The Philadelphia Union are in Orlando tonight looking for their second win of the season against fellow struggle bus passenger Orlando City. As they head back to the pitch the big news off the field this week is that Frankie Westfield avoided serious injury and the Union player payroll (for the first time in team history) is dead last in the 30-team league.

In the email today:

1. 💰 Union Dead Last in Player Payroll

By Jared Young

Spring is here. The flowers are blooming. The bees are buzzing. The MLS players’ salaries are public. And that means Philadelphia Union fans are spewing their vitriol at ownership. Perhaps they have a gripe. The new report ranks the Union dead last in player compensation, and the wisdom goes that money buys talent and talent wins games. It just so happens the Union are currently 29th in a 30-team table. Those two things equal an “ownership group with no ambition.” 

But is that really what ails the Union? Ambition? Let’s maybe not be so angry. Let’s smell those flowers and listen to what those bees are saying.

The Union are paying their players (and their agents) $11.7 million this season, which is 5% lower than the next team Sporting KC, and 43% lower than the median team. That figure is also lower than their wage bill in 2025, which was $13.4 million. But these expenses don’t include business done with other clubs. According to transfermarkt.com, the Union were net buyers this offseason, to the tune of $3.65 million. Ezekiel Alladoh and Agustin Anello required large fees not matched by the sales of Tai Baribo and Kai Wagner. Including those figures means the net outlay for this season is $15.4 million, which would rank them a tad higher at #23 (of course, that assumes that the other teams ahead of them weren’t net buyers).

To go one level deeper, the Union also rank dead last in paying offensive players. Only $4.6 million of their tally goes to the offensive end of the field. While the transfer fees were expensive, they were paying for youthful potential and not on the field talent. The Union offense ranks near the bottom of the league with 9 offensive goals all season. Not good.

The problem with the conventional wisdom is that money isn’t really predictive of winning in MLS. The next lowest team in terms of investing in offensive players is Real Salt Lake, and their offense is perfectly fine at 1.8 goals per game. The league’s best team, the San Jose Earthquakes, are near bottom of the league in player compensation. Last year, the Union won the Supporters’ Shield with a paltry set of wages, and the examples continue. 

The current correlation between player compensation and the league table is 0.27. That’s not very high. It’s actually a good bit higher than recent years, indicating that finally money is starting to matter a wee bit. The conventional wisdom is so obvious in the top leagues around the world – money does buy trophies – and that might be starting to happen in MLS. But let’s be clear, it’s not true yet.

That said, the Union are also playing with fire here. Taking their compensation level and using that correlation to predict their expected points results in 1.18 per game. That’s not good enough to make the playoffs. So they KNOW their investment isn’t enough to put them in the playoffs on average. They clearly think they are smarter than everyone else. Having built a consistently competitive team over the last decade, they believe in their formula of a strong academy combined with a consistent track record of finding uncut gems internationally. But spending so little will, on average, lead to terrible seasons like this. The risks they took haven’t panned out, and the season is a disaster. 

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2. 🚌 Struggle buses clash as the Union face Orlando

By Brady Ferguson

The scoring and the scoreless. Orlando City and Philadelphia could not be more different in their recent form. Two 4-3 thriller victories propelled Orlando to victories in three of their last five matches.

The Union is winless in five, blanked in two of their last three matches. Both teams sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Who will break through before the World Cup break?​

Orlando Keys to Success

Relentless pressure and defensive consistency will propel Orlando to victory in this match. The goals are coming in waves, and the Union struggles to keep teams off the board. If they score enough, this struggling Philadelphia offense will be unable to keep up with the attacking prowess of the Lions.

Union Keys to Success

If there was a time to turn it around, it would be Wednesday night. A short week provides its own challenges, but the Union needs to beat the teams within its grasp. If they can get things going on the offensive side of the ball, the defense can hold its own enough to propel the team to victory.

There’s plenty of season left, and the Union sits just nine points behind the playoff line.

You can catch the match on Apple TV+ at 7:30 p.m.

3.💧Water Cooler: Biggest Bargain

4. ✍️ Social Post of the Day: BA Assists

5. 🔗 Link Roundup

• Philadelphia Union II is in Chester tonight kicking off against New England Revolution II at 7 p.m.

• Summer soccer is here! Evan Konigsberg takes a look at the Mid-Atlantic Division of USL League Two and power ranks the teams.

• With many overseas leagues wrapping up soon, former Philadelphia Union players abroad are looking to end their seasons on a high note.

• Franklin & Marshall men’s soccer coach Dan Wagner released his book American Ubuntu: A Team That Refused To Break on Mother’s Day.

• Check out the latest headlines in World Soccer News.

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