Match Preview: Union Aim to Rebound Against Surging Orlando City in Early MLS Rematch
MLS’s two highest-scoring offenses clash for the second time in seven weeks, but this time, the Union will be without Kai Wagner.
Chester — The Union (4-2-0, 12 pts) are looking to bounce back against Orlando City (3-2-1, 10 pts) after suffering a 2-1 defeat in Fort Lauderdale against Inter Miami last weekend.
It’s a little unusual for these two teams to meet again so soon, just six weeks after their MLS opening day clash, where the Union secured a 4-2 victory in Orlando. Since that game, Orlando has found its stride, posting a 3-1-1 record over their last five matches. Their most recent triumph was a dramatic 2-1 win over LA Galaxy on the road, with two goals in the final 14 minutes sealing the comeback.
Union head coach Bradley Carnell reflected on the quick rematch: “I think it’s a unique situation. Usually, you face teams on match day one and match day 18, not match day seven. So, again, we saw them a little over a month ago. What has changed? What can change? They have their way, we have our way.” He emphasized that both teams are familiar with each other’s tactics, adding, “Pretty much everybody knows exactly what we’re trying to do. I think it’s going to be the matchups on the day that make the difference.”
Orlando’s recent form suggests they’ll arrive with confidence. “We can acknowledge and see what happened and how the game went in Orlando,” Carnell said. “But I think they come here with a lot of spirit, a lot of energy, turning around a game that—playing away from home on the West Coast is never easy. And they got the result in the fashion that they did. I’m sure they’re going to be energetic, and it’s going to be a tough opponent.”
Orlando City leads the league with 15 goals, powered by Marco Pašalić and Martín Ojeda, who have four goals each. Forward Luis Muriel is also hitting his stride, with three goals in his last four appearances, while promising right back Alex Freeman is making an early case for MLS’s 22 Under 22 list, contributing two goals and an assist in six appearances. Carnell highlighted Orlando’s threats during his Thursday press conference.
“They have many qualities, especially in transition with Pašalić. These are known things that we experienced before, just a month ago. And they’ve gone on to prove it every single game now that [Iván] Angulo, Pašalić, and Duncan McGuire are fit and ready to go again. So, yeah, we’re going to expect a tough matchup.”
Like Orlando, the Union also have plenty of quality in their team, especially in the forward group with Tai Baribo, Mikael Uhre, and Bruno Damiani. The Union have scored the second-highest number of goals in MLS this season with 13, with their forwards accounting for eight of those. Tai Baribo leads the team and the league with six goals, while Mikael Uhre and Bruno Damiani have each added one goal early in the season.
“Yeah, I think there are fluctuations within each week, right? I think there are moments where we have conversations or we see in training with certain relationships, and we make certain teams and see how that clicks,” Carnell said. “We’re trying to work on our connectedness as a group, especially with the front group. And we see who’s ticking on all cylinders and who’s ticking the boxes, I would say. It’s never easy. It’s never an easy decision. It’s really tough.”
We’ve seen early on that Carnell has opted for the Baribo/Uhre partnership up top, with those two starting five of the Union’s six games this season. Uhre and Damiani started against St. Louis CITY a few weeks ago when Baribo was away with Israel on international duty. Though the early part of the season has been Baribo/Uhre, Carnell has emphasized competition within the squad.
“And I said it a couple of weeks ago, I love the competition, and yeah, I think we’ve reaped the rewards of that because everyone who has come in is playing with something or playing for something and playing to get a starting spot or to maintain that starting spot,” Carnell said. “So the pressure is high, which is positive pressure. I don’t think it’s pressure we have to shy away from; I think it’s pressure that we have to embrace, and yeah, we’re going to need everybody. Like I said, there are enough games down the line for everyone to get the minutes.”
Selecting Baribo/Uhre early on makes a lot of sense because of the chemistry the two have formed, which began last season. Uhre may not be adding the goals that Union fans have hoped for, but he continues to find himself in good scoring positions, and his pressing is something Carnell values tremendously.
Despite only scoring one goal each so far this season, Damiani is second on the Union with seven shots on target, tied for fourth in MLS with several players, just four behind league leader Christian Benteke. Mikael Uhre is third on the Union with six shots on target, tied for fifth with several players in MLS.
Though the goals aren’t there yet for the two forwards, it’s promising that 1) the Union are creating a ton of chances for their forwards, and 2) both players keep getting themselves into good positions.
I’m not sure this is a game where we’ll see Baribo and Damiani start up top because Uhre has three goals in seven appearances against Orlando City and leads the team with 17 shots against the Lions. I do think Uhre’s past success against Orlando is something Carnell will value, but Damiani will definitely get the chance to play a part in this game.
Kai Wagner Injury Update
Kai Wagner missed last week’s game against Inter Miami due to an abdominal injury. It was his first missed MLS game since October 4, 2023, against Atlanta United, when he sat out due to a yellow card suspension. During that same season, he missed five games due to muscle injuries.
With no Wagner available, Frankie Westfield slotted in at left back, a position he’s familiar with, having played there 30 times last season for Union II.
When Carnell was asked about Wagner’s availability for the match against Orlando City, he said ,“Not sure, I think it's still questionable. We don't want to push anything and then get delayed by multiple weeks so you know right now I think yeah in the next sort of 24 hours we'll know if he can be eligible for this weekend but I don't think so.”
Carnell mentioned that the injury happened in training, but he wouldn’t disclose much more information about Wagner’s injury.
Series History (MLS Play Only)
The Union and Orlando City have played a total of 21 times in league play, with the Union leading the series 8-7-6. The Union are 5-4-1 at Subaru Park against Orlando, but they have lost their last two meetings (3-2 and 2-1).
When the Union and Orlando City played six weeks ago, the Union won 4-2, with goals from Dániel Gazdag, Mikael Uhre, and a brace from Tai Baribo, while Marco Pašalić scored a brace for Orlando.
The Union conceded in the 8th minute to Pašalić, then went on to score the next four goals in the match. Andre Blake finished the game with five saves.
Six current Union players have scored against Orlando City: Dániel Gazdag (4), Mikael Uhre (3), Tai Baribo (2), Alejandro Bedoya, Kai Wagner, and Quinn Sullivan (1). For Orlando, five current players have scored against the Philadelphia Union: Duncan McGuire (3), Luis Muriel, Martín Ojeda, and Marco Pašalić (2), and Iván Angulo (1).
Player Availability Report
Philadelphia Union
Kai Wagner - Oblique (Out)
Orlando City
Wilder Cartagena – Achilles (Out)
Favian Loyola – Thigh (Out)
Nico Rodríguez - Thigh (Out)
Where to Watch
The match will be available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. EST, April 5.
Video credit: Philadelphia Union
When I think of Orlando, I always think of El Brujo's rocket.