In the final moments of Philadelphia Union’s Saturday night match against Charlotte FC at Subaru Park, the score was deadlocked at a goal apiece. That’s until Markus Anderson, in his first Major League Soccer appearance in almost exactly a year’s time, found a shot in the box off a header from Frankie Westfield, with whom he shared the field with for Union II during the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season.
Anderson struck the ball for a one touch finish past Charlotte’s goalkeeper and into the back of the net, sending fans in his team’s packed home stadium into a frenzy. When the officials blew the whistle seconds later, the scoreboard read 2-1, and Philadelphia Union officially extended their league unbeaten streak to 10 matches – the longest stretch without an MLS loss in club history.
“This day is one I’ll be dreaming about for many, many days,” Anderson said postgame.
The 21-year-old striker’s game-winner was his first-ever goal in MLS play – something he’s been aiming to earn since he signed with the club in January 2024. Before retreating to the locker room, where celebrations continued with his teammates, he reflected on what the match meant to him.
“Honestly, it felt amazing. When they scored, we were just working hard, fighting our way back. When I saw that ball go into the net, it was just a lot of emotion,” Anderson said.
“It’s very good for me, especially for my confidence. Obviously, I've been going through a lot of injuries through the past year and a half, working my way up off of injuries, and it's always just a big confidence boost for me being able to be up with the first team guys. Training every day with them, getting better every day, and it's just an experience I’m so happy to have.”
Over the past year, Anderson’s been hard at work – helping Union II reach the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Cup final, fighting for a spot during first team training, and recovering from injury setbacks. Saturday was a culmination of his determined effort since his arrival in Philly, and it was night he won’t soon forget.
“It feels great, obviously, but I can't put my head down yet. It's obviously just the beginning to a long career that I have, and I just want to keep moving forward and keep going,” Anderson said.
His time on the pitch wasn’t the only memorable moment of the night. After a victory walk around the perimeter of his field with his team led by Head Coach Bradley Carnell, he was greeted with a raucous rendition of the global football anthem Freed from Desire in the locker room. In this Union-ized version, a choir of his teammates sang ‘Markus on Fire,' before calling on to give a speech on top of a table in the middle of the space.
With his goal, Anderson became the 15th Union player to contribute a goal during the 2025, putting the team in first place not only in the East and the Supporters Shield race, but across the entire league in unique goalscorers.
