CHESTER, Pa.— The Philadelphia Union returned to action as they continue preparing for the restart of the MLS season. The club hosted MLS Western Conference side Houston Dynamo FC in a friendly as both teams geared up for the resumption of league play following the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
With the match serving as interim head coach Ryan Richter’s first time in charge of the first team, it was also a homecoming for Philadelphia Union homegrown Jack McGlynn. The former Union midfielder was traded to Houston in January 2025 for $2.1 million.
The Union scored twice in the first half through Cavan Sullivan and Frankie Westfield. However, two second-half goals from Houston, including Ezequiel Ponce’s stoppage-time equalizer, sealed a 2-2 draw.
The lineup was what you would expect from a typical preseason friendly — a mix of first- and second-team players. Neil Pierre was with the first team for the first time since returning from his loan with Lyngby Boldklub following the club’s promotion to the Danish Superliga.
The Union’s starting eleven consisted of Andre Blake, Bruno Damiani, Neil Pierre, Cavan Sullivan, Frankie Westfield, Nathan Harriel, Jesús Bueno, Japhet Sery Larsen, Milan Iloski, Jovan Lukić, and Indiana Vassilev.
For the visiting Houston Dynamo, the starters were Mateusz Bogusz, Jack McGlynn, Guilherme, Ondřej Lingr, Jonathan Bond, Artur, Antonio Carlos, Duane Holmes, Lucas Halter, Lawrence Ennali, and Agustín Bouzat.
Philadelphia created an early chance when Harriel found Milan Iloski, who played a cross toward Damiani, but the striker could not get a foot on the ball despite being in excellent position. Moments later, Westfield nearly connected with Iloski on another cross, but the pass was just out of his reach.
Philadelphia stayed on the front foot throughout the opening 10 minutes, with Sullivan and Westfield proving to be an effective combination down the right side while consistently creating chances inside the box.
In the 17th minute, the Union opened the scoring. Sullivan cut through Houston’s defensive line, found space at the top of the box, and fired a strike past Jonathan Bond to make it 1-0.
Ondřej Lingr had Houston’s first real opportunity after Larsen and Pierre were unable to clear the ball. However, their defending forced Lingr into a difficult angle, and his shot sailed over the net.
Philadelphia doubled its lead in the 30th minute thanks to Pierre’s long ball, which found Westfield after he slipped behind Houston’s back line. The young defender found himself one-on-one with Bond and calmly chipped the goalkeeper for a nifty finish.
Houston went to its bench following the goal, bringing on Agustín Resch, who local soccer fans may remember from his time with the Ocean City Nor’easters of USL League Two.
As the first half began to wind down, Houston started to find its rhythm offensively and attacked more consistently down Philadelphia’s right side. The Dynamo even found the back of the net following a slip by Harriel that allowed Houston to create numbers in the box, but the goal was ruled offside.
Sullivan and Westfield each had opportunities to make it 3-0 before halftime, but neither was able to convert as the opening half came to a close.
Overall, through the first 45 minutes, Philadelphia was the stronger side, especially down the right flank, where Sullivan and Westfield combined effectively. Pierre also put in a solid shift alongside Larsen for most of the half.
McGlynn played the opening 45 minutes in his return to Chester. He showed flashes of the playmaking ability that has made him successful in MLS and internationally, including a dangerous free kick that forced Andre Blake into an excellent save.
As the second half got underway, Richter made several changes, bringing on Malik Jakupovic, Philippe Ndinga, Geiner Martinez, Ben Bender, Eddy Davis, and George Marks in goal.
Houston opened the second half with Ezequiel Ponce, Felipe Andrade, Erik Sviatchenko, Héctor Herrera, Jimmy Maurer, Agustín Resch, Franco Negri, Aliyu Ibrahim, Matthew Arana, Diadie Samassékou, and Sebastião Nzita.
Houston cut the deficit in half in the 53rd minute. Following a tackle that the Union defense could not fully clear, Aliyu retained possession before finding 15-year-old Arana at the top of the box, who finished past Marks to make it 2-1.
Richter’s next wave of substitutions included Ezekiel Alladoh, Giovanny Sequera, Rafael Uzcátegui, Kellan LeBlanc, and Jordan Griffin.
Houston countered with the introduction of Sam Vines in the 74th minute.
The second half saw Houston control possession and dictate the tempo of the match, spending much more time in midfield while forcing the Union defense onto its heels.
Houston threatened again in the 76th minute when Ponce got past Uzcátegui. However, the Venezuelan defender recovered well enough to force a difficult angle, allowing Marks to make the save. Unfortunately, the shot struck Marks in the face. After being evaluated by the training staff, he was cleared to continue.
While Houston continued creating chances, Philadelphia’s attacking combination of Jakupovic and Alladoh struggled to generate much offensively. The Union’s best chance of the half came in the 82nd minute when Martinez headed a LeBlanc corner directly at the Houston goalkeeper.
Both teams exchanged chances late in the match. Houston earned a free kick in the 90th minute in search of the equalizer. Although Philadelphia cleared the initial service, Herrera’s ensuing corner found Ponce after Jakupovic was unable to clear the ball, allowing the Dynamo striker to score and finish the match in a 2-2 draw.
While the result may not have inspired confidence among some of the season ticket holders in attendance, there were several positives to take away. Pierre, Westfield, and Sullivan looked like it was 2024 MLS NEXT Pro all over again with their chemistry down the right side, and the Union appeared much more structurally sound during the first half while looking organized in possession and purposeful in the attack.
While the second half was disappointing, Ndinga looked much more confident and showed flashes of the player the Union hopes he can become in the future.
Overall, knowing Richter as we do from covering both the first and second teams over the past few years, he is probably pleased with the first-half performance while also disappointed that his side could not see out the result.
Either way, there were positives and negatives to take from today’s friendly. There is still time for this interim staff to continue improving the squad ahead of the MLS restart in July.
Main article photo credit: Jillian Almoney
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