For the third time this season, and the second time north of the border, Union II will take on Toronto FC II. The two previous matches were low-scoring affairs, with Union II winning the season opener on February 28 1-0 via a Malik Jakupovic goal. Then, on April 17, the teams gutted out another tight match with TFC II prevailing 1-0 thanks to an own goal by Union II. The third and final meeting will be Friday, May 29 on the road.
The biggest piece of news going into the match, however, pertains to the coaching staff. Union II head coach Ryan Richter has been named interim head coach for the Union’s first team after Bradley Carnell was relieved of his duties. Richter, who has led Union II since 2025 and previously was first team assistant under Jim Curtin 2022-24 and an Academy coach before that, takes over a team that is in dead last and struggling to get wins. In this writer’s opinion, Richter is a fantastic choice to take the reins, but what does that mean for Union II?
According to newly appointed sporting director (as in, no longer interim) Jon Scheer in the Union’s press conference today, along with principal owner Jay Sugarman, Union Academy U18 coach Chris Harmon will step in as interim head coach for Union II. Harmon came to the Union in 2025 from Austin FC II, so he has Next Pro coaching experience on top of knowing many of the Union II players well as many of them played for the 18s. This season, Harmon’s U18s were very successful, winning the Snow Bowl and Dallas Cup. Though Richter has been tremendous with Union II, he gets to take his strengths to the first team, and Union II should be in good hands with Harmon.
Philadelphia enters the match in eighth place at 18 points and a 5-4-2 record, but are only two points out of fourth in a tight conference. Meanwhile, Toronto is in 10th with 16 points (4-4-3). Winning the match, for either team, could mean a decent jump in place possibly, but there is a lot of season to go.
Union II are coming off a 2-1 comeback victory over Atlanta United 2 where they had a very thin squad with some players with the first team, some with the Academy at MLS Next Cup, and others injured or suspended. Despite that, they were able to rally with goals by Matheus De Paula and Theo Reed. TFC II drew Crew 2 2-2 and won the shootout, so both teams have a little momentum to work with.
Which players will be available remains to be seen. Union II’s amateur players who were with the Academy may be back and available, and some did return earlier than others (Matheus De Paula, Nehan Hasan) to get back to Union II. Sal Olivas will still be serving his extra two-game suspension, and Stas Korzeniowski is likely still out after his PCL injury.
On the TFC II side, several of their strongest players have been up with the Toronto first team, including former Union Academy/Union II player Jackson Gilman, who recently signed with TFC’s first team. We had a great interview with him, so be sure to check it out. Injuries have plagued TFC, and as a result some TFC II players have had a chance to step up. The World Cup break, however, could be impactful for both Union II and TFC II in terms of players.
Also in player news, it was announced today that Malik Jakupovic was named to the USYNT U17 roster for the upcoming training camp in Natal, Brazil. Taking place June 1-11, Alex Aldaz’s squad will play two friendlies against Brazil (June 7, 3 PM ET; June 10, 7 PM ET).
Additionally, Jordan Griffin and Kellan LeBlanc were named to Jeremy Hall’s U18 Men’s National Team squad that will be in Oliva, Spain June 1-9. They will play in friendlies against Sweden (June 5) and Qatar (June 8) with both matches at 11 AM ET.
Now that the first team is on hiatus, Union II have chance to get some more notice. If they continue to build on their recent success, it will certainly go a long way in that regard, as well as possibly bumping them up in the standings.
Kickoff will be at 7:00 PM at York Lions Stadium in Toronto, and the match will be livestreamed at mlsnextpro.com and OneFootball.
Main article photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union II.
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