On Friday, Union II will travel to the Sportsplex at Matthews in Matthews, North Carolina to take on first-place Crown Legacy in what will likely be a big test for the young squad. Crown Legacy (7-1-4) are undefeated at home and coming off a 2-2 draw with New England Revolution II, where they lost the shootout.
Meanwhile, Union II (5-5-2) lost a tough road match against Toronto FC II last Friday, falling 2-1 and dropping to 10th place. They do have two road wins, but it will be a tall task. On a positive note, Matheus De Paula scored a stellar goal from distance for his third straight match with a goal contribution. The 17-year-old Academy midfielder’s star has been on the rise, and he will be one to watch.
Theo Reed scored the winning goal in his last appearance with Union II before heading off to the MLS Next Cup, where he continued his goal-scoring ways. He, along with John Ruf and Tyler Gladstone, amongst others, have a chance to make an impact should they be in the lineup. Additionally, Sal Olivas could now be back in the lineup as his suspension is over from his red card incident against New England.
With the Union Academy’s season now concluded, additional players from those ranks may become available to step up, as several players will be unavailable for Union II. Malik Jakupovic is currently in Brazil attending the U-17 Men’s National Team camp, while Jordan Griffin and Kellan LeBlanc are in Spain for the U-18 MNT camp.
Joining them is U-18 and interim Union II head coach Chris Harmon, who has received the honor of being selected as an assistant coach at the camp. It is his first such honor. He had a very successful first season with the U-18s, including winning the Snow Bowl and Dallas Cup. With Harmon away, it can be expected that assistant coach Henry Apaloo will be in charge once again.
Union II will have to contend with the likes of Crown Legacy forwards
Hugo Mbongue and Rodolfo Aloko, who each have eight goals on the season. Additionally, winger Nathan Richmond leads MLS Next Pro with eight assists, and has also scored three goals. They will, however, be without forward Nimfasha Berchimas, who has scored seven goals, as well as midfielder Aron John, who are away with the U-19 and U-20 MNT, respectively. Crown Legacy’s firepower has led them not only to the top of the standings, but a +20 goal differential, with 36 goals scored on the season.
Tune in to mlsnextpro.com or OneFootball on Friday night at 7:00 PM to see if the young, scrappy squad from Philadelphia can get a result on the road against the top team in the conference.
Union II and Côte d’Ivoire to compete in a friendly
It was announced Wednesday that Union II would play a friendly with the Côte d’Ivoire men’s national team, who are using the Philadelphia Union facilities as their home base during the World Cup. The match will take place at Subaru Park on Monday, June 8 at 7:00 PM and is free to fans, though a ticket is required. As of this article, less than 24 hours after the match was publicized, the tickets were already sold out.
If it is anything like the 2023 friendly between Union II and Wrexham, it should not only be a great experience for the fans with a fantastic stadium atmosphere, but also for the many young players on Union II who get to experience playing in that environment and against that skill level.
The Côte d’Ivoire squad will also be holding a “community training session” on Friday, June 12 at 6:30 PM, also at Subaru Park, that is free and open to fans (though a ticket is required for entry).
“Hosting Côte d’Ivoire’s friendly against Union II and a community training session is a meaningful moment for the Philadelphia Union, the City of Chester, and soccer fans throughout the region,” said Tim McDermott, President, Philadelphia Union. “As one of the world’s top national teams prepares for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, we’re proud to play a role in that journey and create exceptional opportunities for supporters to experience the game at its highest level.”
Main article photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union II.
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