Who: Philadelphia Union (1st place, 29 points, record 9-2-3) vs. Inter Miami (6th place, 22 points, 6-4-3)
What: 2025 regular season game
Where: Subaru Park
When: Saturday, May 24, 7:30pm
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+, Listen in on 97.5 FM
Whistle: Ref: Drew Fischer, AR1: Micheal Barwegen, AR2: Lyes Arfa, 4th: Luis Diego Arroyo, VAR: Kevin Stott, AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert

Photo courtesy Philadelphia Union

The Philadelphia Union looks to continue its unbeaten streak across all competitions against reigning supporter’s shield winners Inter Miami. The Boys In Blue are once again coming off short rest after their US Open Cup Round of 16 victory on Wednesday, and Inter Miami will have had the whole week to prepare against the current Eastern Conference leaders. 

The Union fell 2-1 away to Miami earlier this year, but their recent form suggests they may be able to salvage those points at home Saturday evening. 

Scouting Report: Inter Miami

The Herons have failed to impress in recent weeks, with just one win and fourteen goals conceded in their last five matches. Last weekend they fell 3-0 at home to local rivals Orlando City, where many of their current issues were blatantly obvious.  

To begin with, head coach Javier Mashcereno has never been in charge of a club team before, and his only prior coaching experience comes from the Argentina U20 and U23 national teams. A divide seems to be forming in the locker room between Mashereno and his players, who may be starting to realize that hiring someone just because Messi likes him may not have been the best idea if they’re looking to continue to impress in MLS and other competitions. 

During preparation for Minnesota United’s contest against Miami earlier this month, Julian Gressel, who recently joined the Loons after being waived by Miami, explained to his new teammates that “they will be good for 30 minutes, and after that we’ll get a chance” (@FrancoPanizo on X). Minnesota scored in the 32nd minute of that match. Miami will likely, again, come in hot and have a few strong chances, but Gressel’s statement and evidence from recent matches suggest that they will slowly dwindle in intensity and become frustrated as things stop going their way. 

Orlando’s opening goal against them is a perfect example. Their keeper, Pedro Gallese, collected the ball in his box, and while Messi and company were busy appealing to the referee that it was a pass back, Gallese found Luis Muriel on the break. Muriel only had one defender to beat before slotting it into the net. Orlando had a textbook performance against the team that was supposed to be the toughest challenge in the league. Attack down the wings, clog up the middle, and hope Messi doesn’t have another world-class finish in him.

• Player Availability: Drake Callender – Sports Hernia (Out), David Ruiz – Hamstring (Out), Baltasar Rodriguez – Hamstring (Out)

Scouting Report: Philadelphia Union

On Thursday, US Soccer announced the roster for the men’s national team, which included Union midfielder Quinn Sullivan among six other former Union or Union academy players. This call up is long overdue for the eldest Sullivan brother, who missed the Olympics last year despite having an impressive season amid the Union’s shortcomings. Quinn should look to keep shining in this match and take advantage of the opportunity to prove himself ahead of the camp. He is tied for the league lead in assists with three other players, including Miami’s Luiz Suarez.

In fact, Philadelphia leads the league in assists in general with 34. After years of trying, they’ve found a system that allows them to support their forward, or forwards. Bradley Carnell has spoken plenty in recent weeks about developing his players to be able to play multiple positions, and we saw that flexibility in action last weekend against Atlanta, where the Union played in four different formations throughout the match. That versatility is something the Union could not pull off under Jim Curtin, and it may be exactly what they need to keep their opponents on their toes. 

Changing shape could certainly help slow Miami, but the standard 4-2-2-2 would allow them to keep the center of the field tight while allowing Kai Wagner and Frankie Westfield to attack up the flanks. The Union will need to remain confident out of possession and catch Miami on the break, which they’ve been doing well recently. 

Andre Blake is still listed as questionable under the MLS Player Availability report, so Andrew Rick will likely see another start for the first team. His form so far this month has been incredible, and he, too, will be given another chance to shine. His ball-playing ability may also allow him to catch Miami on the break, much like Orlando’s Gallese did last week. He has connected with Quinn Sullivan once already this season. 

It is going to be a close match, but the Union have a fighting chance to get away with three points and stay on top of the table. 

• Player Availability: Ian Glavinovich – Knee (Out), Neil Pierre – Knee (Out), Andre Blake – Knee (Questionable)

Key Matchup: The Sixes vs Lionel Messi

Part of the key to shutting down Miami is controlling the center of the field, and the Union’s holding midfielders will be tasked with doing it. Judging by the minutes given to each of the three options against Pittsburgh, the starters will likely be Jovan Lukic and Danley Jean Jacques, both of whom have had some solid scoring form lately, which is a plus. These two will need to be constantly aware of Messi’s position on the field and be quick to interrupt his passing lanes while also taking chances to get ahead and involve themselves in the attack. It will be a challenging match for the pair, but they should be able to rise to the occasion with the entire league watching. 

Player to Watch: Quinn Sullivan

With the confidence boost from his national team call-up, Quinn Sullivan should be geared up for another impressive match. A goal involvement is almost expected from the Under-22 DP, and he should be eager to continue his recent form in a match that will have plenty of eyes on him. 

Prediction: 2-1 Union

Given Miami’s recent form, a victory is entirely possible for Philadelphia so long as they stay solid. Of course, you cannot entirely discount Messi’s ability to score goals out of nowhere, so I will not go as far as to suggest a clean sheet. In the best-case scenario, Tai Baribo adds to his goal tally, and Quinn Sullivan gets involved somehow as well.