• Matchday 2: Philadelphia Union vs New York City FC
• Date and Time: Sunday, March 1, 4:30 pm ET
• Venue: Subaru Park, Chester, PA
• Forecast: Crisp and cool, 40F/4C
• Watch: Apple TV
• Apple Broadcast Team: Callum Williams and Lori Lindsey (English), Bruno Vain and Andres Agulla (Spanish)
• New York City FC Radio: Glenn Crooks and Matty Lawrence (English), Roberto Abramowitz and Ariel Judas (Spanish)
• Officiating Crew: Chris Penso (referee), Kathryn Nesbitt and Eric Weisbrod (assistant referees), Luis Diego Arroyo (4th official), Daniel Radford and Jonathan Johnson (VAR)
• Kits: New York City are in the sky-blue Excelsior Kit, Philadelphia in the dark-blue 1776 Kit introduced this season
It’s Matchday 2, and New York City FC is in the suburbs of the City of Brotherly Love to face Philadelphia Union. Both teams are looking for their first win of the season after NYCFC drew LA Galaxy 1-1 on the road despite finishing up a player, and the Union lost to DC United after former Philadelphia striker Tai Baribo scored against his old team.
If New York City are to get the win, they’ll need to compensate for the lack of a proper No 9: Last week, the squad combined for zero shots on target from open play, with the team’s lone goal courtesy of a penalty converted by Nico Fernández Mercau.
Nico will likely serve as the team’s nominal No 9 again today, even though, as Andrew Leigh noted in these pages, he isn’t a traditional striker. Instead, he prefers “to drop into the midfield” and “try to cut in from the wide areas.” Or, we might get a longer look at Talles Magno, who appeared as a late-game substitute in Los Angeles. Could he return to the striker role that was handed to him in 2023, and that he was asked to hand back in 2024?
On the other end of the field, a rebuilt Philadelphia are looking to discover their league form. The team that won the Supporters’ Shield last year lost key players in Baribo, defender Jakob Glesnes, and wingback Kai Wagner — Philadelphia are known for shedding their skin every offseason, moving established players in order to bring in new talent, so there’s nothing new here. But they will be without their marquee signing this transfer window after striker Ezequiel Alladoh earned a red card against DC, thinning out the squad.
The referee today will be Chris Penso, who officiated three New York City games last year — all of which were 1-0 losses. Penso called more fouls on NYCFC than on their opponents by a combined 46 to 26, and showed the Pigeons more yellow cards by a combined 7 to 4.
Andrew Leigh
New York City vs Philadelphia H2H
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 13 | 2 | 12 | 37 | 39 | -2 |
New York City have a one-game advantage in the historic head-to-head after breaking Philadelphia’s recent dominance: NYCFC have a record of 3W-0D-2L in the last five games played, including two wins at Subaru Park. Those results go a long way to offset the previous run of games, when Philadelphia won all five matches the two sides contested in 2022 and 2023.
NYCFC won the most recent match between the two, when the Pigeons upset Philadelphia 1-0 in the MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinal. It was a result that shocked the league, with a New York City that were missing Alonso MartĂnez and AndrĂ©s Perea to injuries outplaying the Supporters’ Shield winners at Subaru Park.
Oliver Strand
New York City Scouting Report
• Player Availability: AndrĂ©s Perea (leg), Alonso MartĂnez (knee), and Malachi Jones (leg) are Out.
• Who will be wearing their scoring boots today? New York City dominated the flow of the game for most of last week’s draw with LA Galaxy, but the toothless attack didn’t put a single shot on goal from open play. This is a lineup that can create chances, but it needs to find a finisher.
• Could 17-year-old Seymour Reid see playing time? The team’s only natural No 9, Reid is still adjusting to the physicality and pace of MLS, and has yet to see substantial minutes with the First Team.
• The smart money is on seeing more Keaton Parks today. The midfielder came on late in last week’s draw, and the attack looked much more dangerous with him on the field.
Andrew Leigh
Philadelphia Scouting Report
• Player Availability: Striker Edward Davis and midfielder Quinn Sullivan are Out. Striker Ezequiel Alladoh is suspended after earning a red card in Matchday 1.
• Expect Bruno Damiani to spearhead Philadelphia’s attack. The striker scored twice in the 5-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago’s Defence Force FC on February 18 in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.
• In fact, the Concacaf Champions Cup is proving to be a morale-booster for the Union, who won the Round 1 matches by an aggregate score of 12-0. Philadelphia might have been held goalless by DC on MLS Matchday 1, but a total of nine Philadelphia players scored on Defence Force, with braces from Damiani, striker Stas Korzeniowski, and 16-year-old midfielder Cavan Sullivan.
• Philadelphia just signed left back Philippe Ndinga from Swedish Allsvenskan side Degerfors IF, but the 20-year-old Kai Wagner replacement won’t be available to play today.
• Itching to learn more about this new-look Union? Hudson River Blue senior writer Matthew Mangam spoke to JosĂ© Roberto Nuñezof Jose’s Union Substack to learn more about the 2026 iteration of Philadelphia for “Oppo Research: 5 Things about Philadelphia Union.”
Matthew Mangam
Updated 3:30 pm ET: The Starting XIs are out for both teams.
Head Coach Pascal Jansen makes one change to the XI that drew Los Angeles Galaxy last week, starting Keaton Parks over Kai Trewin. But the overall lineup remains the same, with Drew Baiera, Maximo Carrizo, Talles Magno, Seymour Reid, Jonny Shore, and Trewin available off the bench.
Philadelphia make three changes to the Starting XI that lost to DC United last week, with striker Milan Iloski in for the suspended Ezekiel Alladoh, midfielder Jovan Lukic in for Jesus Bueno, Agustin Anello filling out the midfield, and Francis Westfield starting in defense. Strikers Stas Korzeniowski and Sal Olivas, and midfielder Cavan Sullivan, are available off the bench.
Updated 5:29 pm ET: Halftime, Philadelphia Union 0-1 New York City FC
After the Union dominated the run of play for the first 20 minutes of the game, NYCFC took control and began testing goalkeeper Andre Blake. The Pigeons found their first goal from open play in the 2026 season in the 36th minute, when Hannes Wolf finished a team goal.
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Hannes Wolf scores on Philadelphia Union to make it 1-0 | Courtesy newyorkcityfc.com and Apple TV
Keaton Parks started the play, with the ball passing through Aiden O’Neill, Maxi Moralez, and AgustĂn Ojeda, before Nico Fernández Mercau’s deflected shot fell to Wolf. The Austrian sent his left-footed shot past Blake.
The half finished with New York City ahead on xG (1.39 to 2.8), possession (60% to 40%), big chances (2 to 0), and passes (305 to 195). Philadelphia placed four shots on target, all of which were saved by Matt Freese.
Updated 6:39 pm ET: Full Time, Philadelphia Union 1-2 New York City FC
New York City won at Subaru Park after a messy second half that saw the Union attack assert itself, culminating in a questionable penalty goal awarded to Philadelphia in the 89th minute. Indiana Vassilev converted it to even the score, but then defender Olwethu Makhanya earned a second yellow card two minutes later to reduce Philadelphia to 10 players.
Jansen was also shown yellow while on the sidelines, as New York City desperately tried to score in the 10 minutes of stoppage time added to the game. The breakthrough finally came through in the 99th minute, when Ojeda lifted a cross that Tayvon Gray headed down so that it bounced under the outstretched arms of Andre Blake for the winner.
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It was an exceptional header, and just the second MLS goal of Gray’s career: Tonight, New York City’s striker-less lineup was saved by a right-back who channeled the instincts of an attacker.
Hudson River Blue Staff
