In partnership with

The feeling around Subaru Park after the late letdown Sunday night against NYCFC had a familiar ring to those of who remember the early days of the team underachieving in home openers. But for many of the fans in the stands - including my 8 and 10-year-old children - the very late letdown, the puzzling refereeing and the 0-2 hole the loss put the Union in to start the season was an unfamiliar one. The Supporters’ Shield hangover is in full effect and for the first time since 2019, the Philadelphia Union are point-less after two matches in MLS play.

In the email today:

1. 🐍 Union fall at home to NYC on stoppage time goal

A goal 9 minutes into second half stoppage time gave NYCFC and their traveling fans plenty to celebrate and left Philadelphia Union fans with more questions than answers after a 2-1 loss Sunday that put the reigning Supporters' Shield winners at 0-2 to start the season.

Tayvon Gray scored the late winner for the Pigeons with a strong header off a cross from Agustín Ojeda 10 minutes after an Indiana Vassilev penalty had leveled the game.

Vassilev's penalty - the team's first goal of their MLS campaign - was set up by a foul drawn in the box by substitute Stas Korzienowski but wasn't the first or last call from referee Chris Penso that left a stamp (or stench if you ask most Union fans) on the game.

Penso had denied the hosts a penalty in the 65th minute after taking a long look at contact on Jovan Lukic in the box, whistled a play dead for a head injury as the Union were breaking into the final third and in the second minute of stoppage time sent Olwethu Makhanya off with a second yellow after he protested a call for a goal kick. Makhanya's first yellow was arguably a harsh call for a clip on Maxi Moralez in NYC's half of the field.

The Union controlled the early part of the match - Danley Jean Jacques had a couple chances, Milan Iloski another - and looked more poised to score than they did in their 1-0 loss in D.C. to open the season but it was NYCFC who struck first in the 36th minute following a sustained period of possession on a goal from Hannes Wolf. Wolf hit woodwork in the 29th minute and Andre Blake made three saves in the build-up to the eventual breakthrough, two on Kevin O'Toole and one on Nicolás Fernández's initial attempt that led to Wolf goal.

Playing behind as they did in D.C. in week 1, the Union struggled to create clear chances on goal until the introduction of Korzienowski, who nearly found an equalizer with one of his first touches. Matt Freese was there to deny him a dream first MLS goal and the Philadelphia Union Academy grad stretched out to deny Nathan Harriel a promising look in the 81st minute.

With the Union pressing numbers forward, Seymour Reid had a golden opportunity in the 82nd minute to double NYC's advantage but it was Blake again who stepped up to deny Reid and keep the Union within striking distance. The Reid denial was one of 8 saves on the evening for Blake. Freese made three stops on the day against his former team.

The Union finished with a slight 2.1 to 2 xGA for the game but the rebuilt backline looked shaky and having a player sent off for the second straight game in MLS play for referee dissent (Ezekiel Alladoh was suspended after a straight red for dissent in D.C.) raises questions about the maturity and fortitude of a team that got substantially younger both in age and experience after their Supporters' Shield-winning 2025.

Smart starts here.

You don't have to read everything — just the right thing. 1440's daily newsletter distills the day's biggest stories from 100+ sources into one quick, 5-minute read. It's the fastest way to stay sharp, sound informed, and actually understand what's happening in the world. Join 4.5 million readers who start their day the smart way.

Join for free today!

2.💧Water Cooler: NYC Player Ratings

Weigh in on the individual performances in Sunday’s game with our Reader Player Ratings poll.

Who Was Your Most Outstanding Player from Round 1 vs Defence Force

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Cavan Sullivan (15)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Milan Iloski (0)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Stas Korzienowski (2)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Ezekiel Alladoh (3)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Alejandro Bedoya (0)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Jeremy Rafanello (1)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Other (0)
21 Votes

via @beehiiv polls

3. 📸 Social Post of the Day: 8 Years Ago

4. 🔗 Link Roundup

• Writer Greg Oldfield reacts to the Philadelphia Union’s start to the season on his new Backyard Pitches website.

• Evan Konigsberg was covering Sunday’s game for Philadelphia Soccer Now and filed this report: Union Equalize But Collapse Late.

• Todd Lewis of The Free Kick had three goals to breakdown in Sunday’s game.

• Mike Biggs, who held the scoring record at Delaware for 46 years and won a pair of National Amateur Cups with Philadelphia Inter, recently passed away.

• Leon Flach scored a banger, Kai Wagner avoided serious injury and more are in Owen Boyle’s latest DOOPing Overseas.

• Malik Yakupovic continued where he left off in MLS Next Pro at the end of last season with a goal to lead Philadelphia Union II to a season opening 1-0 win over Jackson Gilman and Toronto FC II.

• Stefan Chirila scored in FC Cincinnati 2’s opener, Paxten Aaronson had a hockey assist and more in the latest round-up of domestic pros with local ties.

• Fellow LEGO and soccer enthusiasts out there: the World Cup trophy and soccer ball sets are now available.

Thanks for reading! Have an item or suggestion for the newsletter? Want to become a sponsor? Email [email protected].

Want to support this newsletter? Upgrade your account 
for $1 per month or $10 per year.