Philly Leader

For the first time in their history, Philadelphia Union have begun a season with three consecutive wins. They aim to continue this successful run against Nashville SC at Subaru Park on Sunday, March 16th.

Head Coach Bradley Carnell expressed optimism about his team's mindset during a press conference held on Friday. "I think there's growing hunger, growing appetite, and ambition," Carnell stated. He praised the team's current spirit by saying, "It's very positive around the camp at the moment, and the boys are full of energy and full of fun right now."

The upcoming match will be Nashville SC's first visit to Philadelphia since BJ Callaghan took over as head coach last summer. Despite a slow start with a draw against New England and a loss to New York Red Bulls, Nashville recently secured their first victory of the season with a 2-0 win over Portland Timbers. This success was largely due to goals from new signings Andy Najar and Ahmed Qasem.

Carnell acknowledged Nashville's improvements: “They have really good breakaway players, and they've been getting better with every game." He also noted that veteran players like Hany Muhktar, Sam Surridge, and Walker Zimmerman pose significant threats: “I just think them in transitional space is really dangerous... limiting time and space, especially in transition.”

Philadelphia Union has scored ten goals so far this season compared to Nashville's two. With an international window approaching that may result in key players being unavailable due to call-ups, Carnell emphasized readiness among all team members: “The assessment started already through preseason... We've been challenging each other... So I do feel that we're in a good space here.”

The match takes place on Sunday afternoon.