Philadelphia Union
Union and Fire sides seeking 2025 form meet in playoff rematch at Subaru Park
The Philadelphia Union aim to snap their winless start to the MLS season on Saturday at home against the Chicago Fire in a rematch of the first round playoff series from 2025, a two-game Union sweep.
The match is set for 4:30 p.m. ET at Subaru Park in a standalone streaming window on Apple TV as the Walmart Saturday Showdown,
The Union have been slow to recapture their Supporters’ Shield form from 2025 with four losses in league play in 2026, and they were knocked out of the Concacaf Champions Cup in the Round of 16 on Wednesday night against Club America after a 1-1 result in the away leg
The Union put pressure on the Liga MX giants at moments in the second half in an encouraging display amid the subpar league performances, but will now have to rebound on a short week with lengthy travel to face a rested Chicago team still finding their footing in the early season.
After a Wild Card win to advance to the playoff matchup with Philadelphia last year, the Fire sold teenage star Brian Gutierrez in the offseason and added veteran MLS winger Robin Lod the right.
Manager Gregg Berhalter implemented an attractive possession-based system that provided the Fire an effective attack in year one, but without an obvious Gutierrez replacement and the absence of usual starting left back Andrew Gutman, the the creativity needed for Berhalter’s set-up has been lacking, leading to just one win in the opening four games against lowly Montreal.
The desperation on both sides makes for a compelling late March afternoon at Subaru Park, with some real heat on both sides to show something resembling a playoff level.
For the Fire, Gutman could be the biggest boost to unlock their attack and provide width and crossing, as the fullback announced he is available for the game after a week of training. The team will be without former Union center back Jack Elliott, however, meaning the Fire might deploy a first-time backline of Gutman on the left, Joel Waterman and Mbekezeli Mbokazi in the center, and Leonardo Barroso on the right.
Veteran Mauricio Pineda could be helming the midfield, with Zinckernagel at the 10 in front of two holding players. The first choice front line for the Fire is tricky left winger Jonathan Bamba, the direct Lod on the right, and volume No. 9 Hugo Cuypers at striker.
The Union should be very familiar with the Fire’s game, having ground the team down over two legs in the playoffs with a rollercoaster penalty kick shootout win in game one, and an error-riddled 3-0 collapse by the Fire at home in game two.
But this year’s Fire’s is a bit different with the team still needing the right balance. Zinckernagel was an effective passing right winger last year, but to accommodate Lod and try to replace the midfield spark of Gutierrez, Zinckernagel has been stuck at the 10.
That leaves Cuypers, a striker who relies on service into the box, without a right winger likely to provide him service and more of an off-ball runner and finisher in Lod. And Zinckernagel’s learning curve at the 10 has been difficult, particularly as he has much less of the burst and dribbling take-on ability that Gutierrez could flash in transitional moments. Bamba has always been a take-on based inside forward but is less of a crosser, leaving that to Gutman, and so the front line has less interplay and connectivity in the final third then Berhalter might like.
Pineda has always been a solid passer in MLS, but the 28-year old does not cover a lot of ground and with Zinckernagel and Pineda as two pieces of the midfield trio, the Fire are a little light defensively.
All of that adds up to a possession team unfamiliar with each other and their roles playing their fifth meaningful game of the season on the road against what should be a hungry Union team.
Bradley Carnell’s high-octane soccer hasn’t quite revved into gear this year, but the compliment often paid to the Union in year one was that they could run the non-elite teams into submission, especially at home.
While the Union’s legs are not at 100% after a taxing battle at altitude at the Azteca on Wednesday, the imperative should be take the press to the Fire and not let players like Gutman, Zinckernagel, and Pineda pick out runners forward, or deliver crosses against a set defense.
The Union’s midfield pivot of Danley Jean Jacques and Jovan Lukic should be able to wrestle control of the game as should the overall workrate of the front four.
The deeper issue for the Union has been replacing the attacking quality of Kai Wagner’s crossing and Tai Baribo and Mikael Uhre’s hard runs. So far the Union have not been able to punish teams with their chances, and so the the biggest matchup on the afternoon will likely be the tussle between the Union’s strike partnership of Bruno Damiani and Stas Korzeniowski and the Fire’s center backs Waterman and Mbokazi. The Union strikers need to get open in the box, get good service from Milan Iloski and Frankie Westfield on the right, and score, somehow.
Particularly against Bamba, a reticent-to-defend winger, and Gutman, a more attacking than defending fullback, the Union should be funneling play through that side to generate chances. And if, when Cavan Sullivan appears, the teenager should find dangerous space in the final third in the same area.
After a good display against Club America, it’s not unfair to expect Cavan to meaningfully bear the creative burden of the attack in his minutes, particularly against the Fire’s leaky defense. There should also be room late for Bedoya and Bueno to keep the Union’s energy high with a jolt off the bench.
The Union should be able to brute force enough chances for their strikers, at least before the legs give out late, and whether or not they can capitalize will make the difference.
While the Elliott absence ruins another homecoming, a just-as-tasty subplot is Mbokazi and the Union’s rising star center back Olwethu Makhanya battling for a spot on South Africa’s World Cup Squad. Mbokazi should be locked into a fun physical battle with Korzeniowski, while Makhanya will need to track the runs of the smart Cuypers in the box. Cuypers has that “nose” for goal and Makhanya working with center back partner Nathan Harriel not to lose track of the Belgian would be an encouraging sign.
Both sides also boast strong MLS goalkeepers in Andre Blake and Chris Brady, and with a potential high-event affair on top of the backup goalkeeper letdown for the Fire in the 3-0 playoff loss without Brady, the eyes could turn to the netminders as another decisive factor on Saturday.
The Union bested the Fire four times in 2025 on the strength of their athletes’ ability to disrupt Chicago’s intricacies quite resoundingly. Just over five months later, the same pattern remains, but with the uncertainty on both sides erasing all the expectations.
It’s a show-me game both ways, and even if the result is not definitive, the performances will set a momentous tenor ahead of the international break.
