Match Thoughts: Union 4, Orlando City 2

The Union made a solid first impression in Bradley Carnell's first game as head coach.

As far as first impressions go, the Philadelphia Union passed the test under first-year head coach Bradley Carnell.

The 4-2 score line against Orlando City is what will catch the headlines. No one really expected the Union to go in and get a result. And even if they did, no one was incredibly bullish on the young back line holding together.

Thanks to a handful of mistakes by the host Lions and far fewer defensive mistakes than the 2024 campaign, the Union came away with three points and a crap ton of positive momentum to build on.

Match Thoughts

1. Attack Is Still Lethal

Tai Baribo, Mikael Uhre and Daniel Gazdag all scored in the season opener.

I think most of us knew the attacking triumvirate would be the most reliable field players for the Union in 2025.

Baribo latched on to a cross from Kai Wagner in the 24th minute to get the Union back into the contest.

Baribo and Uhre were right in front of the net to tap in the pass from the left back.

Funny enough, it was a failed attempt from Quinn Sullivan that allowed the ball to drift over to the left wing for Wagner to then send in his cross.

Gazdag put the Union ahead in the 48th minute off a wonder-cross from Sullivan. If you watch the replay closely, Sullivan put his hands on his head in disbelief thinking Gazdag missed the chance initially because the shot came from a tight angle at the right post.

Gazdag found the perfect angle and rewarded Sullivan for a tremendous bit of skill.

Uhre’s 51st-minute goal came off a brutal mistake by the Orlando City defense. All the Dane had to do was kick the ball into a wide-open net.

Baribo’s second goal in the 64th minute came off a bit of luck, as a cross from Frankie Westfield deflected off a defender and into the path of the Israeli.

Did we think the Union would score in 2025? Yes, but no one expected four goals on the road in Orlando in the season opener. That’s the shocking part about the collection of double-digit scorers.

2. It’s Good to Have Andre Blake Back

A healthy Andre Blake makes a ton of difference in the Union back line.

Blake looked like his normal self, was in the right position most of the game and made one spectacular save in the second half.

“(Andre is) incredibly important to us. You could see on the crosses they were dangerous. They are the second most accurate team on crosses. They are dangerous from the wide area.”

Blake’s veteran leadership at the back is always important, but in particular with so many new faces in the defensive positions, he’s key to be out there to provide stability.

3. The Same For Jakob Glesnes

Carnell said a few weeks ago that the Jakob Glesnes of old was on display in preseason.

While he wasn’t perfect, Glesnes turned in a solid opening performance to build on.

Glesnes made a key tackle around the penalty area late in the second half and looked strong on aerials.

Like Blake, Glesnes’ leadership is going to be vital as the new players find their legs and voices across the back line.

4. Mistakes Still Prevalent on Two Goal Concessions

Some clear errors were committed on the two Orlando City goals scored by Mario Pasalic.

The first one, in the eighth minute, could have been prevented with a tad more effort.

This is where the Union defenders were when Pasalic entered the box from the right wing.

A few seconds later, the space was not closed down and Pasalic easily put the Lions ahead.

Not to sound like a 50-year-old high school gym teacher here, but all that was needed was a bit more effort.

This isn’t really about tactics. It’s more about just hustling and making the shot attempt more difficult for Pasalic. It looked like there was lots of jogging, especially from Danley Jean Jacques in the “attempt” to close down Pasalic.

Pick your culprit for the second Orlando goal because there’s plenty of them.

Luis Muriel hit the post and there was a suggestion from some Union players that an offside infraction happened, but still, you have to defend until the whistle, and that simply didn’t happen.

The good news: the Union defense didn’t capitulate the second Orlando started its comeback attempt, so you can’t get too mad, but there’s still some things to fix.

5. Taking Advantage of Opportunities

Frankie Westfield and Olwethu Makhanya benefited from preseason injuries and strong preseasons of their own to earn their starts on Saturday.

Westfield was stronger than Makhanya and that now pits him against Nathan Harriel and Olivier Mbaizo in a three-way competition at right back when everyone is healthy.

Mbaizo came on as a substitute on Saturday, but he missed part of preseason, as did Harriel, who is working back to 100 percent.

Ian Glavinovich is not 90 minutes fit just yet, so Makhanya got the nod next to Glesnes.

Makhanya displayed some pieces of skill to see why the Union were intrigued with him, but I wouldn’t go as far to say he was great. Or if you want to put another way: I don’t think he did enough to unseat Glavinovich, while Westfield might have at right back.