An exciting match-up between the top two scoring offenses in MLS fizzled Saturday night on the banks of the Delaware River as a yellow card happy, but inconsistent referee took the spotlight away from the goal-scorers in a drab scoreless draw. It’s the kind of battle the Union will have to fight again at home this season as teams come in with a game plan of mucking up the game but as was the case in Fort Lauderdale the finishing ultimately let the attack down. Kai Wagner can’t return to the lineup soon enough.

In the email today:

1. 🏟️ Attacks fizzle in scoreless draw between top-scoring teams

In a fixture that produced six goals in Orlando in late February, Saturday night’s meeting between the top two highest scoring teams in MLS promised goals that frustratingly never came.

Instead the script flipped to the Union’s favor much the way it did for Orlando but this time neither team found the back of the net. Like Orlando did at home, the Union had advantages on possession, shots, shots on target and expected goals. They outshot Orlando 20-6 and had 4 shots on target to Orlando’s 3, maintained 57.6 possession percentage and had a 1.6 xG to Orlando’s 0.6.

Missing Kai Wagner for the second straight game took away what has been their biggest weapon of the season, the left-footed crosses into the box to Tai Baribo. Baribo registered a pair of shots but had his lowest xG of the season at 0.1 and is now scoreless in his last three. Bruno Damiani replaced Mikael Uhre in the starting lineup and led the team with four shots, including a chance set up by a Daniel Gazdag cross that Damiani was unable to redirect past Pedro Gallese. Gallese, who conceded four goals in the first meeting, was not challenged enough with the chances the Union had on the night and it was the visitors who looked more likely to find a breakthrough.

Andre Blake’s three saves and a big defensive recovery tackle in the box by Danley Jean Jacques were instrumental in preserving the Union’s third clean sheet of the season and second for Blake, who is now one away from hitting 100 clean sheets for his Union career in all competitions.

As has been the case in games at Subaru Park this season, the referee played an outsized role, most notably on Saturday in a no-call on a penalty shout late in the match when Uhre was taken down in the box by Rodrigo Schlegel, who was beaten on the play. Referee Ismir Pekmic booked nine players on the night with four yellows to the Union and five to Orlando.

The gritty and frustrating nature of the match ultimately played into the visitors’ favor and was indicative of how teams want to try to beat the Union on their home turf. Remaking Subaru Park as a fortress is still a work in progress even under new management but it’s one that ultimately will need to be solved to return the Union to past glory. The Union will get Atlanta United and DC United – a past cure for all ails – at home in back to back weekends after visiting Citi Field to play NYCFC next weekend. Playing on a baseball diamond away from home brings its own challenges but the Union have also shown their road resiliency two wins out of three matches played away from home.

The game is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start and will be broadcast live on MLS Season Pass.

2. 🩼 Ian Glavinovich Self-Reports Meniscus Tear

Philadelphia Union defender Ian Glavinovich shared a post on his Instagram account on Sunday saying that he tore his meniscus in Saturday night’s scoreless draw with Orlando City.

The Argentine defender, who is on loan from Newell’s Old Boys for the season, posted a video of the play in the 8th minute that he says the injury occurred.

The Philadelphia Union have not confirmed the injury and it’s unclear what the time table will be for the 24-year-old to recover but the Union will presumably be even thinner at the position in the coming weeks with just Jakob Glesnes, Olwethu Makhanya and Neil Pierre on first team contracts and Nathan Harriel as an option to play centrally. Ramzi Qawasmy could also potentially be loaned from Union II for depth if needed.

Injuries have slowed the talented center back in the past. According to Transfermarkt, Glavinovich missed 11 games due to injury in the 2024-2025 season with Newell’s Old Boys and three the previous season.

Glavinovich has logged 257 hours this season in 3 starts and 4 appearances. He scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over St. Louis City in his first start on March 22 and helped the Union record their second clean sheet of the season on Saturday night.

3. 📣 Social Post of the Day: Recap

4. 💧 Water Cooler: Player Ratings Poll

Weigh in on the performances and share your thoughts of Saturday’s scoreless draw in our Player Ratings Poll.

5. 🔗 Link Roundup

• Philadelphia Soccer Now contributor Quentin Hall was in the stands at Subaru Park on Saturday and shared five thoughts after the match.

• Local teams went 1-3 on Sunday in the first round of the Region 1 USASA Amateur Cup.

• La Salle and Saint Joseph’s will meet in Saturday’s Philly Soccer 6 Cup championship game at WSFS Bank Sportsplex. La Salle advanced to the final with a 2-1 win over Temple on Friday night and Saint Joe’s booked their spot outlasting Drexel in a penalty shootout after a scoreless draw on Sunday. Rider and Drexel will meet in the third place game and Temple and Villanova will face off for fifth place in the games on Saturday, which kick off simultaneously at 8 p.m.

• Albright College and Bryn Athyn College have announced a partnership to smooth athlete transfers in the wake of Bryn Athyn discontinuing their NCAA athletics program, which includes men’s and women’s soccer.

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