You can only beat the team in front of you and win one game at a time, but after going winless in the first part of the season Subaru Park is becoming a difficult place to play again. The New York Red Bulls do what they usually do in Chester and a depleted Seattle Sounders couldn’t find a way through a back line back under the leadership of veteran Kai Wagner and just like that the Union are 2-0 and out of last place to start the post-World Cup stretch.

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By Evan Konigsberg

Milan Iloski stayed red hot and scored in his fifth straight game in the Union’s 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday night. The win was the Union’s second in a row and their third in the 2026 MLS Season.

The Union entered Saturday night’s match with a chance to rise from the bottom spot in the Supporters’ Shield standings. Coming off their first home win of the season on Wednesday against Red Bull, the Union have appeared to be energized by the returns of Kai Wagner, Quinn Sullivan, and Neil Pierre from their times away from the club. Interim Head Coach Ryan Richter selected Wagner and Pierre in the starting eleven on Saturday. Wagner earned his 200th career MLS start, and Pierre earned his first, becoming the 17th Union homegrown to earn an MLS start for the Union.

The visiting Seattle Sounders found themselves in an interesting spot going into Saturday’s match. The Sounders entered Saturday’s match sitting 6th in the Western Conference, but had lost each of their last four MLS matches before Saturday. After a strong start to the season, the injury bug has hit Seattle, who had eight players named on the injury report for Saturday’s match. In addition, stalwart center back Jackson Ragen was sent off late in Seattle’s last match, leaving them even thinner in defense.

The match started in a midfield battle, with neither side generating any clear-cut chances. Seattle had a chance just outside of the first 15 minutes when Paul Arriola played Osaze De Rosario in behind, but Nate Harriel recovered brilliantly to block the shot and force a corner kick. The Union took the lead on a brilliant team goal right past the half-hour mark. Frankie Westfield played a brilliant curled long ball to the streaking Milan Iloski, who lobbed Andrew Thomas to put the Union ahead. Iloski continues a red-hot streak in MLS, scoring in five consecutive games on either side of the World Cup break with a total of seven goals in that span. The Union carried their 1-0 lead into the second half.

The Union had a chance to double their lead in the second half. Just after the hour mark, Cavan Sullivan intercepted a square pass in midfield. Driving forward, he played a through ball to Iloski, who poked past Thomas and into the net. However, the flag went up for offside. It was a great transition opportunity for the Union, one on which Sullivan could have released the ball a touch or two earlier.

Despite a flurry of late counter-attack chances, the Union never took a chance to double their lead. Still, the beat-up Sounders could not create much of a chance past Harriel and Pierre, who was rock solid in first MLS start. The Union successfully killed off the match, claiming a 1-0 win.

The Union return to action next Saturday at Subaru Park. They will face Atlanta United in a battle at the bottom of the MLS Supporters’ Shield standings. Atlanta will pursue their first win in 7 matches, and the Union will look to extend their winning streak to three matches.

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