Photo courtesy of Carl Gulbish
It wasn’t a loss. It wasn’t a win either.
So as the Union open their 2026 league campaign with an 0-3-1 record at home, there’s hope of finding the magic of the 2025 Supporters’ Shield-winning team, but Saturday night’s draw against D.C. United at Subaru Park proves they still have plenty of room to grow.
For starters, the Union posted their first shutout of the 2026 MLS season, Andre Blake’s 90th for the club, adding to the two shutouts against Defense Force FC in the Concacaf Champions Cup, a series many have since forgotten and most likely don’t even qualify. A home clean sheet is certainly a step in the right direction, but for a club that only had two home losses all of last season, and prior to 2024, one of the best home records in the league, the current home form has not been up to the established standard.
“Ultimately, we have to make home our fortress,” Union midfielder Milan Iloski said after the game. “That’s something we have to address and make sure we get the fans three points.”
Iloski and his teammates controlled the game much better than on previous occasions. D.C. United beat the Union 1-0 in the season opener, and aside from Tai Baribo getting stuck in and jawing with his former teammates, the visitors offered very little going forward and are likely happy to leave with a point. Once the Union’s highlight reel, D.C. came into the game with only four goals on the season, the lowest in the league, with the Union’s six the second-lowest. Neither team has been spectacular around the goal. The Union outshot D.C. 17-6, which again shows the Union are able to get the ball into the box, but finishing, however, has been another story.
Jesus Bueno, the Union’s strongest player in the first half, led the team in shots with four. His strike from twenty-five yards out in the 12th minute had Sean Johnson beaten, but it smashed the post and bounced out. Ten minutes later, Iloski rocked a volley that Johnson pushed away, and Bueno nearly clipped a header from Harriel in the aftermath. Finding success on several delayed runs, Bueno pushed the Union tempo in the midfield and drew a resounding response from Carnell when he subbed out in the 76th minute in favor of Danley Jean-Jacques.
“I’ve been excited about Jesus since my first day on the job,” Union coach Bradley Carnell said after the game. “He’s emerged as a real guy in the locker room and keeps everything together” Bueno scored the winner against CF Montréal last week on a delayed run through the box, ending the Union’s losing streak.
The spotlight continues to shine bright on the Union’s strikers, notably Bruno Damiani and Ezekiel Alladoh. Paired again for the second time in three games, Damiani and Alladoh have yet to settle into any kind of rhythm together, raising questions about their effectiveness in both the system and as a partnership. Damiani tied Bueno with four shots and had the Union’s best chance to score in the 42nd minute. Indiana Vassilev overlapped Iloski at the edge of the box, and Damiani made a great cutting run at the edge of the six, squaring his hips to redirect the ball on goal, denied only by Johnson’s lunging inner thigh. The moment presented a glimpse of what Damiani can do in front of goal, however, those moments have been few and far between. Damiani leads all Union players with a 2.05 xG, good for 50th in the league, but he’s yet to find the back of the net in league play this season, and his only goals came in the Concacaf opener in mid-February. Though he’s played with plenty of grit and tenacity, he’s spent more of his time engaging in wrestling matches and trying to draw the referee’s attention than finding open spaces in the box like he did the other night.
Here’s a breakdown of the Union’s best chance by Todd Lewis of The Free Kick.
Philadelphia Union and D.C. United played to a 0-0 draw on Saturday night, and just because there were no goals, doesn't mean there was no action to break down!
— Todd Lewis (@ItsAToddLife) April 21, 2026
The Union outshot D.C. United 17-6, with this chance cut-back pass from Indiana Vassilev into Bruno Damiani being the… pic.twitter.com/OJgBWbz3p4
Alladoh’s struggles have been even worse. Since arriving from IF Brommapojkarna in the offseason, the Union’s largest transfer signing has also yet to score since the Concacaf opener. Ever since his league-opening red card, Alladoh and the goal have been as distant as the Commodore Barry Bridge to the Jersey Shore. In his six MLS appearances this season, he has an an average xG of .03 per game. He did have an assist at Montréal and two more in the Concacaf first round, but his performances have taken a dip since the preseason when he appeared to be a better fit.
Despite the lack of goals, Carnell sees progress in his team’s attacking play. “We had excellent movement,” he said after the game. “I thought we had two-v-ones on the sides. I thought we created chaos in the box. We created second phases. We controlled the second phases.”
The Union rank second-lowest in the league in shooting percentage with 27.1% of their shots hitting the target. D.C. United ranks last with 21.8%.
“Box movement is a big piece,” Iloski said.” I think we’re getting some good balls into the box, and we need to get on the end of more stuff. It’s improving and hopefully ends up resulting in more goals.”
What makes the result more frustrating for Union fans may be that the team did control the flow of the game. Their presses hit more than before and they created a few scoring chances off turnovers in D.C.’s end, but that final piece still eludes them.
“We had numerous times when we could isolate them on the back post,” Carnell said, “especially with late runs in the box. They did a good job taking the traffic away from where we wanted to go, and whether it was Nate or Frankie, Milan or Indy, we had a lot of opportunities on the backdrop.”
The Union will have a quick turnaround this week as they travel to Toronto for a Wednesday night matchup, followed by Saturday night in Columbus. Toronto (3-2-3, 12 points) has an unbeaten record at home, while Columbus (1-4-3, 6 points) sits just above the Union and has also yet to win at home. Last year’s MLS Cup Champions, Inter Miami, and 29th place Sporting Kansas City are the only other teams waiting for their first home league win.
