Fresh off a 3-1 rivalry victory over Red Bull New York, Philadelphia Union return to Subaru Park on Saturday night to host Seattle Sounders FC. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET as the club celebrates Doopmas in July presented by Patrón.
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Philadelphia Union emerged from the summer break with a dominant 3-1 victory on Wednesday night against Red Bull New York, marking Ryan Richter’s first result as the team’s interim Head Coach. The scoreline came by way of goals from Milan Iloski, Indiana Vassilev, and Neil Pierre, who made his Subaru Park debut in his first match back from loan at Lygnby Boldklub in Denmark. Kai Wagner and Quinn Sullivan also made their anticipated Union returns, making for a night to remember for team, staff, and fans alike. The Boys in Blue will look to capitalize on that momentum, pursuing another home victory on Saturday.
Scouting Seattle
Seattle comes to town just three days after a midweek loss on the road against Austin FC. 27-year-old Seattle native Paul Rothrock scored their lone goal of the night, notching his his fifth of the season. On the other end of the field, the team’s other 27-year-old Seattle native, defender Jackson Ragen, was forced to leave the game after a picking up a second yellow in the 94th minute, leaving him suspended for his team’s trip to Philly.
With the result, Seattle now sits in sixth place in the Western Conference with 24 points.
Philly will face the Western Conference side for the first time since the infamous rescheduled rain match at Subaru Park back in 2024. After a match stoppage in the 6th minute due to heavy downpour on March 9th, 2024, Seattle returned to Subaru Park almost two months later on April 30th to complete the match. Raúl Ruidíaz scoring in the 13th minute of the match, and the momentum continued in favor of the visitors with Obed Vargas doubling the score just 9 minutes after, marking his first career MLS goal. By way of a penalty, Ruidíaz secured a brace before the end of the first half.
Philly scored two of their own within one minute of each other shortly into the second half, but their effort was unable to overcome Seattle’s lead.
Although midfielder Obed Vargas left for La Liga team Atlético Madrid in February and midfielder Georgi Minoungou left for Colorado Rapids in March, the Sounders still have a strong foundation that's led them to a solid start to the 2026 season. Rothrock has emerged as one of the Sounders’ most impactful attackers, scoring four goals on the season.
Alot has changed for both sides since their last meeting, so Saturday’s matchup will be a clean slate competition.
Recapping the Union's summer
After a challenging start to the 2026 season, which saw the team fall to last in MLS with one win, four draws, and 10 losses for 18 total points, the Philadelphia Union sits at the bottom of the
Eastern Conference standings, despite picking up a win in their first match back after the World Cup.
The team welcomed back some returning faces over the summer -- 29-year-old left-back Kai Wagner agreed to return to the Philadelphia Union after playing for Birmingham City in the English Championship. Wagner left the Union in January after representing the club for seven seasons. Less than a week after landing in Philly to re-sign with the club, Wagner was in the starting XI and assisted Pierre. Quinn Sullivan made his first matchday roster since suffering an ACL tear, subbing on in the team's return to play against Red Bull New York.
In late May, Jon Scheer was named the Union’s Sporting Director, along with Interim Head Coach Ryan Richter taking over for the remainder of the season. Scheer has made a tremendous impact on the club since 2018, including as Director of Academy and Professional Development and, most recently, as the interim sporting director.
Following former Head Coach Bradley Carnell’s departure from Philly, Richter took over at the helm of the first team leader. Richter played at the professional level for seven years and was drafted fifth overall in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft by the Philadelphia Union. He served as a first team assistant from 2022 to 2024 before becoming Union II’s head coach in January of 2025.
