Cowritten with Kyle Almoney
It’s a triple-doop day on Sunday as the Union play at San Diego FC, Union II face Chicago Fire II on the road, and the Union Academy squads, including Union III in UPSL play, are in action.
Union at San Diego FC
On Sunday, the Philadelphia Union make their first and only scheduled trip to California this year as the club takes on San Diego FC on Sunday evening. The contest will be the first-ever meeting between these two clubs, both battling to stay above the playoff line in their respective conferences with Philadelphia and San Diego sitting above the line at eighth and ninth place on 30 points respectively.
Coming off Wednesday’s 5-0 victory over FC Cincinnati, the team had plenty of players that earned MLS Team of Matchday as both Sullivan brothers were named as was forward Bruno Damiani. For Cavan, it was his fifth nomination overall so far on the season and the first for his older brother Quinn since coming back this summer. Bruno picked up his second honor this season and picked up the first MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA honors for 2026 with his hat trick. This marks now that Philly has a player either in the starting eleven or on the bench since week 15 of this season.
Another member that was honored from Wednesday was interim head coach Ryan Richter, who received his first honor as a coach in the league.
This week’s match pit two teams that are very much about building through their academy ranks more than others in the league through their “Right to Dream” model which was originated in Ghana in 1999.
Right to Dream is a global football development organization that combines elite youth football training with formal education and character development.
“It’s great for MLS clubs that are believing in young talent and trying to develop young talent to to play in the league,” Richter said regarding San Diego’s development program. “Two clubs that that believe in young players and are given the opportunity, but the success needs to follow with the young players getting the opportunities. That’s still always going to be the most important thing.”
There are a few Union ties that have came through Academy as well. Both David Vazquez and the on-loan Anisse Saidi came through the organization before being sent off the southern California club.
“We have some familiar faces that are part of the organization there, and you know I had the chance to work with Anisse, who’s now on loan, but also with David Vasquez, who played within the second team when I was the coach there,” Richter said. “And you know through that time, it just it just didn’t happen for him to get his chance with the first team here. But he was a fantastic player in the second team level, and sometimes that’s how it goes. Also, is that you need to move somewhere else to get the opportunity, and it ended up being a great move for him, and I know he’s happy being back close to home, and now you know the kind of role that he’s built for himself with the first team there.”
Vazquez, who was a key player in the 2024 Union II squad that went to the MLS Next Pro Final and continued to shine in 2025 with them until he departed to San Diego, is a player Richter praised to us many times. He shared with the media prior to the match on Sunday, “When I worked with him here, I would say consistently he was the best player in the league at the MLS Next Pro level, and he was consistently the best player in almost every single game for the 15 to 20 game stretch when when I was coaching him, so he was definitely ready for the step in MLS.”
Unfortunately, with too many teammates in the way for him to get minutes, Vazquez’s best option was to get that playing time elsewhere. But it was a good move for him, which Richter noted:
“He’s shown, you know, it’s a good fit for him for the style of play. He’s chipped in with his goals and assists. He looks like a good player at this level, which we all knew that he could be. It’s just that the timing of it wasn’t right when he was ready to take that step. That’s the reality, and it goes like that sometimes. And you know, the club worked with him to find a place that he could take that step and that he could be successful. So for me, I’m happy for him. You know, I knew that he could play at this level, I’m looking forward to seeing him on Sunday.”
The match kicks off at 9:00 PM ET and can be viewed on AppleTV.
Union II at Chicago Fire II
The Union’s second team will also be in action on Sunday as they travel to Bridgeview, Illinois to face Chicago Fire II. The game is critical to keeping their playoff hopes alive with two games remaining in the regular season. Union II have won their last two matches and put forth a very strong showing last weekend against a tough Columbus squad as they eked out a 1-0 win.
Chicago Fire II are coming off two straight 4-0 losses and are just behind Union II at 12th and also fighting for a playoff spot, so much will be on the line.
Will the young strikers squad, including strikers Theo Reed and John Ruf continue to step up as they have been, and can the defense continue to hold strong? It will certainly be interesting to see as the high-stakes match kicks off at 3:00 PM and can be views at on YouTube on the MLS Next Pro channel, or on OneFootball.
Union Academy/Union III
All of the Union’s academy squads will be squaring off with Real Futbol Academy at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex on Sunday in MLS Next play. Those matches can be viewed here. The U18s and U14s play at 10:00 AM, the U16s and U13s are 12:15 PM, and the U15s kick off at 2:30 PM. Additionally, Union III, the squad comprised mainly of U18s and formerly known as the Union Development Squad and who compete in the UPSL, play Cumberland Valley SC at 3:00 PM.
Main article photo credits: Emily Wallace-Sutton, Philadelphia Union II
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