Philadelphia Union concluded their preseason schedule on Tuesday evening with a 4-2 loss to CF Montreal in a friendly match at the Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex. This game marked the team’s first preseason encounter against another Major League Soccer side this year.
Seventeen players from the Union took part in the match, with five completing a full 90 minutes for the first time this season. New additions to the squad also gained more playing time alongside established teammates as preparations continue for the upcoming 2026 campaign.
Head Coach Bradley Carnell reflected on the performance: “I take away a really good first half performance. I think you could see a lot of things we’ve been working on in preseason come off, and when we do it right, it looks really good and really dangerous.”
He added, “It’s early, it’s preseason, and there’s a lot of rust in both teams. When there’s a couple of chippy tackles, you just lose structure of the game, then it becomes a bit of a free for all. Obviously not happy with the result, but I almost think that’s secondary. There’s a lot of other little things, little things that we can control and should control, and obviously we’ll learn from that and grow from that.”
The starting lineup included regulars such as Andre Blake in goal and new signing Agustin Anello making his debut appearance for Philadelphia Union shortly after his arrival was announced by the club. The opening goal came from Milan Iloski in the 28th minute after an assist from Frankie Westfield. Ten minutes later, Iloski scored again following contributions from Ezekiel Alladoh and Anello.
Carnell commented on Anello’s debut: “It was great to get Augie some minutes and just see what he can bring. He showed a couple of good touches, and he’s really smart in and around the opponent box. His dribbling capabilities, his crossing capabilities. Expecting for him to flourish and move on in a good way, and hopefully get up to speed very quickly in terms of minutes and progressions.”
CF Montreal reduced Philadelphia’s lead before halftime and went ahead during the second half. Several substitutes were introduced throughout the match including Cavan Sullivan, Ben Bender, Geiner Martinez, Sal Olivas, Stas Korzeniowski, and Rafael Uzcategui.
Despite conceding four goals overall—a result Carnell did not favor—he highlighted several positive aspects: “When we do things really well within our structure and the philosophy and brave within the principles, we get rewarded so many times and so much,” Carnell said.
“Ezekiel has a really good moment with his hold up play and brings others into the into the game, like we did on the goal. Then he had a 1v1 breakaway. So, on another day you could be three or four up in the first half. I thought was a real dominant display, and again, listen, we’ve got a young group, and we’re still figuring a couple of things out. But I’m excited to be seeing what’s ahead for them.”
Philadelphia Union is part of Major League Soccer as a professional soccer team representing Philadelphia at an elite level while supporting community engagement initiatives through youth programs (https://www.philadelphiaunion.com/). The team plays its home matches at Subaru Park—a dedicated soccer stadium located along Chester’s waterfront—and maintains training facilities nearby (official website). Since its founding years ago—including winning MLS’s Supporters’ Shield for best regular-season record in 2020—the club continues offering competitive entertainment through matches featuring professional athletes (team site).
