PSP’s fearless futbol fanatics forecast what lies ahead for the Union in 2026

Chris Gibbons: I have simultaneously high expectations of this team and yet no expectations at all. High because, though the losses of Glesnes, Wagner, and Baribo are real, fans of the team have enough evidence at this point that one thing their beloved Union do really well is replace guys who seem to be irreplaceable. No expectations because, though the replacements seem interesting enough so far, they are largely unknowns in the dark forest that is the global soccer transfer market. A playoff bid seems like a given, top 4 doesn’t feel like a stretch at all, and another Shield run would be par for the course – not because it’s clear they can do it with this group, but because it seems like they can do it with any group.

Alex Hayden: There is no reason this team should not finish below a home playoff match. Carnell’s system proves to be effective regardless of who is playing in it, so long as each individual understands their role on the field.

George Diamond: Despite capturing just the second major trophy in their history last season, the Union have rebuilt large sections of their squad heading into 2026. Longtime defensive stalwarts Kai Wagner and Jakob Glesnes are gone. Forwards Tai Baribo and Mikael Uhre are out as well.

That amount of turnover can lead to inconsistency – just look at Liverpool – but perhaps Philly is getting ahead of potential regression or stagnation (and in the case of Kai, who finally got his move to Europe, one can respect the club not getting in the way). With new signings Ezekiel Alladoh and Japhet Larsen primed to step in as starters, Philly have gotten younger at key positions, while still maintaining a solid core.

There are still some holes to fill (calling all left backs), but let’s assume the Union sign one or two capable players for the sake of the prediction.

MLS: I’m feeling an upper-mid table finish in league play, call them a #3 seed in the East. I do not think the U will repeat the Shield. There hasn’t been a back-to-back Shield winner since the 2010 and ’11 Galaxy teams. A big reason Philly won it last season was not being in CCC or LC play. There will always be a surprise team or two, but unfortunately Miami and LAFC are just more likely to take it, largely due to their depth. In the playoffs, I think the Union can improve to make the Conference Finals… IF Alladoh has a big first year and Quinn Sullivan is able to return and contribute down the stretch. However, it still feels like this squad is missing that X-Factor who can take them all the way to the Promised Land of an MLS Cup (Prove me wrong Union).

Kyle Grantham: The daunting schedule the Union will face with Champions League (I’m not calling Twitter, “X,” and I’m not calling it “Champions Cup,” either), Leagues Cup and the season, paired with their continued refusal to make impactful depth improvements to the roster would mean the club is destined to produce middling results in all competitions even if they hadn’t seen the dramatic level of turnover on the roster this off-season. Coupled with the loss of both their top strikers and their two best defenders, there’s potential for utter disaster.

The Union won the Supporters Shield with a 20-6-8 record in 2025. At best I think the club can hope for a finish similar to 2023 when they went 15-10-9 and finished 4th in the East. I think it’s more likely they’re fighting at the bottom of the standings for the right to lose to Miami.

What does favor the Union is the quality of their 2026 opponents and lack of demanding travel. Trips to Austin (August 22nd) and San Diego (September 13th) are their biggest road trips and their only other games out of the Eastern Time Zone are against Kansas City (September 19th) and conference play against Chicago (October 14th) and Nashville (October 28th). Only leaving your time zone for Champions League play all the way up to August is a huge advantage. I’m still predicting a 12-10-12 finish to the season though, with too much known goal scoring gone and the most reliable parts of the defensive line lost as well.

In all, I don’t see a total collapse like Carnell experienced in his second season in St. Louis, and I was very wrong about last season, but the Union have just lost too many key players for me to believe they pick right up where they left off in 2026. With likely less demand on the schedule for 2027, the chance they don’t sell off half the roster again in the off-season and more time for young players to develop, 2027 could be a Cup year for the club.

Ryan Eichem: It’s clear that the Union have subtracted more than they’ve gained this offseason, including strikers Tai Baribo and Mikael Uhre and MLS-Best-XI level defenders Kai Wagner and Jakob Glesnes. Sure, there’ve been additions, but this team is not of the same standard it was last year.

In 2025, Bradley Carnell’s first season at the helm, the Union topped the entire league, winning 20 games on their way to a Supporters’ Shield trophy, which they won by a single point. Admittedly, I was skeptical even going into 2025; There was a new coach after a decade of Jim Curtin, a few new additions waiting to prove themselves, and a really competitive conference featuring the best player ever to touch a soccer ball. Then they went out and surpassed all expectations, and I was proven wrong. 2026 does not seem like a repeat of 2025, though.

The Union have sold, or let go, two strikers with almost 80 goals for the club combined, former MLS Defender of the Year Jakob Glesnes, one of the best MLS left backs of all time in Kai Wagner, defender Neil Pierre on loan and left back Isaiah LeFlore on a free transfer.

This leaves a sizable depth gap, even when including the signings of young Ghanaian striker Ezekiel Alladoh and experienced, 25-year-old defender Japhet Sery Larsen, which the higher-ups have refused to address. They need to go sign a new left back, as well as bolster the rest of the defense, if they want a semblance of a chance in their extended schedule.

In the end, there will likely not be a repeat of 2025; Miami are just too good, and the Union have not done what they need to get back there. Playoffs should be guaranteed, but anything better than a second-round exit to Cincy, Miami or Nashville should be seen as a success.

Tim Jones: Forecast is an especially tough assignment this year. The roster has new people in key places. The Nordsjaelland scrimmage had promising elements. The timing of the goals against the Montenegrin side says the Union probably ran them and wore them out.