Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union
Head Coach Bradley Carnell unveiled his 27th different starting XI of the season with Tai Baribo suspended and Frankie Westfield on international duty, and still, the Union didn’t miss a beat.
Philadelphia sailed to a 6-0 road win at D.C. United, powered by a brace from Indiana Vassilev and key contributions from Mikael Uhre, Milan Iloski, and Bruno Damiani. The victory keeps the Boys in Blue atop the table with two matches remaining.
First Half
The Union’s depth was tested early when Quinn Sullivan was forced off with an injury in the 13th minute, bringing Mikael Uhre into the attack and pushing Milan Iloski into a playmaking role.
The switch paid off almost immediately. In the 17th minute, Iloski sparked a counterattack, slipping Uhre through on the left. The Dane squared across goal for Bruno Damiani, who tapped home the opener.
D.C. nearly hit back in the 26th and 30th minutes, as Jared Stroud rattled the post and then the crossbar. But Philadelphia struck again when in the 34th minute, Uhre’s shot ricocheted off defenders and into the net for 2-0.
Philadelphia weren’t done. Just three minutes later in the 36th, a quick give-and-go between Vassilev and Iloski set up Vassilev to pounce on a rebound and fire home, sending the Union into halftime with a commanding 3-0 advantage.
Second Half
The Union wasted no time continuing after the break. In the 49th minute, Iloski drilled a strike from distance to make it 4-0. Minutes later in the 51st, Vassilev netted his second goal of the night off a combination with Uhre, completing his third career brace.
The scoring capped off in the 62nd minute, when Iloski set up Uhre for his first “official” goal of the match. With the job done, Carnell turned to his bench, bringing on fresh legs like Jesus Bueno, Jeremy Rafanello, Ben Bender, and Olivier Mbaizo to close out the game.
On the defensive side, Andre Blake and the backline of Wagner, Harriel, Makhanya, and Glesnes held firm, denying D.C. any chance of a comeback and preserving the clean sheet.
Three Points
- Gamechanger Energy: Playing alongside Iloski and Damiani, Uhre yet again transformed Philly’s front line from “meh” to “mess with us and regret it.” That assist on Damiani’s opener? Pure perfection. That late goal? Chef’s kiss.
- Milestone Mania: The Union’s 6-0 win was not only their largest margin of victory of 2025, but also the team’s (1) eighth road win of the season, a new club record, (2) 19th win overall, tying the single-season franchise mark, and (3) highest single-game scoring output of the year.
- Worth Repeating: Thrust into the starting XI early after Sullivan’s injury, Uhre reminded everyone why he’s dangerous. One assist, one goal (shall we call it two?), and a whole lot of “I told you so” energy.
Lineups
Philadelphia Union (4-4-2): Andre Blake, Jakob Glesnes, Nathan Harriel, Kai Wagner, Olwethu Makhanya, Jovan Lukic, Indiana Vassilev (Jeremy Rafanello – 63′, Olivier Mbaizo – 83′), Danley Jean Jacques, Quinn Sullivan (Mikael Uhre – 13′), Bruno Damiani (Jesus Bueno – 63′), Milan Iloski (Ben Bender – 83′)
Unused Substitutes: Neil Pierre, Andrew Rick, Chris Donovan, Alejandro Bedoya
D.C. United (4-3-3): Jordan Farr, Lukas MacNaughton (Boris Enow – 65′), Kye Rowles, Connor Antley, Aaron Herrera (Derek Dodson – 58′), Matti Peltola, Brandon Servania (Rida Zouhir – 75′), Jared Stroud (Caden Clark – 58′), João Peglow, Gabriel Pirani, Christian Benteke (Jacob Murrell – 65′)
Unused Substitutes: Luis Barraza, Hosei Kijima, David Schnegg
Scoring Summary:
PHI: Bruno Damiani (Mikael Uhre, Milan Iloski) – 17′
PHI: Conner Antley (Own Goal) – 34′
PHI: Indiana Vassilev – 36’
PHI: Milan Iloski (Bruno Damiani) – 49′
PHI: Indiana Vassilev (Mikael Uhre, Kai Wagner) – 51′
PHI: Mikael Uhre (Milan Iloski) – 62′
Disciplinary Summary:
DCU: Brandon Servania (Yellow – Foul) – 33’
DCU: Jared Stroud (Yellow – Poor Sportsmanship) – 38’
PHI: Olwethu Makhanya (Yellow – Poor Sportsmanship) – 57’
Great result, but DC is just so terrible.
Good news is that we earned the expected 3 points and almost negated the Vancouver drop in goal differential.
. . .
DC United is awful though. Standing in the Heineken section of Audi Field and watching the early first half play development, the initial strong press gave DC several easy scoring opportunities.
. . .
Thankfully DC couldn’t hit the side of a barn for finishing. Were DC playoff caliber, the match could have gone a different direction early on finishing and tempo. We still have playoff problems on developing passing exchanges, settling passed balls, and one-on-one maintenance of the ball while in possession. There’s no trash clubs in the playoffs. That will cost us in the playoffs.
. . .
What I did like was the comeback spirit after yet another letdown week on trophy aspirations. Our coach stressed that fact, and it proved true. Sugarman’s cheapness in buying is critical difference makers is responsible, not the lads giving their best with what they have.
. . .
I’ve seen this season akin to Nottingham Forest last cycle. Had most of us guessed that we’d be this far given last year, few would have guessed.
. . .
In the end, Nottingham Forest had to complain about dual ownership to get Europa League and regretted not making Champions League on Decision Day. Had you asked them in the beginning of the season, they would have been delighted at making Conference League. That’s coincidentally us this year.
. . .
I’ve no illusions that winning MLS Cup is shooting for the stars (it’s still a chance though), but if we at least make Champions Cup qualification again, then it’s still a major accomplishment against initial expectations. I’ve no illusuons that we’ll win that too, but marquee competitive international competition is always great as the Newcastles, Nottingham Forests, and Crystal Palaces know.
. . .
The MLS Supporters’ Shield winner, the remaining MLS Conference regular season leader, and the next two teams in the Supporters’ Shield table qualify. Hopefully our lads seize the moment in a tough season finish while controlling their destiny.