Year founded: 2008.
First season in MLS: 2010.
Stadium: Subaru Park, Chester, PA.
Honors: MLS Supporters' Shield (2020), Eastern Conference champions (2022).
2023 highlights: Philadelphia Union start the season at home to Columbus Crew on February 25th, and end with a trip to New England Revolution on October 21st. In between, they host LAFC on September 23rd in a repeat of last year's MLS Cup, and travel for four of five games during April and May, including stops in Cincinnati, Chicago, New York Red Bulls, and Colorado Rapids. They are at NYCFC on May 27th, the side they defeated to win the Eastern Conference championship. That match will be played at Citi Field, not Yankee Stadium. They then have another significant stint on the road, with five of seven away from Subaru Park in July and August, either side of the Leagues Cup.
Head Coach: Jim Curtin.
Players to watch: Daniel Gazdag, Andre Blake, Julian Carranza, Mikael Uhre, Kai Wagner.
Players in: | Players out: |
Joe Bendik (re-signed) Damion Lowe (trade from Inter Miami) Andrés Perea (trade from Orlando) Joaquín Torres (trade from CF Montréal) Holden Trent (MLS SuperDraft signing) | Paxten Aaronson (transfer to Eintracht Frankfurt) Abasa Aremeyaw (left by mutual consent) Cory Burke (option declined) Matt Freese (trade to NYCFC) Cole Turner (option declined) |
2022 summary: The Union were an incredibly entertaining ticket last year. Notable performances came from leading scorers Daniel Gazdag (22), Julian Carranza (14), and Mikael Uhre (13), with defender Kai Wagner (15) second only to Luciano Acosta (19) in the assists category. Gazdag's tally included a hat-trick in a 6-0 demolition of the Colorado Rapids at the end of August. Philadelphia went unbeaten at home (12-0-5), and in Andre Blake they had the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year for a record third time. He ended the season with 15 clean sheets, which contributed to his career low 0.76 goals against per game.
Facts and Stats: Philadelphia Union produced a number of club highs last season en route to their first-ever MLS Cup, including most goals (72), fewest goals against in a full season (26), most wins (19), fewest defeats in a full season (5), and most shots on goal (181). They were also awarded a club high 10 penalties in 2022, converting nine of them; Gazdag was seven for seven from the spot.
Milestones in 2023: this year the Union will reach 450 MLS regular season games (currently on 427). Alejandro Bedoya, who signed a one-year deal through 2023 last September, is 14 games away from 200 regular season appearances for the Union.