MLS is back! The Philadelphia Union are set to open their season on Saturday, February 21st on the road against D.C. United -- don't miss the action on Apple TV starting at 7PM.
The curtain-raising match ahead marks the start of the team’s second campaign under the leadership of Head Coach Bradley Carnell. His first year in Philly was a historically successful one – not only did the team secure the best regular season record in all of Major League Soccer, lifting the Supporters’ Shield at home, Carnell himself also earned league recognition, winning 2025 Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year honors.
2025 was a season to remember, but now, the campaign ahead is the focus, and it kicks off with a test against a nearby opponent.
D.C. United enters the year with a refreshed roster and a new face on the touchline – René Weiler is one of the most experienced head coaches D.C. United have ever hired, and he enters his debut season in MLS with promising pieces to work with including club-record transfer Louis Munteanu and Designated Player Tai Baribo, who Philly moved in a massive cash-for-player trade following his 16 goal All-Star season in the City of Brotherly Love.
Saturday’s match will be the first meeting between Philly and their former striker, and he’s likely to lead the opponent's line from the start.
“I think everybody knows exactly where Tai Baribo is good. In the box, he’s lethal. He puts a lot of work rate and effort into his game against the ball, but I think there's a lot of new pieces that make DC an interesting opponent for us. It wasn't too long ago we played at their stadium, and there's a lot carrying into that fixture as well,” Carnell said in his prematch press conference on Thursday.
“Whether it's Sean Johnson, Sean Nealis, Louis Munteanu, who's a game changer up front, they've made some good and key, notable signings. So I don't think it's just about Tai Baribo, but I think it's about a whole complexity of what they're trying to do now.”
Last season, Philadelphia finished their regular season series against DC United 9-0 -- when Philly took the trip to the nation's capitol in September, they battered the hosts for a 6-0 win. Earlier in the season, back in April at Subaru Park, Philly handily won 3-0. While the Union had the upperhand in 2025, 2026 is a clean slate, as both teams enter the season with many new players added to their roster.
As for the Union, it’s almost certain that Carnell will send out a never-before-seen lineup due to their own plentiful personnel changes throughout the offseason. The likes of Japhet Sery Larsen, Ezekiel Alladoh, Agustin Anello, Finn Sundstrom, Geiner Martinez, and 2024 MLS Superdraft pick Stas Korzeniowski joined the group throughout the team’s build-up to the start of the season, so there could be more than a few MLS debuts during the first 90 minutes of the season.
It all goes down at Audi Field on Saturday -- tune in with Apple TV to see the new-look Union for the first time this year on the MLS stage.
