Scouting the Schedule | Rivalries renew in May

Just before the holiday break, Philadelphia Union learned its entire 2023 MLS Schedule after the league announced it on Tuesday. MLS fans can watch every 2023 league match on AppleTV MLS Season Pass. No blackouts. No restrictions.

We are taking a deep dive into each month of the season to look at each of the matchups! Today we're focused on the Union's busiest month of the regular season which sees six matches scheduled with the possibility for a few more should the Union make a deep run in the Concacaf Champions League.

May could start off with a high-pressure contest should the Boys in Blue are playing in the semifinals of the Concancaf Champions League. The first leg would be April 25-27 and the spot in the Final is scheduled to take place between May 2-4. Unlike the Quarterfinals, we won't know the hosting order as the semifinals and final hosting order is based upon the best performing clubs in the earlier rounds of the competition via wins, draws, and, if required, goal difference.

The four teams that the Union could meet on their side of the bracket include: Vancouver Whitecaps FC, RCD España, Los Angeles FC and LD Alajuelense.

The first league match of May sets the tone of its rival heavy slate as the Boys in Blue make the trip up the Turnpike to take on the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, May 6th. 

Matching styles, philosophies and add in some bad blood and it all adds up to a great rivalry between the Union and New York Red Bulls. The rivalry has been quite one sided in recent years with the Union walking away with a positive result in 12 of the last 14 contests which stretches back to 2017! With such similar styles, the matches have been one or two play games with the Union getting a 2-0 road win last season after a 1-1 draw earlier in 2022.

The first road trip of May sees the Union head out west to take on the Colorado Rapids.

After winning the Western Conference regular season title in 2021, Colorado Rapids had a rougher go in 2022 as they ended up missing the postseason with 43 points. The Rapids have been active already this offseason having recalled homegrown forward Cole Bassett back from XXX while they also added Kevin Cabral in a trade with the Galaxy. On the defensive side, Head Coach Robin Fraser gets back Aboubacar Keita and Braian Galvan from long term injuries that forced them to miss all of 2022 completely. Those pieces were needed the last time the two sides met with the Union racking up a 6-0 home victory behind a Daniel Gazdag hat trick in late August.

Rivalry week kicks off in Chester as the Boys in Blue host I-95 rivals D.C. United with the contest set to be broadcast on MLS Season Pass as well as on FS1 and Fox Deportes.

When it comes to opponents that the Union love to DOOP on, the obvious answer is rivals D.C. United. In fact the Union have scored a club-high 67 goals against the Black and Red in 32 all-time matches and that number high a new high last season. Twice the Boys in Blue battled their I-95 rival and twice they were routs. Julian Carranza became the first player in Union history to record two hat tricks, let alone in the same season against the same opponent with key roles in the 7-0 blowout at Subaru Park followed by the 6-0 road result. D.C. United has been active this offseason with Head Coach Wayne Rooney looking to jump start the squad that finished bottom of the East with offseason acquisitions of Pedro Santos (Columbus), Tyler Miller (Minnesota), Alex Bono (Toronto) as well as Iraqi defender Mohanad Jeahze.

The Union wrap up their rivalry home stand against the New England Revolution, with a Saturday night kick as part of Major League Soccer's Rivalry Week.

After winning the Supporters’ Shield in 2021, New England struggled to meets lofty expectations last year with Bruce Arena’s side sitting on the wrong side of the postseason line. Six points out of the East, the Revolution nabbed only one point against the Union last year with the two sides battling two a 1-1 draw in Foxborough before the Boys in Blue racked up a 2-1 home win at Subaru Park in July behind goals from Mikael Uhre and Daniel Gazdag in the second half.

The final road match of May is a big one as the Union head north to take on New York City FC at Citi Field on Saturday, May 27th. 

Quite possibly on the field one of the biggest rivalries in the Eastern Conference has been when the Union and New York City FC meet up. The two sides are tied at an Eastern Conference Championship apiece with the Pigeons looking like they’d be headed back to MLS Cup in 2022. Enter Andre Blake who showed why he was the Goalkeeper of the Year with a momentum shifting save that quickly saw the Union bag two goals in two minutes to turn the game upside down. Since the 2021 Eastern Conference title match, the Union gotten their revenge in 2022 with victories in all three matches. You won’t want to miss the latest chapter as Philly battles New York.

The final day of May sees the Boys in Blue taking on one of the newer clubs in MLS as Charlotte FC come to Subaru Park.

No longer the new kids in the league, Charlotte FC and the Union have only one year of matchups to reflect upon with the home side taking all three points in each of them. In April the Union racked up a 2-0 win at Subaru Park behind goals from Julian Carranza and Daniel Gazdag however Charlotte got its revenge with a 4-0 thumping before Decision Day.

While the MLS schedule has May 31st locked in as Union vs. Charlotte FC, the date could see a different opponent as the first leg of the Concacaf Champions League Final is set for the same date. Should the Union make it to the final, they'd be following in the footsteps of the Seattle Sounders who became the first MLS club to win the tournament last year. 

Possible opponents in the CCL Final include: Austin FC, Club Leon, Orlando City SC, Tigres UANL  and CF Pachuca. Just like in the semifinals, the hosting order is based upon the best performing clubs in the earlier rounds of the competition via wins, draws, and, if required, goal difference.