With a six game unbeaten streak in tow, Philadelphia Union are set to head South this weekend to take on Atlanta United on the road. Don't miss Saturday night's action starting at 7:30PM on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
The Union are coming into this weekend's matchup rolling with momentum after erasing a two-goal first half deficit in their midweek clash against the LA Galaxy. The Boys in Blue dominated the second half and needed just five minutes to level the game after goals from Nathan Harriel and Tai Baribo. Baribo earned MLS Player of the Matchweek accolades with his performance that included a 96th minute winner to become the first player in MLS in 2025 to reach double digital goals.
Saturday’s match marks the pair’s second meeting this year – Atlanta United visited Subaru Park for an afternoon match on April 19th, leaving empty handed as Philadelphia Union kept them scoreless for a 3-0 result. Since then, they’ve fallen to 13th in the Eastern Conference standings sitting above only Toronto and Montreal.
Similarly to Philly, Atlanta entered 2025 refreshed with new players and new staff, appointing Ronny Deila as their head coach and adding marquee players like Emmanuel Latte Lath and Miguel Almiron. Despite the injection of talent, they haven’t hit their stride quite yet, picking up just two wins, seven losses, and four draws through Matchday 13.
Despite their recent woes, they found a spark on Wednesday when Jamal Thiaré scored a 92nd minute goal against Austin FC to level the match 1-1 before the final whistle in Texas.
“They've played a different system now in the last couple of games. So, we’re just trying to make sure that we get our guys regenerated and ready to go again. We’ll see what we can put out there and who's ready to go, and regardless of how they play, they get a late goal, so they'll have a bit of belief last night after their game,” Carnell said of Atlanta’s recent form.
Philadelphia Union hasn’t made the trip to Atlanta in over a year, and this will be many players’ first experience in the 71,000-eater home of the Atlanta Falcons that is Mercedes Benz Stadium. It’ll also be their first match playing in front of the hosts' raucous supporters, who haven’t enjoyed a home win since March 29th.
“It's never an easy environment in that stadium, with that crowd, that arena. There’s just something about it that's always tough to play in,” Carnell said.
We're just gonna have to focus now on getting us ready for the difficult job at hand.”
