After a two-week pause, first-place Philadlephia Union return to action this weekend, traveling across the continent to take on Vancouver Whitecaps in a highly-anticipated cross-conference clash. To watch the can't-miss matchup, tune in on Saturday night at 9:30pm ET with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
The 2025 MLS regular season's close in on the horizon, and there's silverware in reach for Philadelphia Union, who sit above the rest as the league top team through 29 matches played. Coming off back-to-back wins, the Union have solidified their spot at the top of the East and the Supporters’ Shield standings as of late, most recently taking all three points from second place Cincy with a 1-0 win at TQL Stadium on August 30th. Due to the FIFA international break and a league bye, they haven’t played since, but there will be no shortage of action ahead as there are five all-important regular season matches left on the schedule. Each result will help decide the fate of the 2025 Supporters Shield, which is still in reach for both Philadelphia and Vancouver.
"We have the table in the gym. We know we're sitting at the top, and we're the only team to have clinched in the east, which is all great,” midfielder Quinn Sullivan said after training on Wednesday. “But, we're taking it game by game. We know how important this last stretch is, and every point is going to matter.”
The Whitecaps, led by first-year MLS Head Coach Jesper Sørensen, who took over at the helm in January, currently sit at third in the West with 49 points. The only teams above them in their conference are San Diego and Minnesota, but the Canadian side has two games in hand as they look to rise up the table.
Throughout the season, Brian White emerged as their main attacking threat scoring 14 goals, but the spotlight is now locked on newly-signed Designated Player and former Bayern Munich legend Thomas Müller, who joined the club as a free agent on August 6th. In his first match, he scored a game-winning penalty kick against St. Louis CITY in the 104th minute. They'll enter the match in hopes of securing their third-consecutive playoff berth, while Philadelphia aims to stay above the rest with a third straight victory.
Both Philadelphia Union and Vancouver Whitecaps have come a long way since their season began with new Head Coaches, practicing on neighboring training fields in Marbella, Spain during preseason. Both with budding young talent, veteran experience, major momentum, and top 5 goal differentials, Saturday is shaping up to be showcase of two of the league's best teams admist a race for the shield. Don't miss the action -- tune in on Saturday night at 9:30pm ET with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV!
