Union

The Union are in Great Position to Pull a Philadelphia Flyers and Make an Improbable Run to the Playoffs

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Jul 23rd, 2026 · 10:19 AM EDT

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The Union dispatched Red Bull at home on Wednesday, 3-1 in their first game back from the two-month World Cup break. Milan Iloski, Indiana Vassilev, and 6’6″, 18-year-old debutant Neil Pierre scored the goals:

No stopping 6'6" Neil Pierre on that one 😤

Philadelphia leads 3-1. pic.twitter.com/uyWLuZHMsX

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 23, 2026

There is actually a bit of discrepancy here because Pierre says he is 6’7″. That’s what he told reporters after the game. We’ll have to break out the measuring tape, but he totally dunked on Red Bull. That’s a great goal to score on your MLS debut.

More importantly, it was the Union’s 2nd win of the season. They remain dead last in Major League Soccer with two wins, 10 losses, four draws, and ten points. But they’re nine points below the playoff line with home games on Saturday and Wednesday, and if they can get off to a good start in this second half, maybe they play their way into the postseason. It feels very much like the Flyers going into the Olympic break playing average hockey and then coming out with that 3.8% chance to make the playoffs.

We all know how that story ended, with a first-round victory over the Penguins and a serious vibe shift.

The thing about Wednesday night is that the Union looked a lot more like the Union. Some thoughts, in no particular order:

• Kai Wagner’s return makes you better at two positions. Not only do you have the best left back in Major League Soccer, and a top-3 all time Union player, but it allows Frankie Westfield to go back to his preferred right back spot. The first two goals came from fullback crosses into the box, and Wagner got the set piece assist on the third goal. Bang bang bang.
• Quinn Sullivan’s return is huge. When he is healthy enough to start, he should be on one side of the midfield and his brother, Cavan, should be on the other. Probably Quinn on the right and Cavan on the left.
• Iloski belongs up top. I’m glad Ryan Richter sees it that way. 1) Iloski is their best attacking threat, and putting him closer to goal makes him more dangerous. 2) They don’t have two forwards who deserve to be on the field now anyway. Bruno Damiani got the start Wednesday night, and did fine, should have scored, but he hasn’t had a good season and neither has Ezekiel Alladoh. They have to figure out what they have between those two guys and sell the one who doesn’t fit. Malik Jakupovic and Stas Korzeniowski are going to have to get some extended run at some point, but you need to know what you have in Alladoh, specifically, before that happens.
• If Olwethu Makhanya wants out, get him out. This guy has had a poor season and is now ghosting the club entirely after playing 0 minutes for South Africa at the World Cup. He can go to F.C. Bumblefuck in Sweden for $2 million. See ya.
• Nathan Harriel, Sery Larsen, and Neil Pierre is the CB rotation for now. They need reinforcement there. Sery has shown some flashes, but I feel like the jury is still out on him as an everyday, franchise CB. Harriel is your depth at both fullback spots, and is somewhat of a fullback/center back tweener. IMO, Harriel’s best spot is LCB or RCB in a 3-5-2. The Union do have Geiner Martinez and Philippe Ndinga to deputize, but if you do sell Makhanya, you’re gonna be thin.
• Jovan Lukic and Danley Jean-Jacques is fine for the midfield right now. Same duo that won you the Shield last season.

They played well on Wednesday night. They were buzzing. Wagner changes everything. He provides brilliant service from the left and Westfield can now provide service from the right. They had zero identity without Wagner earlier in the season but now they can go back to doing what they did last season, which is flying around the field and getting stuck in and rolling the ball wide to the outside backs. Rinse and repeat all the way to the playoffs.

The Union will make the postseason. You heard it here first.

God wills it!