• Matchday 33: Philadelphia Union vs New York City FC
• Date and Time: Saturday, October 4, 7:30 pm ET
• Venue: Subaru Park, Chester, PA
• Forecast: Unseasonably warm but pleasant, cooling as night goes on 70F/21C
• Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
• Apple Broadcast Team: Jessica Charman and Lori Lindsey (English), Diego Pessolano and Daniel Chapel (Spanish)
• New York City FC Radio: Glenn Crooks and Matty Lawrence (English), Roberto Abramowitz and Ariel Judas (Spanish)
• Officiating Crew: Jon Freemon (referee), Lyes Arfa and Ben Rigel (assistant referees), Edvin Jurisevic (fourth official), Robert Schaap (VAR), Muhammad Hassan (assistant VAR)
• Kits: New York City will wear the sky-blue Excelsior Kit; Philadelphia will wear the dark-blue-and-gold XV Kit
It's Matchday 33, and New York City FC continue to run this end-of-season gauntlet by jumping on the Acela to face the league-leading Philadelphia Union in the Raquinho Derby. It's a battle between two of the most in-form teams in Major League Soccer, with both sides boasting a record of 4W-0D-1L in the last five played.
Not only that, it's a showdown between away-game specialists New York City (undefeated in six on the road), and a Philadelphia that have a league-best home record of 11W-4D-1L (undefeated in 14 at Subaru Park).
Both Alonso Martínez and Matt Freese are expected to be available after being sidelined with injuries. That's good news for a New York City gunning for home-field advantage in Round One of the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs. The final table won't be set until Decision Day, but a win today, plus a loss or draw by Charlotte FC and Nashville SC, and a loss by Orlando City, and New York City will lock in a Top 4 spot in the East. Got that?
Bonus: A win will also give New York City seven road wins this season, equalling a club record. Not bad, considering that NYCFC had just one win in their first 10 away games.
Raquinho stole the show the last time these teams met at Subaru Park | Courtesy MLS and Apple TV
As for Philadelphia, a win will give them the 2025 Supporters' Shield. It will also set a club record for wins with 20, beating the 19 logged in 2022. Not bad for a team that every MLS pundit picked to finish as a Bottom 5 team — the one exception is Tom Bogert, formerly of Give Me Sport, who had them in 9th Place.
But will this high-stakes game with compare to the matchup at Subaru Park last year, when a raccoon later revealed as Raquinho interrupted the match, only for Hannes Wolf to score the game-winner in first-half stoppage time? Wolf might have been the Player of the Match, but it was Raquinho's performance that launched a thousand memes — and led to his very own Topps trading card.
It's a hard act to follow.
Hudson River Blue Staff
Oliver Strand
New York City vs Philadelphia H2H
| GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 12 | 2 | 11 | 36 | 38 | -2 |
New York City maintain a slight edge in the head-to-head despite Philadelphia's exceptional form in recent years. NYCFC's record since 2021 is 4W-1D-7L, with 12 goals scored and 19 goals allowed.
But NYCFC are surprisingly good at Subaru Park, where they have a record of 2W-0D-3L in their last five games, with seven goals scored and 10 goals allowed. The most recent win came last year, in the first (and only) Raquinho Derby.
Officiating Scouting Report
This will be the third NYCFC overseen by referee Jon Freemon this season, with all three coming on the road. Freemon oversaw the 2-2 draw with Nashville SC on May 31 in Matchday 17, and the punishingly hot 4-3 win over FC Dallas on July 25 in Matchday 24. Hudson River Blue readers gave Freemon a 5.7 rating for the draw with Nashville, and another 5.7 rating for the win over Dallas.
Hudson River Blue Staff
John Baney
New York City Scouting Report
• Player Availability: Winger Malachi Jones (broken leg), midfielder Keaton Parks (blood flow issues in leg), and left-back Nico Cavallo (leg) remain Out.
• As mentioned above, both goalkeeper Matt Freese and striker Alonso Martínez are available again after being sidelined with injuries.
• Three players – Maxi Moralez, Andrés Perea, and Julián Fernández – are one yellow card away from serving a one-match suspension (on Decision Day vs Seattle) due to accumulation.
• Will Alonso Martínez start? Nico Fernández Mercau was deadly filling in for the striker against Red Bulls — not only did Nico score in the 2' of the game, he could have added two assists if his teammates had been more clinical in front of goal. Head Coach Pascal Jansen could stick with what worked last week and start with Nico up top, with the option to bring on Alonso later.
• How will Jansen line up his midfield and defense against Philadelphia's attack? The Union's two-striker formation gives them a lot of firepower up top, but it asks a lot of the midfield. Could we see the same back four that handled Red Bulls last week, with Tayvon Gray on the right, Thiago Martins and Justin Haak in the middle, Raul Gustavo on the left acting as a hybrid center-back/wing-back?
Matthew Mangam
Philadelphia Scouting Report
• Player Availability: Midfielder Quinn Sullivan (ACL), midfielder Jeremy Rafanello (hamstring), and defender Francis Westfield (international duty) are Out.
• Forward Mikael Uhre (5 goals, 6 assists) and midfielder Indiana Vassilev (5 goals, 2 assists) are questionable as they continue to recover from mild injuries. Union Head Coach Bradley Carnell considers both to be game-day decisions.
• Looking to learn more about the Union? Be sure to read "Oppo Research: 5 Things about Philadelphia Union."
Matthew Mangam
