The Philadelphia Union preseason will be streamed. Well at least the first game was. It was so great getting to watch the Union play the 2-0 score line really didn’t matter (that second goal was worth the price of admission). With Saprissa a month away there’s plenty of work to do but plenty of reasons to be optimistic as well. Let’s get this week started.

In the email today:

1. 🌴 Union Fall to Flamengo in First Preseason Match

After 57 days, the Philadelphia Union returned to play against Brazilian powerhouse Flamengo. The matchup was the first of five preseason games before facing Saprissa on February 22 in the Champions Cup.

The Union applied pressure to Flamengo directly off the opening whistle at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, creating multiple chances through Chris Donovan, Joaquin Torres, Quinn Sullivan, and Christopher Olney. As expected, the squad was heavily rotated, giving youngsters such as Jeremy Rafanello, Jamir Berdecio and Olwethu Makhanya opportunities to get minutes with the first team.

In the 12th minute, Flamengo’s Everton was taken down by Andre Blake for a penalty, which Pedro would then convert to give the opposing side an early lead. Later in the half, Everton caused problems again for the Boys in Blue, clinically curling a shot into the opposite corner of the net to double the lead for the Brazilian side.

The second half proved less eventful but had various substitutions for the Union. However, the scoreline remained the same in the end, and Flamengo took a 2-0 victory over the U.

While the stat sheet did not look promising for Philly, fans should keep their hands miles away from the panic button. The lineup brought forward a handful of new and (extremely) young faces for the Boys in Blue, most of whom will likely spend much of the 2024 season on the Union II.

-Brady Ferguson

2. 🇺🇸 Jack McGlynn Makes USMNT Debut

Philadelphia Union midfielder Jack McGlynn came off the bench in the 61st minute to make his senior national team debut for the United States on Saturday in San Antonio, Texas.

McGlynn showed poise and confidence and created a couple chances with his passing in his cameo but the U.S. wasn’t able to find a breakthrough in a 1-0 loss to Slovenia.

The 20-year-old from Queens became the eighth active Union player to feature with the USMNT and the first since Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie played in a friendly against El Salvador in December 2020. He joins Aaronson, McKenzie, Paxten Aaronson and Auston Trusty as academy grads who have featured for the senior national team.

Nathan Harriel will have to wait to make his senior national team debut after joining the team for his first training camp. The next scheduled match for the USMNT is a Concacaf Nations League semifinal against Jamaica scheduled for March 21.

3. 🐉 Tweet of the Day: Dono v Luiz

4. 💧 Water Cooler: Player Ratings

It was just a preseason game but it was also streamed so we’re doing our first community player ratings of 2024.

Player Ratings Poll

Results from Last Week: Another Striker was voted the biggest need for the Union, followed by re-signing Alejandro Bedoya

5. 🔗 Link Roundup

• It’s been a year since Vox Media announced they were pulling the plug on Brotherly Game and most of their other MLS websites. The site has lived on as an independent under the banner Philadelphia Soccer Now. Consider supporting the site with a membership, which gives full access to content, limited advertising and additional perks.

• Greg Oldfield has kicked off a new series on Dave MacWilliams, the early 1980s Philadelphia soccer star. (Use code FREEPASS to access)

• Jared Young makes a case FOR Jay Sugarman, principal owner of the Philadelphia Union. (Use code FREEPASS to access)

• Gavin Wilkinson is (thankfully) out after an enormous backlash to his hiring at Sporting Kansas City.

• Philadelphia Inquirer writer Jonathan Tannenwald was at the Union match in St. Petersburg yesterday and got some updates from Jim Curtin post-game.

• The first place Philly Spartans scored a last minute winner in MASL 3 action over the weekend.

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