The Union begins its season tomorrow! It’s that time of year once again! MLS is back, again, and it’s that fun time of the year when all 29 teams think it could be their year. Once a ball is kicked we’ll start to see some of those hopes thrashed, much like our predictions! The Doop by the River Gang has once again made their Union and MLS predictions for the upcoming season!
How does the Doop by the River Gang see this season going?
As we put in our unhinged predictions for this upcoming season. We all are high on Philly once again this season. The team really looks like one that could take this league by storm.
However, our MLS predictions are all over the place. It’s the most wonderful time of the year so let’s get into what our predictions are.
Tim Lovenguth
As will be the theme for a lot of these predictions, Tim sees Philly being the cream of the crop in the eastern conference this season. He sees only three losses in the MLS campaign for the boys in blue (a loss at Cincinnati, at Atlanta, and at Nashville). They’ll boast a record of 19 wins, 12 draws, three-loss record this season; taking 69 points and first place in the eastern conference. That should be good enough for a Supporters’ Shield win!
Eastern Conference standings
| Philly |
| Orlando |
| Columbus |
| Cincinnati |
| Nashville |
| Toronto |
| Red Bulls |
| Montreal |
| NYCFC |
| Miami |
| Charlotte |
| Atlanta |
| New England |
| DC |
| Chicago |
Western Conference standings
| Austin |
| LAFC |
| Dallas |
| Seattle |
| LA |
| Portland |
| SKC |
| RSL |
| Houston |
| Vancouver |
| Minnesota |
| Colorado |
| San Jose |
| St. Louis |
Justin Friedberg
Mr. Nicknames himself sees the Union having its best season ever. This would keep with the team’s upward trajectory over the last five seasons. Justin has Philly sporting 22 wins, nine draws, and 3 loss season in 2023. This would make their point total jump to 75 points and take the top spot in the east! The only losses on the season would come on the road to FC Cincinnati, LA Galaxy, and Toronto FC. Can this Philadelphia team really be this good? We’ll have to wait and see to find out!
Eastern Conference standings
| Philly |
| Nashville |
| Orlando |
| Columbus |
| Red Bulls |
| Cincinnati |
| Toronto |
| Charlotte |
| Miami |
| Atlanta |
| NYCFC |
| New England |
| DC |
| Montreal |
| Chicago |
Western Conference standings
| Austin |
| LAFC |
| Seattle |
| Dallas |
| Portland |
| LA Galaxy |
| SKC |
| RSL |
| Minnesota |
| San Jose |
| Colorado |
| Vancouver |
| Houston |
| St Louis |
Zach LoBasso
Zach Lobasso is back with the hot takes in our MLS predictions but is in line with the rest of the gang when it comes to his views on Philly in 2023. He sees the team getting 22 wins as well, but sees fewer draws (six) and a few more losses than Justin and Tim. The predicted six losses for Philadelphia this season all come on the road at Cincinnati, San Jose, Orlando, LA Galaxy, Toronto, and Columbus. This would be good enough to see the Union take 72 points and win the east.
Eastern Conference standings
| Philly |
| Orlando |
| Columbus |
| Red Bulls |
| Cincinnati |
| Nashville |
| Toronto |
| Charlotte |
| Miami |
| Atlanta |
| NYCFC |
| DC |
| Montreal |
| New England |
| Chicago |
Western Conference standings
| LA Galaxy |
| Austin |
| LAFC |
| Seattle |
| Dallas |
| Portland |
| SKC |
| San Jose |
| RSL |
| Minnesota |
| St Louis |
| Vancouver |
| Houston |
| Colorado |
Steve Beavon
Our resident tactics expert Steve sees Philly having another great season, but also has the team getting the most losses out of any one of the Doop by the River gang. He sees Philly falling to Cincinnati, San Jose, Orlando, Atlanta, LA Galaxy, Nashville, and Toronto. All of these matches are on the road, meaning he feels the Union will have yet another undefeated season at home. 20 wins and seven draws make up Philly’s final point total of 67 points; enough to take the top spot in the east!
Eastern Conference standings
| Philly |
| Orlando |
| Columbus |
| Cincinnati |
| Red Bulls |
| Toronto |
| NYCFC |
| Nashville |
| Charlotte |
| Atlanta |
| DC |
| Miami |
| New England |
| Montreal |
| Chicago |
Western Conference standings
| Austin |
| LAFC |
| LA Galaxy |
| Seattle |
| Portland |
| Dallas |
| RSL |
| Houston |
| SKC |
| Minnesota |
| Colorado |
| Vancouver |
| St. Louis |
| San Jose |
El Parcero Philly
Our boy El Parcero Philly sees Philly finishing at the top of the east yet again in 2023! In the first half of the season, he sees the boys in blue falling four times on the road to Cincinnati, Red Bull, San Jose, and Orlando. After that, he thinks Philly will go undefeated, finishing the season with 18 wins, 12 draws, and four losses. That puts their points total to 66; but the boy doesn’t stop there! He says the Union will get revenge on LAFC in the 2023 MLS Cup and win the damn thing!
Eastern Conference standings
Western Conference standings
It’s time to see how this season plays out
Now it’s time for the games to begin! The 2023 season is mere hours away, and it is going to be really fun to watch all the action unfold. Will we see another great run by Philly? Will our guys have some standings predictions pay off? We’ll have to watch to find out!
If you want to put your predictions down and see if you’re smarter than us, you can do that here: Predict the Union’s 2023 MLS Campaign!
Be sure to return to Philly Sports Network for more Philadelphia Union and other soccer content!
Follow our Union team on Twitter:
Tim Lovenguth | Justin Friedberg | El Parcero Philly | Zach LoBasso
Steve Beavon | Eric Frysinger | Paul Frenzel | Liam Jenkins
Doop on Union fans!
Mandatory Credit:
