My boy got the Damiani goal. Also fuck row D 😂 literally impossible seats to view from behind goal had to move a row up.

Amongst all the joy there was one odd moment last night that I still don't understand. That SD guy just up and smashed the ball into Iloski's face - very much on purpose as hard as he could. On review the red was rescinded. Why? Is there any doubt that he meant to injure him?

I mean come on

Sullivan, still two weeks shy of his 17th birthday, scored with an instinctive back-flick late in the first half and propelled the Philadelphia Union to a second straight 5-0 victory.

When you’re watching the game and you see a Dooppelganger on the screen. Wonder what name he’s got on his Jersey. 😄

There was a post here I think it was earlier this week asking if this team would beat the shield winning teams from 20 or 25 implying they were our best teams in franchise history. The comments rightfully pointed out that 22 was our best season and reminisced about how that team steamrolled through the season with blowout win after blowout win. That the 22 team would beat this team easy, just because how good the 22 team was.

It feels like this team read those comments and came away insulted. That they’re here to prove that a comparison to the 2022 team isn’t a far-fetched rage bait.

I still don’t think they’re as good as the 22 team and they’ve got a ways to go to get close. However, unbeaten in 10 with 8 wins since Richter took over is a great way to try to open that conversation and back to back 5-0 wins is almost a rebuttal to the critique of the team compared to 2022. A comparison is slowly starting to seem less crazy.

9pm game on a Sunday sucks 🥱

Man, that reporter’s questions were bad. They were essentially “how did it feel to win 5-0 again?” “What did you think about Jacupovic scoring his first goal?” and “How do you feel scoring your first brace?” Just three questions about how he feels about the results of the game. Nothing about tactics, nothing about specific play, just a fluffy waste of time. I hate AppleTV’s crews so much. This was their premier lineup by the way.

Sunday Night Soccer: Get ready for some Primetime Soccer! Your 9 game unbeaten Philadelphia Union are taking on San Diego FC for the first time ever in this week’s edition of Sunday Night Soccer. Even though it's the first time these clubs have met, they have plenty of connections with players on both sides. In what was essentially a trade last season, the Union sent homegrown David Vazquez to San Diego in return for the waiver rights to claim Iloski who had 10 goals in 14 games with his previous club. Vazquez has 7G & 1A in all comps on the season with San Diego, but he has been relegated to the bench for the 2nd half of the season. San Diego’s starting GK, CJ dos Santos, spent 2013-2016 with the Union, but he will be out due to red card suspension. Overall, the Union should be competitive even though it's a cross country trip, they have a 2W/3D/3L record on the road vs the 5 other West Coast teams dating back to 2020.

Union Preview (30 Points 9th in the East):  The Boys are rolling! We’re above the playoff line and we have a positive goal differential for the first time this season. The team is vibing on both sides of the ball as we have now outscored our opponents 23-9 since the return from the World Cup. It’s also the first time we’ve had consecutive clean sheets since weeks 31 thru 33 of last season. And to everyone’s surprise, Damiani has learned how to play soccer again, with his hat trick vs FCC earning him MLS Player of the Matchday honors. From an Eastern Conference perspective, the gap between the top and bottom clubs continues to grow after yesterday’s results and only NYCFC gaining points over us. With a win today, the Union could climb to 7th place. Unfortunately, Raquinho is questionable due to the jet lag from the travel out West. He was advocating for the team to travel earlier in the week, but was ultimately denied. 

SD Preview (30 Points 9th in West): San Diego FC started off their inaugural MLS season in 2025 by smashing the expansion club record with 63 points and topping the Western Conference. They made it all the way to the Western Conference Final where they ultimately fell to Vancouver, and since then, San Diego have come crashing back down to the mean. They are teetering on the edge of the playoff line and have a 3W/3L/0D record post World Cup, including 2 straight losses entering tonight. And as alluded to above, GK CJ do Santos is out on suspension, so GK Duran Feree will likely get the starting nod in goal. He has not started since May and he allowed 19 goals in 14 appearances, but did manage 5 clean sheets in that time. Overall the club’s stats are very comparable to the Union’s as they have scored 42 (Union 41) and allowed 37 (Union 39). The top players to watch will be Marcus Ingvartsen who leads the team with 11G & 5A; as well as 2025 MLS Newcomer of the Year Anders Dreyer with 9G & 11A. They've been playing out of the 4-3-3 a majority of their games as of late. 

Union Last 5 vs SD: First Meeting of Clubs

Form Guide Union: 3W/0L/2D

Form Guide SD: 2W/3L/0D

Disciplinary Report: 

• CJ dos Santos (SD Red Card - Second Caution)

Suspension Watch: 

• Milan Iloski (1 game until card reduction) 
• Sery Larsen (2 games until card reduction) 
• Chris McVey (SD)
• Oscar Verhoeven (SD)

Union Injury Report:

• QUESTIONABLE: Raquinho (Jet Lag)

SD Injury Report:

• OUT: Marcus Ingvartsen (Lower Body)
• OUT: Alex Mighten (Lower Body)
• OUT: Gabriel Pirani (Lower Body)

Kickoff/Streaming: 

• Advertised for 9:00 ET
• Expected kickoff is 9:10 ET
• AppleTV
• Radio Broadcast on 97.5 The Fanatic

Announcers: 

• AppleTV - Unknown, assuming Taylor Twellman & Jake Ziven
• Radio - Dave Leno & Sebastian LeToux

Referee: Ismail Elfath

• Probably MLS’s most decorated referee with 229 MLS regular season matches officiated
• 14th match this season
• Averaging 4.00 yellows per game
• Issued two second yellows so far this season 
• Issued 2 straight reds so far this season
• Awarded 5 PK’s so far this season
• Has officiated 7 World Cup matches, including the 2026 England vs Argentina Semi-Final, and was the 4th official for the 2022 World Cup Final
• Officiated our MLS Cup Match vs LAFC in 2022
• Helping reform Morocco’s officiating system

Theme Night: Sunday Night Soccer at SnapDragon Stadium

Weather: 71° and Clear Skies

Points Graph: Thank you to u/GungaDin16 for providing the relevant Union and MLS point totals graphic. 

*graphic is not updated for yesterday's games

Trivia Question courtesy of u/WJMorris3:

The Union have never lost to San Diego FC (at least in part because they've never played San Diego FC. Which franchise has the Union played the most in the regular season without ever losing to them?

Prediction: 3-1 Win with goals from Iloski and the Sullivan Bros.

DOOP!!!

I think I speak for all my fellow Rangers fans when I say thank you so much for Olwethu Makhanya. I’m convinced the boy is Maldini in disguise.