Philadelphia Union are headed back to the sunshine state once again, this time making the trip to South Florida to take on Inter Miami CF. It all goes down on Saturday night at 7:30pm – tune in with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV!
After a 1-0 win against St. Louis CITY last weekend, the Boys in Blue claimed the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings, sitting in first with four wins, one loss, and 12 total points. Miami is close behind with two points behind with 3 wins, a draw, and one less game played, so the matchup ahead could be one for first place.
The last time Philadelphia Union faced Javier Mascherano’s star-studded Inter Miami squad was six months ago in September at Chase Stadium. It finished 3-1 in favor of the Herons after a pair of goals from Lionel Messi and a final dagger from Luis Suarez overcame Mikael Uhre’s 2nd minute goal.
Philadelphia Union hasn’t gotten the best of Inter Miami since 2023, but with new players, staff, and early-season momentum, the squad, taking on Miami under Head Coach Bradley Carnell’s leadership for the first time, is up for the challenge.
“I'm not looking to see how the results were last year or previously. I don't really put much stock into that or focus much into that. I just focus on our group right now and seeing what type of games we're putting teams in. Every version we're going to put the teams in, they have to adapt to our way as well,” Carnell said on Thursday.
“I think we've proven over five games now that we can be competitive.”
Availability for the match is still uncertain – Messi missed the international window with Argentina due to a low-grade adductor muscle injury, and the latest reports suggest that he'll be an option for Saturday's gameday roster. His absence aside still boasts the other top talent, including the rest of the former Barcelona big four in Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets. Their storied careers speak for themselves, and while the spotlight often follows them, the team’s offseason additions have started to make an impact on the MLS stage as well.
21-year-old Venezuelan midfielder Telasco Segovia leads the team with three regular season goals and an assist, while another offseason addition in 26-year-old Argentinian Tadeo Allende is close behind him with two goals.
“I've been saying this week, you have to pick your poison. With Messi, you know exactly what They might give up to gain so many things when Messi is on the field, but if he's off the field, then they just have a lot of youth exuberance, energy, and that's really tough to contain as well,” Carnell said.
Personnel is a question for the Union side as well. All players other than Jesus Bueno, who will meet the team in Miami, have returned from international duty, but after an impressive performance from the group who stayed in Chester to secure last weekend’s win, Carnell said competition for spots is fierce.
“We've always believed the internal competition has to be bigger than the external competition, and we'll remain by that. This week has been nothing short of really good, focused, and professional. So yeah. There's tough decisions to make, and I don't expect them to accept it, but just to respect it and know that it’s for the better of the group. We're five games in, and there's a lot of minutes to be played throughout the season,” Carnell said.
