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Philadelphia Union, with Major League Soccer’s 2nd-Lowest Payroll, Win Again to Extend Unbeaten Streak to 13 Games
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On the same day that the MLS players union released salary figures for 2025, revealing that the Union are 29th out of 30 teams in guaranteed compensation, Bradley Carnell’s side took out Chicago 1-0 on the road to extend their unbeaten streak to 13 games:
Bruno Damiani with the 10th minute penalty in a 1-0 win. It’s all they needed as they went on to block seven shots and clear one off the goal line in second half stoppage time for their 8th clean sheet in 19 MLS games. That’s now 11 games unbeaten in league play plus two games unbeaten in the U.S. Open Cup. They haven’t lost since the week before Easter.
They got it done this time with half of their starters missing, rolling out a lineup that included 38 year old Alejandro Bedoya playing right back. Chris Donovan started up top with Jeremy Rafanello in the middle and Andrew Rick in goal, as Tai Baribo, Andre Blake, Nate Harriel, Olivier Mbaizo, Quinn Sullivan, Frankie Westfield, Danley Jean Jacques, and Mikael Uhre were all absent due to a combination of international duty and injury.
Nonetheless, it seems like Carnell can rotate anybody into the lineup and get a ballsy, blue collar effort, and that’s been the story for this team from day one. They remain in first place in Major League Soccer with 12 wins, three losses, and four draws, good for 40 points and a 2.11 PPG number.
What’s totally apropos is that the salary data reveals what we already knew to be true, that the Union do not spend big on player salary and still win anyway:
| # | Team | Guaranteed Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inter Miami | $46,836,635.00 |
| 2 | Toronto FC | $34,146,193.00 |
| 3 | Atlanta United | $27,627,164.00 |
| 4 | FC Cincinnati | $23,180,135.00 |
| 5 | LA Galaxy | $22,870,938.00 |
| 6 | LAFC | $22,369,590.32 |
| 7 | Chicago Fire | $22,052,757.00 |
| 8 | Nashville SC | $21,751,786.00 |
| 9 | New York Red Bulls | $21,542,277.00 |
| 10 | San Diego FC | $20,033,029.00 |
| 11 | Portland Timbers | $19,565,541.00 |
| 12 | FC Dallas | $18,977,292.00 |
| 13 | St. Louis City SC | $18,106,711.00 |
| 14 | Seattle Sounders FC | $18,088,581.00 |
| 15 | Sporting Kansas City | $17,715,629.00 |
| 16 | New England Revolution | $17,194,922.00 |
| 17 | San Jose Earthquakes | $17,190,978.00 |
| 18 | Charlotte FC | $17,133,984.96 |
| 19 | Orlando City SC | $16,440,785.00 |
| 20 | Columbus Crew | $16,355,869.00 |
| 21 | Vancouver Whitecaps | $15,713,177.00 |
| 22 | Colorado Rapids | $15,482,331.00 |
| 23 | Austin FC | $15,331,947.00 |
| 24 | New York City FC | $14,963,973.00 |
| 25 | DC United | $14,616,314.00 |
| 26 | Minnesota United | $13,804,472.00 |
| 27 | Houston Dynamo | $13,414,691.00 |
| 28 | Real Salt Lake | $13,413,886.00 |
| 29 | Philadelphia Union | $13,365,549.00 |
| 30 | CF Montreal | $11,993,946.00 |
It’s a gap of about $30 million separating Lionel Messi’s Miami and the Union. What does Miami have to show for it? Well, they’re in the Round of 16 at the Club World Cup and have won the Leagues Cup and Supporters Shield since 2023. So spending huge amounts of money has worked for them. It has not worked out for Toronto and Atlanta THIS TIME around, but spending big money won those clubs titles in 2017 and 2018, respectively, while the only thing the Union have in their trophy cabinet is the 2020 COVID Shield, which was a great achievement under unique circumstances.
This all just reinforces what most of the fan base thinks. The Union have spent their money on infrastructure and the academy and have quite a bit to show for it. They don’t need to be in the top 5 or even the top 10 of salary spending. They are on this incredible streak playing a blue collar team game with blue collar, affordable players. But imagine what they could be if their spending was 15th, or 20th, or 25th. Then you have a bona fide title contender, perennially.
Doop.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com