Philadelphia Union will return to action this weekend hitting the road for a battle at Charlotte FC to open April. Don't miss the action starting at 7:30PM only on Apple TV!
The Boys in Blue continue the pursuit of their first points of the Major League Soccer season after a two-week pause from play due to the March international break. The stretch without a matchday was an all-important one, allowing the team to reset and refocus through hard work on the pitch. The team took advantage of the time for 10 days of training between their home loss against Chicago and their upcoming trip to Charlotte, with the hopes of a more favorable results to add to their 0-0-5 start.
“There's been a lot of reflection, a lot of meetings, a lot of chatting, a lot of executing on the training ground, and a lot of competition,” Head Coach Bradley Carnell said in his Thursday press conference.
“Last week, I think the league had an international window, but the boys were grinding it out. Over the weekend, we had an internal scrimmage against each other, which worked really, really well, and I was grateful for that. The boys invested a lot, and this week, the full focus has been on us against Charlottein a tough stadium, so we're excited for it.”
While most of the group was in Chester, a contingent of Union players spent the break with their national teams, including three-time Goalkeeper of the Year and vice captain Andre Blake, away with Jamaica, battling for a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Despite an standout personal performance, his country was unable to overcome DR Congo in their qualifying match, and as of Thursday afternoon, he’s en route back to Philadelphia.
In his media availability, Carnell shared that while the team is ‘gutted’ for Blake, the keeper ensured him during back stateside, that he was ‘ready’ for what’s to come on the MLS stage.
In the immediate future, that means a tough road match against Charlotte FC, who currently sit at fourth in the Eastern Conference standings with two wins, a draw, and a loss. Their most recent outing was a landslide victory, defeating New York Red Bulls 6-1 by way of goals from five different scorers on their home pitch, a notably tough place to play for visiting sides.
“I think they have a savvy group that pulls that pulls the emotions one way, and tries to dictate the play another way,” Carnell said of Dean Smith’s side.
“It's Zaha, Biel, Vargas. There's a couple guys there that pull on the emotional strings a little bit on the tension of the game and the intensity of the game, and that's where our discipline has to be.”
The Union in particular have yet to get the best of Charlotte on the road, picking up two draws and no wins since the club joined the league in the 2022 season. While it’s no secret a win on the road in the Queen City is a challenge, Carnell said a road trip together could be just what the team needs as they push for their first three points of the year.
“It gets a group traveling. It gets a group together. All 20 players have to be dialed in and locked in in very tough environments. I don't think there are any easy environments to go into, and that's always a challenge. I believe the pressure, it's a privilege. This is what you want. We want to be in tough games. We want to be in tough moments, right? Because then the success is sweeter on the other side,” Carnell said.
“Going away is sometimes an easier objective, because it's us against the world, and we just have to focus on the things we can control, and that is our game model, our effort, and our opportunities.”
