Union II Faces New England II In MLS Next Pro Season Opening Roadtrip

Union II are finally back in action as their 2025 MLS Next Pro season gets underway with a roadtrip to Gillette Stadium to take on New England Revolution II. It’s not just Union II’s 2025 season that begins on Sunday but also the start of a new era for the club under new Head Coach Ryan Richter.

Union II vs Revs II Preview

Union II are coming off the back of a near perfect 2024 season which saw them finish 2^nd overall after the regular season, win throughout the playoffs to become Eastern Conference Champions for the first time in club history, and come within a heartbreaking defeat in the Cup Final to winning the entire league.

After an offseason of new coaching staff hires, Marlon LeBlanc leaving his post as head coach to be replaced by Ryan Richter, a number of the star players from the 2024 season getting homegrown pro contracts with the senior team, and the addition of 5 new signings, Ryan Richter will be looking to go one step further than his predecessor and win the entire league.

UII System, Tactics, and players

As it is the first game of the season, quite a few interesting questions will be answered on Sunday regarding how much Coach Richter will change the system and tactics his side deploys.

Another question to be answered is how many of the stars of that 2024 Eastern Conference Championship winning side will still be featuring this season. Frankie Westfield and Olwethu Makhanya have both started the opening 2 games of the MLS season for Bradley Carnell and the senior team, with Cavan Sullivan being named on the bench for both games. The new signings the team has made will obviously help fill the void left behind by the likes of Westfield and Makhanya, but it will take a lot to be able to replace those types of players.

It’s set to be an exciting year for Union II. With many of the 2024 stars looking likely not to be major players for the side and Ryan Richter’s plans, the team can dip back into the incredible roster of players the club has in its world-class academy setup. This is where the likes of Frankie Westfield, Quinn and Cavan Sullivan, Jack McGlynn, and a host of other names have come from already.

Opening the season on the road

Ryan Richter will have to wait for his first home game as Union II head coach as his side travels up north to take on New England Revolution II, a day after the senior team takes on New England at Gillette Stadium. New England II had a nightmare 2024 season that saw the team only win four games, finishing dead last in the Eastern Conference and with the lowest points tally in the entire league.

These two teams faced each other three times last season, and as you can guess after reading New England II’s record, Union II came out as winners in all three games, with both teams scoring in all three games. Coach Richter will be hoping his side’s form against the opposition on Sunday carries over from last year, and he brings his reign as Union II Head Coach with a win and all three points.

The game, which will kick off at 2 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium, can be watched live on Apple TV with an active MLS Season Pass subscription.