Philly Leader

Philadelphia Union is set to begin its 2025 Major League Soccer season against Orlando City SC. The match will take place at Inter & Co Stadium in Orlando on Saturday, February 22nd. The Union will debut their new 'Voltage' kit during this game.

This match marks the first for Bradley Carnell as Head Coach of Philadelphia Union. Carnell, who became the club's fourth manager in January, has been working with the team during preseason training sessions in Marbella, Spain and Clearwater, Florida to instill his philosophy and playing style.

Sporting Director Ersnt Tanner strengthened the team by adding three international players: Ian Glavinovich, Jovan Lukic, and Bruno Damiani. Additionally, four homegrown players joined the roster along with USMNT midfielder Indiana Vassilev. While not all newcomers are expected to play on Saturday, some may see their first minutes in Major League Soccer.

In a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Carnell mentioned that outside backs Nate Harriel and Isaiah LeFlore are not cleared to play due to injuries. He highlighted Olivier Mbaizo and Frankie Westfield as potential options for the position opposite Kai Wagner.

“Olivier Mbaizo and Frankie Westfield, I mean, we have some really good options there, and we've been experimenting a little bit in preseason,” said Carnell. “Frank has been with us for a couple of weeks now, so it's good to get guys different reps and different looks with different groups.”

Orlando City SC enters the season after finishing fourth in the East last year but losing to New York Red Bull in the conference final. They recently parted ways with Uruguayan midfielder Nico Lodeiro and announced that Wilder Cartagena had surgery following a season-ending injury during a preseason friendly. Despite these changes, they have added Nicolás Rodríguez from Fortaleza, DP Marco Pašalić from HNK Rijeka, and Eduard Atuesta from Palmeiras.

Orlando City defeated Philadelphia twice last year by one goal each time. Both teams start 2025 with new additions and an opportunity for a fresh start. The match begins at 7:30 pm on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.