It may not seem like it, but the 2025 MLS season is already halfway complete. After 17 games, the Philadelphia Union sits atop the East and is just one point off the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings. At the halfway point, Philly has scored 32 goals (two short of the most in the league) and has 10 wins (tied for the most in MLS). They are a top team and don’t look to falter anytime soon.
Union flying high in all phases
The club’s success in the first year with a new coach has been nothing short of stunning. The team has shattered expectations that were relatively low coming into the season. A coaching change and a return to an energy-drink playing system have allowed this team to grow and thrive on the field. Add in player rotations that have led to positive results and fewer injuries, and this team is in first place in the East.
With it being the season’s midpoint, let’s look back at the expectations surrounding the Philadelphia Union.
For reference, here are the articles where these expectations were set before a ball was kicked in the 2025 season: MLS | US Open Cup | Player Development | Coaching Tactics | Culture & Vibes
MLS Play
34 points from 17 matches, first place and a four-point gap over second place in the east, one point off the lead for the Supporters’ Shield. If I had said that to you back in February, people would’ve called me crazy. Luckily, this is the reality, and it’s proving to lean towards an overarching success in MLS play this year!
Preseason Measures of Success
- Baseline Success: Make the playoffs.
- Unmitigated Failure: Miss playoffs for a 2nd season in a row.
- Overarching Success: Finish top four in the East.
The Union is a playoff team. They’d have to have a catastrophic second half of the season to fall below ninth place and be on the outside looking in. That would mean this will be a successful MLS campaign based on the measure of success before the 2025 season started. This Philly team is tenacious; they fight every second they’re on the field, making them a true contender.
US Open Cup
Before the year started, Philly knew they’d be in their regular season and the US Open Cup tournament. Entering at the Round of 32, there were only five wins away from hoisting a trophy in a one-off, March Madness-style tournament. Philly took care of lower division teams Indy Eleven and Pittsburgh Riverhounds to make the quarterfinals, a date with the New York Red Bulls in July.
Preseason Measures of Success
- Baseline Success: Make the Quarterfinals.
- Unmitigated Failure: Get knocked out in the first match.
- Overarching Success: Play in the US Open Cup Final for the 4th time in Club history.
So far, their run in the US Open Cup can be seen as a successful one. They won in the first two rounds against inferior opponents and are now one of the last eight standing. The road now gets harder for Philly as they will have to play any/all of their remaining tournament matches away. They start at Red Bulls on July 9th. Should they win, they’d face the winner of Nashville-DC, and if they claim victory in the semis, they’d play for the Cup on the road vs either Minnesota, Chicago, San Jose, or Austin.
Player Development
Player development and Philadelphia have gone hand in hand over the last half-decade. Just look at the current US Men’s Soccer Team, which will feature seven former/current players on its roster for the Gold Cup this summer. The 2025 Union has seen a great mixture of young Homegrowns and veteran players make up their squads this season so far, leaning towards at least baseline success.
Preseason Measures of Success
- Baseline Success: Play the Kids… appropriately.
- Unmitigated Failure: Play few Homegrowns OR Play Homegrowns who aren’t ready for 1st team minutes.
- Overarching Success: Find the correct balance of minutes for Homegrowns to balance out veterans.
Head Coach Bradley Carnell has shown he will use every player available to him in the right way. This has led to players like 15-year-old Cavan Sullivan getting some minutes in MLS and even two starts in the US Open Cup. While Cavan’s older brother, 21-year-old Quinn Sullivan, has been a crucial starter. Carnell is pulling the right strings, and if he continues to do so, then we will likely check the overarching success box once the 2025 season is done and dusted.
Coaching Tactics
Before the start of the 2025 season, Philly let go of one of their own, Jim Curtin, who led the team to its first triumphs. It was a rocky decision that left some fans questioning the move. A shift was made to Bradley Carnell and a particular way to play soccer: a high-pressing style that is fast-paced and about as aesthetically pleasing as a car crash. However, when that style works, it’s hard to look away from it and the goals and wins it brings.
Preseason Measures of Success
- Baseline Success: Sticking to the system and making game-dictated changes.
- Unmitigated Failure: Only having a Plan A and never-ever changing.
- Overarching Success: Executing an Energy-Drink pressing style to become an elite team.
Carnell and his brand of Energy-Drink soccer mimic how Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner wants the team to play. His gamble to switch coaches for one that fits his style has paid off. Carnell has shown that he can adjust the team’s personnel and formations in the game to suit that style best and get results; that’s the baseline success area. If Carnell can continue pushing the right buttons, this team may become elite and be in contention to play for silverware!
Culture & Vibes
Vibes hit an all-time low in 2024. The Union finished 12th place in MLS and failed to do anything in their other tournament competitions. Tanner needed to make a change to get things back on track; he changed the coach to one who would implement his soccer philosophies, and now the Club is cruising atop MLS. This is blowing the culture and vibes measure of success out of the water.
Preseason Measures of Success
- Baseline Success: Field a competitive team that fans can connect with.
- Unmitigated Failure: Ostracize the fans when they voice their complaints.
- Overarching Success: Get the fans to buy into the Ernst System while winning matches.
Fans wanted to see a team that could compete on the field with the rest of MLS; that was missing last year. The team looked like it gave up when things got hard. That’s not the case this year; the Union fight for every 50-50 ball and celebrate getting a throw-in like they scored a goal. They are relentless and ruthless and reflect the city’s grit, determination, and perseverance to get shit done.
If the second half of the season goes as well as the first, this team’s vibes will skyrocket, and the club might bring back a culture of winning that saw an influx of new fans follow the team as they did in the early 2020s.
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Featured Image Credit: Philadelphia Union
