There are eight teams remaining in this year's edition of the historic Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament -- that means Philadelphia Union needs to emerge victorious in just two more matches to earn a spot in the tournament's final and compete for a trophy.
The next chapter of their 2025 US Open Cup campaign is set to take place on their home pitch on Wednesday night against nearby rival New York Red Bulls, who they'll host again just three days in league play. It'll be a win-or-go-home Wednesday in Chester, click here for tickets or tune in with CBS Sports Network and Paramount+!
The side from North Jersey has become an Eastern Conference enemy through years of contentious battles, and not only will Wednesday's match mark their first meeting of 2025, it's a knockout match, ramping the intensity of an already charged head-to-head.
It'll also be Head Coach Bradley Carnell's first Red Bulls match since taking over at the helm of the Union, but the opponent is far from unfamiliar to him. Before he was hired to lead St. Louis CITY as an expansion club, he was an assistant coach and an interim Head Coach for the New York side.
On Tuesday, he gave a glimpse in what he's seen from his former club and what his current group needs to do to combat them.
"They've been quite active in transition in the last couple of games, and they've been a little bit more clinical in transition the last couple of games. We're going to have to nullify that and really be brave and aggressive in the counter press, and to step on the front foot and defend forwards," Carnell said.
"We need to set the tone in our stadium. I know what it's like firsthand being on the opposite side of it all those years, and I know the feeling coming into this stadium. I'm just proud and happy to be part of the other side of the family now."
Philadelphia Union currently has a 14-match unbeaten streak against New York Red Bulls across all competitions, and they'll look to keep it that way on Wednesday. Favorably, they'll be able to begin to piece their squad back together after more than a month without the full group due to international call-ups and injuries.
Homegrowns Nathan Harriel and Quinn Sullivan are back in market at last after a long Gold Cup campaign with the U.S. Men's National team that ended in a 2-1 heartbreak loss to Mexico in Houston on Sunday. They returned to campus just in time for matchday -1 preparations, joining the team for training in the stadium on Tuesday morning.
"They both arrived healthy, hungry, and safe back from their successful journey," Carnell said. "And yeah, we have them in our group and ready in contention for the game tomorrow."
As for the rest of the missing contingent, Carnell provided a brief update on their respective injuries and statuses.
"Jesus [Bueno] is trending okay, but probably won't make tomorrow's match. As is the same thing with Mikael. You know, they're both edging closer, but I'd say Frankie [Westfield] is getting close," Carnell said. "We'll make a decision this afternoon about availability for everybody. But, I think Frank is probably the closest one to joining the group right now."
Click here for tickets to the must-win matchup!
