The 2025 Major League Soccer schedule is officially out, and the Philadelphia Union are just over two months away from kicking off their 16th season! Take a deep dive into the team's newly released schedule, which begins with their season opener on February 22nd in Orlando.
The Boys in Blue will return to action for the first time in 2025 on the road. After preseason preparation for the year to come, the team will open their season in a warm climate, visiting Orlando City at Inter & Co Stadium.
Orlando City is coming off a season that started slow, and finished with near-unstoppable momentum. It ended in a conference final appearance, but New York Red Bulls ultimately claimed the East with a 1-0 victory.
In the regular season, the side led by Head Coach Óscar Pareja got the best of the Union by a one-goal margin in both of their meet-ups, but that attacking corps will look different next year.
The last time the pair went head-to-head was a 2-1 Orlando City win on October 2nd, in which forward Facundo Torres became the club all-time leading scorer. Orlando City has since announced that the 24-year-old Uruguayan will not be part of their 2025 squad as they have completed his transfer to Brazilian club Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras.
The Union's season-opening match will mark their opponents first without their top goal contributor, who finished with 14 goals and 6 assists in the regular seaosn.
The team's first home matchup of the season is always an eagerly awaited one, and to add to the excitement, FC Cincinnati is booked as Philly's first visitor.
As of late, battles against the Ohio side led by former Philly assistant Pat Noonan have been fueled by a certain fire, and in 2024, that unfolded into two 6+ goal barnburners (including one that eliminated Cincinnati from Leagues Cup in the quarterfinals), and a 2-1 Decision Day battle that squandered Philly's playoff aspirations.
Fans can expect another intense season of Philadelphia vs Cincy showdowns, and it'll start early this year with the home opener.
More than six months split Philadelphia Union’s two scheduled meetings against New England Revolution, and the first of the pair is a trip North to Gillette Stadium.
In 2024, the Boys in Blue scored eight goals over two matches against the Revs, but like Philly, the team that finished in 14th place certainly won’t look the same in 2024.
The Revs have had an active offseason highlighted by but not limited to the blockbuster acquistion of 24-year-old goalscorer Leonard Campana from Inter Miami announced on December 19th.
This matchup will be an early test for Philadelphia and New England, as both teams finished below the playoff line last season with just nine wins each.
Philadelphia will host Nashville SC for a midday matchup on Saturday, March 16th – and they're another team that’ll have a new look in the year to come. In May 2024, the club parted ways with Gary Smith, their first coach in team history, and have since hired a name familiar to the Union organization.
In 2025, Nashville SC will operate under the leadership of former U.S. Men’s National Team and Philadelphia Union assistant B.J. Callaghan.
Callaghan, a Ventnor, New Jersey native and Ursinus College graduate, has a long coaching history with the Philadelphia Union, which includes serving as assistant coach during the team’s runs to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final in 2014, 2015 and 2018, plus the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2016 and 2018.
This will be one of many matchups between two newly hired managers, as 12 MLS teams have made head coach changes in the offseason. Philadelphia will take on 10 of those 12.
Philadelphia Union will kick off their Western Conference schedule in a big way, taking on St. Louis CITY FC for the first time ever on Saturday, March 22nd at Subaru Park.
St. Louis was established in 2019 as an expansion team, but they didn't play their inaugural season until 2023. That year, St. Louis boasted a fairytale regular season that saw them finish first in the West, but hey didn't have the same fortune in 2024, instead finishing near the bottom of their conference in 12th.
Similarly to the Union, they'll enter the new year with a new coach. Former Swedish National Team captain Olof Melberg signed on with the club at the end of November, and the matchup will be one of his earliest away outings at the helm.
After a two-game home stand, the Boys in Blue will head back to the sunshine state – this time, to play Inter Miami, another team with a new head coach. The Herons' new hire is far from a stranger to his players, though. After parting ways with Tata Martino, the Supporters' Shield winners brought on Javier Mascherano, who played at FC Barcelona alongside the team's big four in Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez.
That cast is back for more in 2025, and Philadelphia's first chance to surmount the star-studded South Florida side will be a road match to end March.
Philadelphia will face Orlando City for a second time early on in the season, hosting Pareja’s squad about a month and a half into the season.
April will be an easy travel month for Philadelphia – they have just one road match on the schedule, and it’s a short bus ride to Citi Field, where they'll take on New York City FC.
The pair split last season’s result, but the Union’s win was a far more memorable one that finished in an epic 5-1 scoreline with five unique goalscorers at Yankee Stadium. The Cityzens went on to finish the regular season sixth in the East, but when it came to the playoffs, they fell short in a historic match, losing 2-0 against New York Red Bulls in the first-ever postseason Hudson River derby. Shortly after, the club announced it had parted ways with former head coach Nick Cushing -- that means this matchup will be yet another between two newly appointed head coaches.
Atlanta United is an Eastern Conference opponent to watch in 2025 – and they’ll make the trip to Philadelphia for a Saturday night showdown on Easter Weekend.
The Five Strips enter 2025 with ambitious leadership featuring newly hired Sporting Director Chris Henderson and Head Coach Ronny Deila.
With their integration and a fanbase energized after defeating Inter Miami in Round One of the MLS Cup Playoffs, Atlanta's first visit to Philadelphia will be one to watch.
Philadelphia Union will look to keep up their dominance against D.C. United in 2025, hosting 2024 Golden Boot winner Christian Benteke and second-year Head Coach Troy Lesesne for their final match in April.
Last season, Philadelphia picked up a 2-2 draw and a 4-0 win against D.C. United, but like many Eastern Conference teams, the side from the capitol is in the midst of a busy offseason that's featured new acquisitions from within the league and beyond.
