The first place Philadelphia Union are headed to the Lone Star State to take on Houston Dynamo in a Saturday night showdown. The match is set to begin at 8:30pm ET, tune in with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV to watch the action!
The Union enter the match ahead with some major momentum after defeating New York Red Bulls 2-0 on Saturday and CF Montreal 2-1 on Wednesday, and they'll look to cap their busy week with another three-point performance that could keep them above their Eastern Conference opponents who are close behind. Wednesday night saw the Boys in Blue leading scorer Tai Baribo return to the scoresheet with another one-touch finish that put the Union ahead in the first half but the Canadian side got an equalizer right before halftime. Playing in front of the River End, the Union came on hungry and delivered as Kai Wagner registered his 60th career league assist on the game-winning goal to Olwethu Makhanya. Not only was it the center back's first goal with the club, it marked the 16th different player this season to score which ties the club record set in 2011.
Philadelphia Union have secured and held onto the top spot in the East and across the league after claiming two straight wins at home, and now, they have a cross-conference test ahead against Houston, who sit at 11th in the West.
The club hasn't faced Dynamo since their memorable 6-0 rout in 2022, and while there's been major changes on both sides in the three years since then, there will be a familiar face in the opposing group as former Union Homegrown Jack McGlynn made the move there before the start of the 2025 season. Since his arrival, McGlynn has made 18 starts, playing 1596 minutes, and in that span, he's contributed two goals and five assists.
Just three points below the playoff line, Houston have just a 4-7-1 record in front of their home crowd in 2025 and have added just three road wins. The Dynamo won't be overlooked by the Union with the Texas side grabbing a 4-3 comeback result against Western Conference front runners San Diego FC earlier in the month. The momentum from that win didn't carry over however as Houston comes into the matchup having lost its last two games and not scoring a goal. The kicked off their home stand on Wednesday with a 3-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps with the Canadian side striking the back of the net in just the fourth minute. 28-year-old forward Ezequiel Ponce leads the team with seven goals so far and is eager to add to his tally with his last two goals coming in the road win at San Diego.
