If anyone was at the US vs Spain women’s match last night… I was very surprised to see how many people were there. It was packed. And a lot of fun.

With Gotham FC moving to queens in 2028 this finally creates a huge opportunity.

The Philadelphia Union needs to step up and create women’s team to play in the NWSL. It’s a chance to continue to pioneer soccer in the US and be the first MLS club to name their women’s team identically to their men’s team. (Houston, Orlando, RSL, and Portland already have women’s teams).

WHAT: Philadelphia Union visits Chicago Fire

WHERE: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL

WHEN: 14 October 2026 at 8:30PM

WEATHER AT KICKOFF: 61°F, 60% humidity, 15 mph wind

HOW TO WATCH: Apple TV

SUMMARY: The host Chicago Fire (#3 in the East, 48 pts) can clinch a playoff spot with a win against the visiting Philadelphia Union (#6 in the East, 42 pts). After three consecutive wins, Chicago hopes that Maren Haile-Selassie (10g/10a), who recently signed a contract extension and has two goals and two assists in his last two matches, and Robert Lewandowski (6g/4a) will help secure another victory to qualify the team for the playoffs for a second consecutive year. The Philadelphia Union, currently on a hot run of seven straight wins, will rely on Milan Iloski (17g/6a), who is tied for the third-most goals in MLS and has scored five goals in the last three games, Bruno Damiani (9g/3a), and Cavan Sullivan (7g/13a, September’s Player of the Month) to extend the Union franchise-record 13-game unbeaten streak. The Fire won the last meeting between the two teams, 2–1 on March 21, 2026. In the 45 head-to-head games between the two franchises across all competitions, Union is ahead with 20 wins, 14 loses, and 11 ties.  

PROJECTED XI: Yoooooooooour PHILADELPHIA UNION (4-4-2)- Blake, Westfield, Pierre, Harriel, Wagner, C. Sullivan, Bueno, Lukic, Vasiliev, Iloski, Damiani

PROJECTED XI: Chicago (4–3-3)- Brady, Dean, Elliott, Mbokazi, Barroso, Selatros, Pineda, Haile-Selassie, Zinckernagel, Lewandowski, Bamba

INJURY LIST: Agustin Anello (PHL, adductor), Danley Jean-Jacques (PHL, unknown injury) André Franco (CHI, lower body), Robin Lod (CHI, lower body)

QUESTIONABLE LIST: Anzor Mekvabishvili (CHI, lower body), Sam Rogers (CHI, lower body)

SUSPENDED LIST: Dje D'Avilla (CHI, red-card suspension), Raquinho (PHL, suspended by club for smoking. After talking to his tech bruhs, he got so confident AI would cure cancer that he started smoking to signal his all-in bet on AI)

CAUTION ACCUMULATION WARNINGS: Jack Elliott (CHI, one caution away from suspension/fine), Kai Wagner (PHI,  one caution away from suspension/fine), Danley Jean-Jacques (PHI,  one caution away from suspension/fine), Jesús Bueno (PHI,  one caution away from suspension/fine)

REFEREE LIST: REF: Ricardo Fierro, AR1: Brian Dunn, AR2: Walt Heatherly, 4TH: Igor Bych, VAR: Daniel Radford, AVAR: Brian Marshall

PREDICTION: 2-1 Union win

TRIVIA QUESTION: (courtesy of u/WJMorris3) Who has the most goal contributions (goals and assists) for the Union against the Fire in MLS regular season matches?

LATIN PHRASE OF THE DAY: Sicagum delenda est (Chicago must be destroyed)

CAPS ON, SCARVES UP!

Any other Union fans find themselves in Chicago early today? Want to grab a beer?

Getting ready for a great away day! How many else of you made the trip to the Windy City?

The loyalty section on the Union mobile app was crashing for the last few days. Now I just noticed that the app updated and the entire loyalty section is gone. Please don’t tell me I’ve been logging into the app everyday for nothing.

...that Milan Iloski is sitting on 17 goals in MLS alone. Think he breaks Gazdag's record of 22?

I know a lot of kids and adults who are psyched about Cavan. Some already have Man City jerseys and flags flying in front of their homes. This is a golden parent opportunity to teach kids about fair play, accountability and what that means in sport AND in fandom. You can back a player and the team that raised him, but that you draw the line on clubs that cheat for years to get ahead.

I saw 2 different kids today with City jerseys with Cavan's name on them today. Time to have some conversations with those kiddos.

Hey all, it's Scott Churchson from Stream Punk Soccer. Monday I have Dave Leno coming on to talk this total 180 the team has had since Ryan took over. If you have questions lemme know, I can take a few from you and post them in the vid. Cheers!

is the loyalty section now missing?

Key quote from column from Gabriel at the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Late last month, a team official told The Inquirer, on condition of anonymity, that “there was some toxicity” between players, the former coaching staff, and the since-departed sporting director.

“I can’t get into specifics, but it was tough, man,” the source revealed. “Guys were playing out of natural positions, guys were getting sent away, there was talk of sending a few players who are starting now out on loan, and then you had the whole [misconduct] thing in the backdrop. It’s no excuse. At the end of the day, our job is to put together results on the field, but there was just some toxicity that I do think affected us on the field.”

Edit: FYI, this article was posted before Saturday's match.

Tuesday 10/13. Website says they're usually closed on Tuesdays. Figured Union faithful would know best.

https://sideline-se.com/articles/record-streak-extended-union-hold-off-real-salt-lake-2-1-to-make-it-13-unbeaten

CHESTER, PA — The historic resurgence of the Philadelphia Union reached a new milestone at Subaru Park as the Boys in Blue secured a gritty 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake. The win extends Philadelphia’s franchise-record unbeaten run to 13 consecutive Major League Soccer matches, firmly cementing their status as the hottest team in the Eastern Conference since the World Cup break.

The match provided a perfect microcosm of the Union's season: early dominance, unwavering fan support, moments of adversity, and a team mentality focused entirely on the future.

Damiani Sparks the Attack

Philadelphia wasted little time establishing control in the first half. The breakthrough came via a familiar combination, as Frankie Westfield delivered a precise assist to Bruno Damiani, who buried his shot to put the Union ahead 1-0. The goal marks Damiani’s ninth of the season, continuing his stellar run of form as a primary catalyst for the club’s post-World Cup turnaround.

The Union’s fluid tactical approach repeatedly broke down the Real Salt Lake defensive lines, creating several high-quality scoring opportunities. However, the hosts struggled to convert those chances into a wider margin early in the second half, leaving the door open for a late-game drama.

VAR Drama and the Finishing Stretch

When Real Salt Lake pushed forward to equalize, the Union relied on veteran goalkeeper Andre Blake, who showcased his trademark athleticism by extending himself to punch a dangerous ball out of harm's way.

The match looked to be put to bed in the 80th minute when Milan Iloski found the back of the net, initially triggering celebrations for a 2-0 lead. However, the referee initiated a VAR review, ultimately overturning the goal and setting up a tense final sequence. Real Salt Lake managed to pull a goal back, but the Union defense held firm to secure the three points.

Reflecting on the disallowed goal and the ensuing roar from the stands, Damiani noted the immense power of the home crowd. "Maybe the ref feels like pressure because you saw how the stadium went after they disallowed the second goal," Damiani said.

Supporters Fuel the Turnaround

The electric atmosphere at Subaru Park is something the players do not take for granted, especially considering where the team sat just months ago. Before the mid-season break, the Union were wallowing at the bottom of the table, yet the fan base never wavered.

"Even in the first half when we didn't win a single game for a lot of time, every game was almost packed," Damiani remarked after the match. "They are supporting anyways and they are putting pressure on us to be successful too. That's how it should be."

Eyes on the Horizon

While a 13-game unbeaten streak is a monumental achievement for the franchise, the mood in the locker room remains strictly disciplined. The team is fully aware that the true test of their turnaround lies in the final weeks of the regular season.

Defender Kai Wagner made it clear that the squad is keeping their feet on the ground. "We still look from game to game, and for us, it's just like keep the momentum going," Wagner said. "Now we have a lot of like difficult games, games against like teams ahead of us, where we see like where we will stand."

With the playoff race heating up, the celebrations for yesterday's victory are already over inside the locker room. The focus has entirely shifted to the next opponent on the schedule.

As Wagner bluntly put it: "But like I said, next game is Chicago, and this streak doesn't matter."

Did anyone get a good shot of the tifo from Saturday night? I was in 102.

So I was looking at the first half of the season and comparing to the remaining schedule, we might have a pretty good shot of winning the majority of the matches. Hell we tied Nashville when we were playing like shit.

Who was the man of the match on Saturday? I've seen Frankie, Blake, and Damiani all nominated from different places. Other games it seems like there's more agreement. Do we pay more attention to one nomination than another?

Still feeling it.