CHESTER, Pa. — On a beautiful spring evening on Saturday, the Philadelphia Union hosted MLS Eastern Conference opponent D.C. United, looking to dig themselves out of their slow start through seven matches in league play and build off the previous weekend’s victory. While there were moments in the match that felt like the Union could break through, it was not meant to be on the night. Following some clutch saves from United’s goalkeeper Sean Johnson, the visitors grabbed a point in a 0-0 draw.
“You know, tough when only one team comes to play and yeah, their MO is just a little bit of a long ball battle, of which we kind of expected and knew,” said Union head coach Bradley Carnell is his post match press conference. “But when we could combine and take charge of the game, I thought we created numerous opportunities, and unfortunate not to score and take the three points.”
Having spoken about continuity during his press conference on Thursday, the head coach showed it by keeping a similar lineup to last weekend in Montreal, in particular the back line with Westfield, Sery Larsen, Makhanya, and Harriel.
In fact, outside of Alladoh, the rest of the starting eleven was identical to the match against Montreal last weekend.
“It’s always difficult coming in and getting to know new players,” said Sery Larsen about starting to find that consistency with defensive pairings. “I think Makhanya is an excellent player with a huge potential. So I really think we’re starting to progress together now. And I think it is safe to say we do well together.”
After having to restart the kickoff three times, the match finally got underway at Subaru Park. The Union had an early opportunity in the 12th minute as Jesús Bueno, the hero from last week, hit the post on a well-timed shot that bounced out of bounds.
United would counter with an opportunity off a corner kick when Lucas Bartlett’s header attempt just sneaked over the top of the crossbar and out for a goal kick.
Philadelphia continued to put pressure on D.C.’s defensive line, trying to get on the board first for the first time this year, with Milan Iloski driving the ball right on target, forcing Sean Johnson to lunge out of his stance to make a diving save. Johnson would do it again minutes later on Bueno’s shot from the left side of the six-yard box.
Bueno again, in the 40th minute, thought he might break the deadlock. However, Keisuke Kurokawa made a clutch defensive slide block to prevent the shot from going on target. That capped off the home side’s flurry of opportunities to break the stalemate, with Johnson stymieing them at every turn as the first half came to a close.
“You know, he’s grown as a man, and he’s emerged as a real guy in the locker room that keeps everything together,” said Carnell on Bueno’s performance on the evening. “So, you know, Jesús getting rewarded now with a couple of games, which is awesome. He’s never dropped his head. He’s always been positive around the group, I appreciate his effort tonight and over the last couple of weeks.”
While one could argue that it was the Union’s most complete first half of 2026, the second half started just like the first half ended — chance after chance to get the ball in the net. However, either the United defense made a well-timed block, or the Union just could not finish their attempts.
Carnell would go to his bench in the second half: first with Cavan Sullivan coming into the match in the 64th minute, replacing Indiana Vassilev, and then again in the 76th minute with Danley Jean Jacques coming in for Bueno.
“I just think fatigue for Jesús Bueno. We could see when the game got stretched, and I didn’t want us to have a case of desperation, because I felt we controlled the game,” Carnell said when asked about bringing off Bueno. “But I did think they were once or twice in the transitional phases where we’ve been working hard to mitigate against us, be it the recovery runs or be it the overall just volume of spaces that we have to cover. I thought we just needed to get them fresh legs on. So that was the reason for that.”
Cavan Sullivan brought a bit of a spark when he came in as he continues to show he has graduated to having a larger role in the first team. “I try and show in games all the times that I can just come in and make an impact and create chances,” Sullivan said.
Sean Johnson’s heroics continued in the 76th minute, leaping to save another driven shot from Iloski outside of the 18 that he got a hand on, keeping it out of danger. Philadelphia tried to muster a few late-minute chances, but it was not enough to get the ball across the line as the final whistle blew, ending the match in a scoreless draw.
With the draw, the Philadelphia Union remained unbeaten at home against D.C. United since 2015, extending the streak to 13 consecutive matches. The Union also picked up their first clean sheet of the regular season, with Andre Blake recording the 90th clean sheet of his career.
“I think we embrace the clean sheet and, you know, if we just held on here, skin of our teeth, and you know, the feeling would be different,” Carnell mentioned when asked about the importance of the clean sheet. “But yeah, the guys are confident. They’re feeling that they’re in a way better spot. And to get the clean sheet, the way the game unfolded and the way they controlled the spaces defensively, a clean sheet was a logical solution, and the outcome, yeah, and that puts us in great positions then to keep the spaces tight, keep the game in their end, and the field tilt controlling and down deep away from our goal”. So, yeah, just unfortunate we couldn’t score.”
Philadelphia outshot United 17-6 on the evening, putting four shots on target, while D.C. did not manage a single shot on frame. Sean Johnson’s four saves played a key role in keeping Philadelphia off the scoresheet and earning a point for United.
The Philadelphia Union now sit in 13th place with four points through eight matches, four points out of ninth place in the playoff standings.
Philadelphia will now head on the road for two matches this week. First up is Toronto FC, which currently sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and drew 3-3 with Austin FC on Saturday in a back-and-forth contest at home.
After Toronto on Wednesday, the club will travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on a Crew squad that is sitting one spot ahead of the Union in 12th place with six points on the season after falling in New England on Saturday, 2-1.
While it is always hard to win on the road in MLS, a week of two positive results could erase a disappointing draw and continue to move the club in a positive direction up the conference standings.
“Yeah, I think we’re really close,” said IIoski after the match. “We keep the belief in the locker room, of course, like I said, I think we dug ourselves a little hole, starting slow. And I think playing Champions Cup, having so many matches that kind of put us behind the eight ball a little bit. Right now, I think we have to really focus and pick up points on the road, and ultimately, we have to make home our fortress, and I think that’s something that we have to address and make sure we also get the fans three points.”
Time will tell if that is the case.
Main article photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union
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