Three ways Philadelphia Union can bounce back from first loss of 2025 MLS season

The Union’s perfect start to the 2025 MLS season ended abruptly after Nashville SC handed them a 3-1 defeat at Subaru Park. That lone defeat was enough to terminate their dreams for the Supporters’ Shield and make them surrender to defending champions Inter Miami. But on the flip side, the season is only four games old, and as such, a return to the top of the league remains a possibility.

Union, MLS — Image Credit: Philadelphia Union

Three Ways the Union Can Improve

The game against Nashville was an eye-opener, and after the unexpected loss, here are three ways the Union could turn their fortunes around and return to winning ways.

Improvement on the Second Ball

The Union’s poor management of second-ball situations received a special mention during Bradley Carnell’s post-fight presser, highlighting the importance of such plays in determining game outcomes.

While a team’s quality on long balls may be dependent on their aerial strength, second balls can be properly managed through strategic positioning and an ability to read the game

Against Nashville, the Union lacked technicality in managing second and loose ball situations. The reading of the game was sluggish, and such sins are hardly forgiven when committed against a brutal offense like Nashville’s.

The lethargy that characterized the Union defense in second-ball situations was heavily exploited by Sam Sturridge and his team of attackers, giving them an early lead and numerous goal-scoring chances at Subaru Park.

Improving on the second ball would improve the Union’s setup whenever they face oppositions that try to implement their counterattacking system against them. Aside from helping them retain possession, it also comes in handy when creating goal-scoring opportunities.

Defending and the Offside Trap

While the team’s aggressiveness in pressing is commendable, their eagerness to attack and gain the ball in the final third often leaves them with few numbers at the back. Nashville exploited this weakness, whose physical forward was a menace to Philly’s defense.

As Surridge ran towards the Union goal to put his team ahead, only one defender was present to pressure him. And while he held on to the ball, he was quickly assisted by two other Nashville players in the box, creating a 3-against-2 situation that gave him more options and more room to move the ball and score.

Another Surridge chance came while he was deep in his own half. Shockingly, the closest Union defender was over ten meters into the opponent’s half, creating a one-on-one opportunity for Surridge right from his defensive third.

Philadelphia seems to always keep a high defensive line, which isn’t an entirely bad idea. However, their inability to leverage on the offside trap makes them more vulnerable defensively.

Barring the opportunity where Surridge got the ball in his own half, many of Nashville’s clear chances could have been avoided if the Union were better at using the offside trap.

Carnell needs to manage his team’s pressing to ensure they have enough bodies at the back should they be hit by a counterattack. Similarly, the defenders need to leverage the offside trap better to ensure they don’t aren’t victims of their Highline all the time.

Do what Works

Since his days at St. Louis, Bradley Carnell’s coaching philosophy has been clear, and it has also accompanied him to the Philadelphia Union. As a result, he needed certain players to better implement his style, and he did get a good number of them before the season kicked off.

”I believe in the 60/30/10, right? 60% of all our transition goals or moments come from transition, right? So, the 30% set pieces, 10% from possession. I’m not a 75% possession guy, and I believe in being [on the] front foot, proactive in your face, aggressive and very counterattacking.”

It’s only essential that the team sticks with its identity, whether it’s home or away. The Union’s 57% possession against Nashville was their highest this season, and it handed them their first loss. Any team built on the bedrock of counterattacking and transitional plays has little business with possession.

As Nashville showed, even when the opposition tries to implement the counter-attacking style, the team could address that by using long balls and being more direct in approaching the opposition’s goal.

If they must bounce back from the hits of this defeat, the Union must exhibit a winning mentality, a resolve to get going regardless of the adversities. This is just one of the many setbacks they will encounter this season, and how they recover from this will have a large impact on where they rank on the table when the season is over. Their reaction will show if they’re any different from the Union that finished 12th last season or if their winning streak was all a fluke. In a season as young as this, there’s so much to play for. Hence, anything is possible.