Philadelphia Union
Milan Iloski finds a home in Philadelphia
Saturday night’s 4-0 win for the Philadelphia Union featured strong performances from several Union stars. Kai Wagner scored a goal and assisted as well, Jakob Glesnes looked strong in defense after missing a match due to suspension, and Tai Baribo claimed his 16th MLS goal of the season.
But even the typical Union names playing at their best, the effort of new signing Milan Iloski stood out.
Iloski was a thorn in the side of visitors Chicago Fire from the start of the match. His pressing in the 1st minute forced Jack Elliott into a poor cross-field ball in front of his own goal. The poorly hit pass found Baribo, who bounced it just over the crossbar. Iloski’s effort off the ball set the tone for Philadelphia, keeping Chicago’s defenders uneasy on the ball.
Quick touches on the ball allowed Iloski to skip past Chicago midfielder Dje D’Avilla in the second half, winning a free kick on the edge of the box. Iloski would claim his first MLS assist with the Union on the ensuing free kick, changing the angle for Wagner to power a shot into the bottom right corner. Iloski’s first MLS goal would come minutes later, putting the cherry on top of a brilliant performance. A hopeful pass from Cavan Sullivan was reached by young Chicago defender Christopher Cupps, who could only knock it into the path of Iloski. After settling the ball, the new forward powered a low and hard strike past the Chicago goalkeeper, starting his shot outside the post and spinning it back inside.
Signed on August 5th, Milan Iloski has appeared in 4 matches for the Union, starting matches twice and appearing twice as a substitute. In that short time frame, he has scored two goals, including an equalizer in the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal, and assisted once. So far, Iloski has picked up right where he left off in San Diego. Utilized mostly as a substitute, Iloski scored 4 goals in one match at Vancouver Whitecaps, capping a run of seven goals in a span of 93 minutes played. His 1.48 goals per 90 minutes this season puts him first in the league in scoring rate – ahead of Lionel Messi in second place with 1.08.
While Iloski is cruising in MLS now, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the 26-year-old forward. Starting out in Real Salt Lake’s academy in Arizona, Iloski elected to play NCAA soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles. The Escondido, CA native thrived close to
home, playing three seasons at UCLA from 2017 to 2019. His 2019 season yielded great success, as he was named a Second Team All-American and First Team All-Pac12. His performance earned him a homegrown contract with RSL. However, this deal did not go to plan, as Iloski only made two substitute appearances from 2020 to 2021, including the short season of 2020 that was interrupted by Covid. His contract option was declined by RSL, and Iloski became a free agent.
For the second time in his career, Iloski left RSL to return home. The young forward signed for Orange County SC of the USL Championship. Iloski burst onto the scene almost instantly. In his first season with Orange County, Iloski won the USL Championship golden boot, despite not scoring any free kicks or penalties. His performance earned him a move to Europe for Danish club FC Nordsjælland. After not quite kicking on there, he returned to California a third time on loan to San Diego FC, where his red hot 2025 season prompted the Union to make a move for him.
For a player of his quality, Iloski has had to deal with plenty of turbulence in his young professional career. After Saturday’s match against Chicago, I had the chance to ask Iloski about his winding career path, and how it feels to have earned an important role for a team currently
sitting atop of the MLS Supporters’ Shield standings.
“Not a lot of people know, but… when I left Salt Lake, and I didn’t play at all, and there was Covid… I didn’t really want to play soccer anymore. I went to Orange County [because I] wanted to have fun, and I went there because my brother was there and I was close to home, and I was a little bit fed up with the politics of soccer,” Iloski said. “So for me, every day is something I’m grateful for — and I’m so lucky to do this job. I love it more than anything. I’ve loved it since I was a little kid, so I think now for me, it’s just enjoying it and taking it day by day.”
“I’m so grateful [for] the people in my life that have helped me get to [this point]. And for me, I just want to keep pushing and take advantage of the chances I’m getting,” he added.
Iloski’s story is one of perseverance and effort. Denied opportunities at multiple levels, he has made the most of the chances he has been given to return to the top level. His story also may reveal a flaw in the system of American soccer. Alluding to the “politics of soccer”, Iloski feels as though he was not always given the opportunities he has deserved. This could be due to his club and NCAA background, but could have also been due to his age; more often than not, players selected in MLS Superdraft or signed to Homegrown Contracts may be overlooked for promising, younger academy talents thought by coaches to have higher upside. The Union tend to be an example of this, recently trading three years’ worth of MLS SuperDraft picks to Colorado. Despite this, the Union have still signed a few players with NCAA experience outside of the draft, such as Chris Donovan, Nick Pariano, Ben Bender, and Oliver Semmle, but none of these players were expected to fill a regular role in the starting eleven when they signed.
No matter the political issues Iloski touched upon, he has clawed his way into a position where he cannot be denied significant MLS minutes any longer. The Union worked diligently with both San Diego FC and parent club FC Nordsjælland for his signature, signing a contract through 2027 with an option for 2028. Saturday’s match was a display of the type of player Iloski can be for the Union. Making his debut off the bench as a striker vs. Toronto, Iloski played as an attacking midfielder on Saturday, displaying his versatility.
“I think for me, the biggest thing is whatever role I’m playing in, to do that job,” Iloski said on Saturday. “Tonight, it was a little bit deeper playing as a 10, and for me I’m also very comfortable on the ball, so I’m fine being the guy driving forward and winning the ball, and
connecting things… but I’m also very comfortable running off [defenders] and being in that striker role… I’m very happy with the performance from the whole team, and I’m happy to just do my part and be a small piece in the whole puzzle.”
Iloski prides himself on positional versatility, and this Union squad is full of it. Quinn Sullivan has spent parts of his career as a midfielder and a forward. Indiana Vassilev has played attacking and defensive midfielder this season. Frankie Westfield can play on both sides of the defense, and Nate Harriel can play anywhere in the back four, and has even been utilized as an attacking midfielder this season. Bradley Carnell’s team is built for players to step up whenever and wherever they are needed, and Iloski is prepared to do the same. Vassilev, who was in excellent form, missed out on Saturday due to a head injury, and Iloski’s appearance on Saturday was in Vassilev’s typical role. The return of Vassilev will surely cause a selection headache for Carnell, who will decide which of his attacking-minded weapons to utilize off the bench. Iloski and the first-place Union are in action next Saturday, August 30th at FC Cincinnati, a battle for possession of 1st place in the Eastern Conference.
