The Philadelphia Union are off to the Windy City to face Chicago Fire FC in a high-stakes midweek Eastern Conference matchup on Wednesday, October 14.
To watch the Boys in Blue continue their playoff push, tune in on Apple TV at 8:30pm ET.
History in the making
The Philadelphia Union picked up their seventh straight win and extended their club-record unbeaten streak to 13 matches on Saturday night with a 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake. It was the team's first match back following two weeks without play due to the international break, and with five starters returning from international duty, the Boys in Blue maintained their dominant run of form in front of the Philly faithful.
Bruno Damiani opened the scoring, notching his ninth goal of the season in the 31st minute. Milan Iloski added another in the second half after a lengthy VAR review ultimately went in favor of Philly. With the goal, Iloski remains in the Golden Boot race, tied for third in MLS with 17 goals this season.
As it stands
Philly sits sixth in the East with 42 points following its post-World Cup run under Interim Head Coach Ryan Richter. With less than a month remaining in the MLS regular season before Decision Day on November 7, there is still plenty of opportunity for the Union to climb the standings.
Between now and Decision Day, Philly will face four of the five teams currently above them in the Eastern Conference. Wednesday's opponent sits third with 48 points, meaning a road victory would not only add three points to Philly's total but also prevent Chicago from further solidifying its position near the top of the East.
"[Chicago] is going to be a really big test for us. Probably the biggest test for this group since we've been coaching," Richter said Monday. "This is probably the biggest game that we've had to play, and now, with the run that we're in, to play against a really good team like Chicago, it's a chance for us to show that we belong in the position we are in the league, and we're going to continue to push forward to now compete against the top teams in the Eastern Conference."
Players to watch
- Robert Lewandowski joined Chicago Fire in the summer, and the 38-year-old Polish striker has made an immediate impact. The former Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona star has six goals and three assists through his first 12 MLS regular-season appearances.
- Former Union center back Jack Elliott has become a leader in Chicago Fire's backline, wearing the captain's armband under Head Coach Gregg Berhalter. The 31-year-old played eight seasons in Philly before signing with Chicago in 2025.
- 21-year-old Mbekezeli Mbokazi was part of South Africa's World Cup campaign this summer alongside former Union defender Olwethu Makhanya. Chicago announced in August that he would miss the remainder of the season with a thigh injury, but he recovered quicker than anticipated and has since returned to the starting lineup.
Notes to know
- The Union own the longest active winning streak in MLS, having won seven consecutive regular-season matches to establish a new club record.
- With a win against Chicago Fire FC, the Union would become just the third MLS club in the post-shootout era to win eight consecutive matches in a single season.
- The Union are unbeaten in their last 13 MLS matches, outscoring opponents 38-15 (+23) during that stretch.
- Ryan Richter became the first head coach in MLS history to go unbeaten through his first 13 regular-season matches.
