The Philadelphia Union already have an elite forward

Milan Iloski scored the lone goal in the Union’s 1-0 win over Seattle on Saturday night, giving the Philadelphia Union back-to-back victories for the first time in MLS this season.

Frankie Westfield played a brilliant long pass behind the Seattle back line to Iloski, who chipped the goalkeeper with ease before pulling away in a Conor McGregor-inspired celebration.

In an overall poor season for the Union, Iloski’s efforts have gone somewhat under the radar. His goal against Seattle was his 7th in the last 5 Union matches, tying Dániel Gazdag’s club record for consecutive matches with a goal. At the halfway point of the MLS season, Iloski has 9 league goals, putting him on pace for 18 by the end of the season. This number has only ever been eclipsed by a Union player when Gazdag scored in 22 regular season MLS matches in 2022.

Iloski has managed to score at an impressive rate despite being deployed as both a striker and a midfielder throughout the 2026 season, and unlike Gazdag, has done it without much help around him. Gazdag was surrounded by Mikael Uhre and Julian Carranza in 2022, who were also goal dangerous and attracted attention from opposing defenders. In Iloski’s case, Bruno Damiani and Ezekiel Alladoh have combined for just one MLS goal in 2026.

The Union have a deadly finisher in Iloski, but the team has not been consistently threatening in attack this year. How can the Union use his talent to fix their offensive woes? I have a couple ideas.

Continue to play Iloski as a striker

Under Bradley Carnell, Iloski played occasionally as a striker in a 4-2-2-2 formation, but was utilized mainly as an attacking midfielder. This gave Iloski plenty of chances to shoot from distance, but rarely was Iloski given the chance to run in behind. Under Ryan Richter, Iloski has played as a striker in the same formation. This has given Iloski the opportunity to make more vertical runs which caused massive issues for the Red Bull defense on Wednesday and led to a goal on Saturday against Seattle.

Interim Head Coach Ryan Richter spoke about Iloski’s performance after the match.

“He’s great around goal. When I looked at the games from the beginning of the season, how I see the team and the strikers, I see him as a striker,” Richter explained. “That was one of the first conversations I had is that I see him as a striker, because his best quality is when he’s in and around goal. He gets a shot off, he gets it off quick, he hits the target, and he’s really clever in his movement and in how he gets open. He’s quick, and has good timing to run in behind… trying to put him in positions where he can use his skillset.”

Iloski was asked about the conversation he had with Richter after the match. “We had a really good talk when we knew he was going to be the interim. I agreed with everything he said,” Iloski explained, emphasizing the idea that he is most effective as a striker. “I think we struggled with goals, especially early in the season, and I think my best attribute is scoring goals and being around the box.”

Iloski seems to be more comfortable when utilized as a center forward, and the Union look better as a team in consequence.

Play Cavan and Quinn, hit on the break

It’s no secret that the Union play a counter-attacking style. That hasn’t changed under Ryan Richter. One of the issues that the Union had in the beginning of the season was the lack of sharpness shown by the team on counterattack opportunities, which was emphasized by Carnell after losses. The Union have been much more threatening on the break in recent matches. After the match, Iloski was asked what he believed was the difference between the early season issues on the counter and the last few matches.

“I think having Cavan on the field more is helping. He’s, of course, a big talent, but he also brings a lot today. He has an ability to break defenses down,” Iloski said, praising the Union’s young star. “For me, it’s a dream because I can just do what I do best and move off of the back line and make runs… he’s a great player and a really good kid, so we have a good connection and a great relationship.”

Sullivan had a through ball to Iloski against Red Bull that created a great chance for Westfield on Wednesday, and another on Saturday that led to an Iloski goal that was called back for offside. The young Sullivan has taken on a more significant role under Richter, and Iloski appears to be in favor of it so far.

In addition, Quinn Sullivan has returned from injury. While he is still regaining fitness, the older Sullivan can help make the Union even more dangerous on the break. His athleticism and passing ability has led to a total of 15 MLS assists from 2024-2025. To work with Iloski most effectively, the Union’s best options at the attacking midfielder position might be both of the Sullivan brothers. Indiana Vassilev provides a different look as a ball-retaining, pressure-relieving workhorse, who can play as both a defensive and attacking midfielder. In a team that has struggled for goals, the Sullivan-Sullivan partnership behind Iloski might be most effective.

Sign a veteran striker

In the Union’s current system, Iloski is joined at the center forward position by one of Bruno Damiani or Ezekiel Alladoh in the starting lineup. It has been a disappointing season for both players, who make up two of the Union’s three most expensive incoming transfers in club history. Despite the Union’s premium roster spots currently being filled, they still have plenty of roster flexibility.

The Union have selected MLS’ U22 Initiative Player Model, giving them 4 premium U22 roster spots and 2 Designated Player spots. Currently, Damiani and Wagner occupy the two DP spots while Alladoh, Quinn, Philippe Ndinga, and Olwethu Makhanya occupy the U22 spots.

Damiani’s salary is low enough that the Union can “buy down” his DP designation, and Olwethu Makhanya may be departing soon after reports that he wants a transfer. The Union can use one of these premium roster spots on a veteran striker to play alongside Iloski. A front four of Cavan, Quinn, Iloski, and a proven goal scorer could transform the Union into contenders pretty quick.

Change formation

So far, Ryan Richter has stuck with the 4-2-2-2 formation used by Bradley Carnell. It is unclear whether the Union are planning to stick with Richter or are still considering outside options. Nonetheless, an option for Richter or a new coach ahead of the 2027 MLS “Sprint Season” would be to change formation.

The Union have used a two-striker formation throughout much of their success through both Jim Curtin and Carnell’s time at the helm. Given Ernst Tanner’s recent departure (which has yet to be formally announced) and a new face as head coach, it’s possible that the next version of Union soccer looks different than what fans have become accustomed to.

Say the Union switch to a single-striker formation. Iloski could remain as a striker without Damiani or Alladoh, and the Union could operate with an extra midfielder instead of a striker. Cavan could operate in the middle of the field as a true 10, not as a half-winger within the current system. Quinn could use his pace and crossing ability as a true winger. The formation would also benefit players like Agustin Anello, who is more of a natural winger than a half-space attacking midfielder.

There is a bit of a trade-off to a potential change of system. Iloski isn’t known for his aerial ability, and the Union have some of the best crossers in the league between Wagner, Westfield, and Quinn Sullivan. It would take some time for the players to adjust to a new system like this, but it may be worth trying to get more production on the field by going to a different look.

Get Damiani or Alladoh going

While it would be nice for the Union to go big game hunting this summer, this has never been how the club has operated. The likely scenario, and perhaps the easiest, would be if the Union can get production from one of their other current striker options.

The Damiani and Alladoh combination early in the season did not lead to effective attacking soccer. Both players wanted the ball to feet, playing back to goal and rarely running in behind. In theory, the combination of one of Damiani and Alladoh with Iloski should work much better. The problem is, neither player has been super effective in their roles this season, whether Iloski is creating space for them or not.

It is clear that Damiani works hard on and off the ball, and it is clear that Alladoh’s physicality is very difficult for opposing teams to deal with. There’s potential there for both players, but neither can find the confidence to get going. Should one of them have a Tai Baribo-esque Leagues Cup campaign soon, many of the Union’s players would be solved. There has yet to be indication that the team is ready to move on from Damiani or Alladoh, but the head coach and lead executive that scouted and signed these players are no longer with the club.

Other internal options include Stas Korzeniowski and Malik Jakupovic. Jakupovic is a young, enticing prospect with a natural scoring instinct, but goals have dried up for him recently at the MLS Next Pro level and he might not be ready to jump into MLS action. Korzeniowski was serviceable and effective in his limited minutes this year, but was not present on the Union or Union II roster in the last week despite not appearing on the injury report.

There’s multiple changes that the Union can make to unleash Iloski and the rest of their attack. At the halfway mark of the MLS season, it will be interesting to see if Iloski can continue his hot streak and maybe even chase Gazdag’s club record in goals.

Iloski will look to set the club’s record scoring streak next Saturday at home against Atlanta United. The match will be the Union’s last before taking another break from MLS for the Leagues Cup.

Evan Konigsberg

Just trying to grow the game

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