Philadelphia Union is back in league play this weekend, taking on Austin FC for their first ever regular season meeting. All MLS matches are free on Apple TV this weekend – don't miss the inaugural match up between the two sides on MLS Season Pass Saturday night.
Though it’ll be their first match of consequence against each other, the last time the Philadelphia and Austin FC went head to head was in January during preseason preparation in Florida. The closed-door friendly in St. Petersburg finished in a 1-1 draw with goals from forward Julian Carranza and midfielder Dani Pereira.
Since then, both teams have embarked on their 2024 campaigns, with the Union starting with two draws against Chicago Fire and Sporting Kansas City, then a resultless postponed match against Seattle Sounders. They had four additional matches in that span, advancing to Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 where they were bested by Pachuca in leg 2 on the road.
After the loss, Philadelphia made the trip straight from Mexico City to Austin for the Saturday night match will be a battle between two teams looking for their first league win of the year, as Austin has claimed a loss and two draws in their first three matches of the season.
In 2023, Austin finished near the bottom of the Western Conference table, missing the playoffs at 12th place with just 10 wins, but they added reinforcements in the offseason like defender Guilherme Biro, who made a notable first impression. The international player was signed in January from Brazilian side Mirassol Futebol Clube, and in his first match with his new squad, he scored the opening goal of the season for the Verde and Black.
Along with promising play from young additions, consistency from league veterans has been a bright spot for Austin despite results, with goals from a pair of defenders with about two decades of combined MLS experience in 33-year-old Matt Hedges and 30-year-old Julio Cascante.
Philadelphia Union enters Saturday’s match the strongest it’s been since in terms of personnel since the team’s 2-2 opener against Chicago Fire. Saturday’s match will be Carranza’s first since then, adding offensive strength to a group that’s put up three regular season goals so far – which is the same number Austin has.
