On Wednesday, December 20th, Philadelphia Union announced its entire 2024 MLS Schedule in conjunction with the league. Just like last season, fans can watch every league match with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. In anticipation of the season to come, Scouting the Schedule is back for 2024! Take a deep dive into the Union's schedule with a preview of every single matchup.
The dog days of summer will certainly be busy for Head Coach Jim Curtin's squad -- the July schedule features four matches at Subaru Park and just one on the road.
Philadelphia Union will start the month away with another matchup against Chicago Fire. They will have already seen this squad in February for the home opener at Subaru Park, but this time they'll enter enemy territory at Soldier Field for the matchup.
Chicago Fire will look quite different from the team that the Union went unbeaten against this past season. On the touchline once again is Frank Klopas who returns to the Fire as head coach full-time for the second time in his career. Klopas got the bump from interim manager following Ezra Hendrickson’s departure in May and holds a 49-43-29 regular season record as the Fire’s head coach. On the field, Philly and Chicago were in tight contests with Joaquin Torres netting a 90th minute game winning in the home leg for the Union. In the Windy City, the Boys in Blue had to rally back from a two-goal deficit in the second half to nab a point via Daniel Gazdag and Julian Carranza goals.
Philadelphia Union's matchup against New York Red Bulls is one of the top five matches fans won't want to miss at Subaru Park! The rivalry is set to renew on Saturday, July 6th in front of Union faithful.
Last season, the Union finished without a loss against their foes from New Jersey, picking up two dominant regular season wins plus a shootout victory in Leagues Cup that sent them to the Quarterfinal round of the tournament.
The last time the Red Bulls came to Subaru Park, they left with a discouraging 4-1 loss after the Union battled back from an early deficit with goals from Jakob Glesnes, Damion Lowe, Julián Carranza, and Daniel Gazdag. Red Bulls will return to Chester with a vengeance and a new Designated Player in midfielder Emil Forsberg. The Swedish international signed a three-year contract through 2026 with an option for 2027, and the matchup at Subaru Park will mark the first of many occasions he lines up against Philadelphia Union in the coming years.
A game on the road against Toronto FC on Saturday, July 13th will break up Philadelphia's summer homestand with a trip to Canada to take on a squad who faced some struggles last season.Â
Toronto sat at bottom of the table in 2023 despite having some of the biggest names in all of the league. Michael Bradley is no longer with the side after he announced his retirement prior to the final home match of the season and there are many question marks surrounding their two Italian Designated Players. One thing for certain is that John Herdman, the former Canada men’s and women’s national team manager, is looking to set the tone from the start as he looks to rebuild a team that won just four games, scored a league-low 26 goals and allowed the most goals in the East.
After their trip to Canada, Philadelphia Union fans will have quite a few chances to see the Boys in Blue in action at Subaru Park, as the team will have three consecutive games at home. It all starts with a midweek matchup against New England on July 17th.
New England Revolution’s 2023 season ended in the first round of the playoffs by way of the Philadelphia Union when the Boys in Blue picked up two consecutive wins in their first round series. Although New England’s roster won’t look exactly the same, the team will welcome back the lot of their group after exercising the options of six players and signing three Homegrown Players to the first team. The most notable piece of offseason news coming from the Revolution is the permanent transfer of 24-year-old Designated Player Tomás Chancalay from Racing Club, ensuring his talents through 2026 with an additional one-year club option. With a more fervent rivalry born out of the playoffs, Revolution vs Union could feature a heightened level of intensity in 2024.
Philadelphia Union will face off against the squad from the Music City again in July after making the trip to Geodis Park earlier in the season.
Nashville SC has built its reputation on defense first, much like the Union, which required the bulk of the offensive load to fall on a single player. That pressure turned Hany Mukhtar into the 2022 MLS Most Valuable Player, but when he went on a scoring drought last season, so did Nashville SC as they made it back to the MLS Cup Playoffs but didn’t score in its final three games. Forward Sam Surridge joined during the summer window but netted only two goals in 11 appearances which will have to increase rapidly as the club looks to take the next step.
