Photo courtesy of Carl Gulbish
This is not the same team.
A rejuvenated Philadelphia Union defended their home field with intention, jumping out to a fast start against the New York Red Bulls Wednesday night at Subaru Park to win 3-1 and claim the first home league win of the 2026 season. The Union are 12-1-4 against their rivals to the north since 2020.
The Union scored first in the game, something they’d only done three other times this season, the 3-3 draw at Toronto in April, the 2-1 road loss at New England in early May, and the 6-4 road loss to Miami that unraveled quickly and led to eventual changes within the club.
The night also marked the debut of interim head coach Ryan Richter, the Southampton, PA native who replaced Bradley Carnell after a historic start to a competitive season marked by slow starts, early goal concessions, a lack of efficiency in the penalty area, a fragile backline, and a shell of the pressing juggernaut that swallowed opponents whole in the 2025 Supporters’ Shield season. It was the first time fans saw Richter’s interpretation of the Union way, something he’d been formulating since 2016 when he began as an academy coach and later developed as an assistant under Jim Curtin from 2022 to 2024 before leading Union 2, where he’d been for the last year and half.
“The overall fighting and team spirit was something I was really proud of,” Richter said after the game. “You feel the energy of everyone in the building, and everyone that started the game, came into the game, they came with one goal in mind, and that was to win. And that’s what this has to be.”
Some things needed to change, beginning with the team’s performances at home. The Union entered Wednesday’s game with an 0-3-3 home record, the only team in MLS yet to claim a win on familiar ground.
From the opening whistle, the Union showed that the second half was not going to be a repeat of the first. Playing a similar 4-2-2-2 formation but with less reliance on the high press and more freedom on the ball in the attacking third, the Union swallowed up the middle of the field then broke out on several early opportunities to keep the crowd into the game. In the game’s second minute, a combination from Cavan Sullivan to Milan Iloski created a dangerous two on one, and when Iloski picked out Frankie Westfield all alone at the back post, the dream Union start had arrived. Westfield missed the goal by inches, but the Union showed they could exploit the gaps between the backs and in behind.
Ten minutes into the game, the Union reaped the rewards for their pressure, creating some of their own luck. It didn’t take long for Kai Wagner’s presence as the club’s all-time assists leader to be remembered, and when he sent in a curling cross toward the penalty spot, Red Bull keeper Ethan Horvath bobbled the cross, and Iloski buried the mistake. The Union took their first lead at home since the February win over Defense Force in the Concacaf Champions Cup opener. Iloski, who’s been on a tear with six goals in his last four games, added his ninth of the season.
Wagner and Iloski right back where they left off.
— Backyard Pitches (@BackyardPitches) July 22, 2026
Union up 1-0 against the Red Bulls. pic.twitter.com/gmBBH4yHDT
The freedom in the attacking third enhanced Sullivan’s playmaking strengths and allowed Iloski and Damiani to find more space. Sullivan took a half volley from distance off Damiani’s chest in the 22nd minute, sending a swerving dipper that would have caught the underside of the bar if not for Horvath’s fingertips. Iloski ripped a low shot from distance off a Damiani layoff that Horvath steered from the bottom corner. Even after the Red Bulls tied the game at 1-1 through Emil Forsberg with ten minutes to play in the first half, the Union responded with another golden two against one breakdown. Iloski, this time clear down the right side, picked out Damiani alone at the spot. But Horvath charged the ball at the last minute and made a sprawling save to deny Damiani, also trying to create his own scoring streak from Miami following a goalless start to the league season.
“The way they defend [Red Bulls], really aggressive when they lose the ball to try to win it back right away,” Richter said. “When you play a negative pass, you can see five, six guys jumping this pass and trying to really go. So you have to play behind that line, try to play it behind the last line. We can skip and play into the pocket to create the two v one in a wide area.”
Following the break, the Union lost a bit of their bite to start the second half but regained their edge when it mattered. Six minutes in, Sullivan sent a curling shot with his left from the right side of the box that Horvath tipped off the far post. Minutes later, Julian Hall broke free only to be denied by Andre Blake. Hall, the eighteen year old, scored nine goals in the first half of the season and was named an MLS All-Star earlier in the week. Iloski forced another Horvath save at the other end, and when the Union kept the ball in the Red Bull back third, they found their second goal. Westfield picked out Indiana Vassilev with a deep cross from the right toward the back post, and Vassilev’s volley skimmed off a Red Bull defender and into the net for the Union lead
Vassilev’s goal marked the Union’s first home multi-goal game of the season since their win over Defense Force.
After restoring the lead, the Union overcame a slight concern when Japhet Sery Larsen exited the game with what Richter later called false hamstring tightness, leading to Neil Pierre’s official return from loan with Danish club Lyngby Boldklub. Ten minutes into action, Pierre won a commanding header from a Wagner corner to extend the lead to 3-1. Pierre, the U.S. U-19 from Lebanon, PA, made one appearance for the Union last year and was a regular for Richter in MLS Next Pro. He began the MLS season in the Danish second division, aiding the club’s promotion to the Superliga for 2025-26.
“It meant everything,” Pierre said after the game about his goal. “I’ve come up through the academy, so to come onto the pitch was an honor, and then to score was like wow, what a dream.”
The 2025 MLS Next Pro Defender of the Year wasn’t finished. Two minutes from the end, on another Wagner corner, he jumped on a deflected header from Damiani and thighed the ball off the crossbar from the doorstep. When asked if his teammates had any words for his miss, he smiled and said, “If I didn’t have the first one, it would have been a different conversation.”
Welcome back, Neill!
— Backyard Pitches (@BackyardPitches) July 23, 2026
3-1 Union#DOOP
pic.twitter.com/K0lJsUIWo4
Pierre’s goal was one of many of the examples of a different mindset, a reset of the system where the team played with more focus and less pressure despite its place in the standings, which didn’t change but moved them closer to leaving the bottom.
And on a night where everything fell into place, Quinn Sullivan made his return to action following a lengthy recovery a torn ACL suffered last September. The older Sullivan, who contributed twenty assists over the past two seasons, shared the field with his brother for twelve minutes, connecting on several passes from the start.
“It was awesome,” Sullivan said when asked about the moments he stepped onto the field. “Crowd was awesome, the call was awesome by Kevin [Casey], so thankful for that. I had chills when I stepped onto the field.” He thanked the training staff for helping navigate a grueling process, especially Brad Papson, Head of Health and Innovation, and Vincent Musso, Performance Coach.
Forced to watch the first half of the season, Sullivan still experienced the difference in the team’s energy and focus. He gives credit to Richter, his U-17 from years ago. “I know his intensity. I know he brought that from the first day and said we want a winning culture. We don’t want to be close in games that don’t go our way. We’re the team that fights, and the points go our way. The goal in the 90th minute goes our way, not conceding.”
Taking advantage of time off and the return of key players, the revived Union are off to a promising start and will have a quick turnaround when they host Seattle Saturday night at Subaru Park. They’ll hope that winning the first game in what felt like a new season builds momentum heading into the month of August, already packed with eight games. For a team searching for answers throughout the first half of the season, a positive start may be all they need to make up ground in the playoff chase.
