent way over the last two, three weeks, said Carnell on the midfielder’s performance. “And every time he’s put on the jersey, and every time he’s got minutes and played, he’s done excellently.”
“I think tonight was a real example of what the level of Jesús Bueno can be like. The penalty was pre-decided before the game, so he was the designated penalty kick taker. So nothing but credit to him. He took this personal tonight. He played like it meant a lot.”
Philadelphia continued to build into the half, trying to find the second goal of the match. Following a Frankie Westfield duel on the touchline to find Sullivan, the homegrown created space to cross the ball into the box onto a charging Nathan Harriel, who had a golden opportunity but skied the shot.
Danley Jean Jacques substituted in for the aforementioned Sullivan.
As for why Carnell took Sullivan off early in the match, the Union coach had this to add:
“I think we brought a spark off the bench,” he said in regards to bringing Danley in. “We got players in those positions. I thought, Danley, if you saw what he did on the recovery run… I mean, Cavan had an excellent game, you know. And I think for our 10s, especially the way we push the game, the way we jump, the way we press, you know. I’m actually, really excited and glad that Cavan got to that much time as he did.”
Westfield continued to grow into the match, adding a spark for Philadelphia on both sides of the ball as the Union won second balls. He had a wonderful opportunity in the 69th minute, pouncing on a loose ball outside the 18 that sneaked over the top of the post.
Malik Jakupovic substituted in for Indiana Vassilev as Bradley Carnell looked to get more attacking players on the field in search of the vital second goal.
Philippe Ndinga came on in the 80th minute for Sery Larsen and promptly picked up a yellow card on a defensive challenge.
Jakupovic had a golden opportunity following a cross from Bueno; however, Malik could not quite get the right touch on the ball.
“We know Malik’s legs are made for goal scoring moments,” he said. “We managed to carve out one and to forge one for him. Unfortunately, doesn’t get the right contact that he that he needed. But you know, I think it just shows what we stand for as a club, as the development side of it.”
Despite the momentum gained in the second half, Philadelphia was unable to find the decisive second goal. Whether it was fouls negating build-up opportunities or the final ball not finding the right space, América’s defense stood tall.
Philadelphia had one last chance as Iloski stood over a free-kick opportunity in the dying minutes of the match. However, once again América bent but did not break, clearing the ball out as the match ended in a 1-1 draw. With the result, the Philadelphia Union’s hopes of winning the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup came to an end as they fell 2-1 on aggregate.
It was an inspiring second half performance, in my opinion, that featured opportunities to pull off a bigger result and advance in the competition.
For Philadelphia, now focused solely on the MLS schedule until Leagues Cup later this summer, the objective is to start putting together a full 90-minute performance.
Luckily, they will not have to wait long. The Union return home on Saturday to Subaru Park for a 4:30 PM match against Eastern Conference foe Chicago Fire. If you cannot make it to the match, it will be available on Apple TV.
Main article photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union
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