For the second time in one week, the Philadelphia Union will face the New York Red Bulls, this time traveling to Sports Illustrated Stadium for a regular season matchup. The teams have already met twice this year across all competitions, but Saturday’s fixture marks the Union’s first trip to North Jersey in 2025.
Philadelphia has not lost to New York since 2019. In their most recent meeting earlier this week, the Union secured a 3-2 victory in a U.S. Open Cup match, with centerback Olwethu Makhanya scoring a last-minute winner. Newly signed striker Milan Iloski also contributed by netting his first goal for the club to equalize after New York had regained the lead.
This win extended Philadelphia’s unbeaten streak against New York to 16 matches and advanced them to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinals in September against Nashville SC. The team is now one win away from reaching the final and competing for a trophy.
Saturday’s match carries significance for both clubs. The Union are aiming to collect three points on the road to strengthen their position at the top of the standings and continue their pursuit of the Supporters’ Shield. Meanwhile, New York Red Bulls are fighting to stay close to playoff contention; they currently occupy 10th place in the Eastern Conference, level on points with ninth-place Chicago Fire but below them on tiebreakers.
Philadelphia will make some roster adjustments due to recent developments. Defender Jakob Glesnes is suspended because of yellow card accumulation, while midfielder Indiana Vassilev left Wednesday’s match early under concussion protocol and his availability remains uncertain.
“We have to check now and do inventory on who can play and what’s going on,” Head Coach Bradley Carnell said after Wednesday’s game.
“Everyone dug deep here. Everyone played a role. We’ll get some of those guys who played limited minutes in a training session as well, and then it’s just about recovery. Then we’ll see [who’s available] on Friday before we head out to New York.”
