Photo courtesy Philadelphia Union Communications

The Philadelphia Union has been an on-going experiment operating on multiple fronts since its founding. First, they built a soccer-specific stadium in economically depressed Chester. Next, they created what has evolved into a world-class soccer academy combining college preparatory academics with elite-level player development. Most recently, adjacent to the stadium they have constructed a comprehensive, single-campus training facility that combines all segments of the experiment onto one site to enhance cross-fertilization, communication, and understanding throughout both halves of the organization, the soccer-specific and the business-management ones.

On Monday, June 8 those three fronts combined to demonstrate a newsworthy all-around success.

A collegiately-enhanced, two-thirds academy-produced Philadelphia Union II side hosted the Cote d’Ivoire National Team in its send-off friendly before the visitors begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign. The academy product belonged on the same pitch with their world cup national team guests.

For 90 minutes divided into three 30-minute periods, twenty-two Philadelphia Union II men battled a team representing the pride and hopes of an entire nation. All but seven of Philadelphia’s twenty-two were graduates or current students of the Philadelphia Union academy.

Union II fell 2-0 to their guests. But they played up to the level of their opponents and did not go down without a fight. 

Background

Cote d’Ivoire’s hotel is in Wilmington, DE. The side is using the Union’s Subaru Park and adjacent WSFS Bank Sportsplex campus as its training home base for the World Cup. The campus is desirable enough for the 33rd-best national team in the world and three-time AFCON champions to deem it fit to host training. 

Subaru Park welcomed a community of Ivory Coast fans who got to see their nation’s best up close and personal in a celebration of their culture. It was a chance for those fans, many of whom likely haven’t been to a Philadelphia Union match because they probably gathered from up and down the east coast, to experience a local side from the American game. 

The friendly took place during the MLS-mandated break for the World Cup, so it was billed as a Union II match because most first-teamers were on vacation. To not disrupt Union II’s MLS NEXT Pro conditioning by forcing an extra 90 minutes onto tired legs that had played a full match three days earlier, five Union Academy graduates came home from college, their summer USL-2 sides, or elsewhere to provide additional support. 

Those five were former Union homegrown striker Anthony Fontana, University of Delaware goalkeeper Jojo Elliott, Wake Forest defender Danny Krueger, University of Maryland midfielder Henry Bernstein, and University of Pittsburgh defender Gavin Wetzel. 

Cote d’Ivoire

Cote d’Ivoire, anglicized as Ivory Coast, was ranked 33rd in the world by FIFA as of April 1. They have been drawn into Group E for the 2026 World Cup with Germany, Ecuador, and Curacao. As preparation, they played a friendly against France in Nantes on June 4th, winning 2-1, probably while en route to greater Philadelphia. The free event at Subaru Park was the World Cup participant’s second and only other preparatory friendly.

Les Elephants will have a community training session in Chester on Friday, June 12th at 6:30 PM. It is open to the public, and those interested can claim free tickets here. Every World Cup participating nation is required to host one free community training. The Ivorians will also be holding a festival outside of Subaru Park on Saturday, June 13th, from 2 PM to 6 PM, celebrating Ivorian culture and diaspora. The festival is free to attend.

Les Elephants begin group stage play on Monday, June 15th against Ecuador at Lincoln Financial Field.

First period: minutes 1-30

In keeping with the informal nature of the event, no Cote-d’Ivoire players wore numbers rendering themselves anonymous.

Union II goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook made an impressive one-v-one save with his face in the third minute to put the ball out for an Ivory Coast corner. The Philadelphia side did not look out of their depth through the opening five minutes.

Ivory Coast opened the scoring in the 9th minute. Winger Evann Guessand got open in the center of the box, and after a surgical assist from his left winger, he put a powerful shot past Holbrook.

Philadelphia striker Eddy Davis had a shot just barely parried over the bar in the 14th minute.

Union first-team midfielder Cavan Sullivan won a penalty in the 22nd minute. He took the shot himself, but the Ivory Coast keeper Alban Lafont deflected it upward with his foot. The Philadelphian immediately pressured the soaring aerial ball, but could not score. Lafont went down under his pressure, but was able to continue a few moments later.

The hosts continued to weather a storm of Cote d’Ivoire attacks.

Union II left back Kaiden Moore earned a yellow card in the 29th minute for keeping heavy pressure on an attacker who had pulled him far out of position. Immediately thereafter keeper Holbrook made another big save, this time with his foot, 

Second period: minutes 31-60

Union II made no changes at the break. Cote d’Ivoire made two (see the boxscore below).

Holbrook made another important save to deny Cote d’Ivoire after left back Moore had let a ball go past him into the box.

Cote d’Ivoire earned a penalty kick from a Finn Sundstrom foul in the 40th minute. Yoan Bonny easily converted, having first sent Holbrook’s dive the wrong way. Cote d’Ivoire made two changes after the goal. Again, none of their players wore numbers, so we could not identify them.

Union II brought in four changes of their own in the 41st minute. Andrew Craig entered for Kaiden Moore ostensibly at left back. Mamoutou Berthe came for Oscar Benitez at defensive mid, Sal Olivas replaced Willyam Ferreira at attacking mid, and Jojo Elliott, who plays collegiately for the University of Delaware but travelled with the Union first team for their Spanish preseason this year, got to make his unofficial 2026 second team debut, coming on for Pierce Holbrook in the net. He has dressed in earlier seasons but never played.

Union II interim head coach pro tempore Henry Apaloo then shifted his back line to strengthen his outside channels. He moved outside back Gio Sequera onto the left, Craig and Sundstrom in the center, and captain Rafael Uzcategui onto the right. And at times the four attackers in front of the double pivot were three midfielders across behind one striker rather than the usual two and two surrounding an empty box.

Philadelphia’s Sullivan drew a yellow card foul and a free kick in the 49th minute. The card went to Cote d’Ivoire’s unidentifiable left back.

Mamoutou Berthe set up Eddy Davis in the box a minute later, but the forward’s shot was pushed away by keeper Lafont. New Union II keeper Elliott had a save on the ensuing counterattack’s breakaway.

Elliott came up big again five minutes later in the 55th with a double save at his near post.

Third period: minutes 61-90

For Philadelphia’s final 30 minutes Nehan Hasan, Lennon Harrington, Henry Bernstein, Gavin Wetzel, and Abdoulaye Diop entered the scrimmage. They replaced Eddy Davis, Giovanny Sequera, Matheus De Paula, Rafael Uzcategui, and Theo Reed respectively.

Finn Sundstrom took the captain’s armband from Uzcategui.

Ivory Coast had a goal called offside in the 67th minute. Union II responded well and brought the ball up to get a shot on target.

Gavin Wetzel had a heroic defensive effort to shut down a fast break in the 68th minute. He has developed nicely in the year since leaving the Philadelphia Union organization to play for the University of Pittsburgh.

Union II’s final changes, Danny Krueger and Anthony Fontana, entered in the 79th minute for first-teamers Finn Sundstrom and Cavan Sullivan respectively.

Lennon Harrington committed a penalty foul in the 81st minute. Jojo Elliott saved Nicholas Pepe’s kick from the spot to earn a personal clean sheet for his 42-minute match segment.

Next Match

Union II next play on the sixth day against New York City FC II on Sunday, June 14th at 3:00 PM on Kinetic Field #1 at the WSFS Sportsplex in Chester.

Three points, plus two

1. Cavan Sullivan and Finn Sundstrom, both first-teamers, played 80 minutes, the longest of anyone on the field from either side.
2. Union II had a strong defensive showing against a star-studded Cote d’Ivoire attack and managed to hold their guests offside three times in the opening interval.
3. Rafael Uzcategui had an impressive outing against perhaps the highest-quality opponents he has faced, certainly since his arrival in Chester.
4. Jojo Elliott, who graduated from YSC Academy last year and had a standout season for the University of Delaware, had an incredible night. He is a player the Union continues to monitor, and may be a candidate to come back after his collegiate career.
5. Injured Paco Dadi was able to dress and be on the field for pre-match warm-ups. He did not participate in the full extent of warm-ups but was walking and kicking a ball with his uninjured leg. He is still likely to miss the full season, but it is good to see him making progress. He holds a Cote d’Ivoire passport.

B O X S C O R E

Lineups

Union II (4-2-2-2, L-R). Head coach Henry Apaloo. 1st – 3+1; U II – 6+1; Current Academy – 2+1; Academy Graduates — 0+8. Starter’s Avg Age = 19.5

Starters: Pierce Holbrook (Jojo Elliott— 41′); Kaiden Moore (Andrew Craig— 41′), Rafael Uzcategui (Gavin Wetzel— 60′), Finn Sundstrom (Danny Krueger— 79′), Giovanny Sequera (Lennon Harrington— 60′), Matheus De Paula (Henry Bernstein— 60′), Oscar Benitez (Mamoutou Berthe— 41′), Willyam Ferreira (Sal Olivas— 41′), Cavan Sullivan (Anthony Fontana— 79′), Theo Reed (Abdoulaye Diop— 60′), Eddy Davis (Nehan Hasan— 60′)

Holbrook	Moore	Uzcategui	Sundstrom	Sequera	De Paula
UII	UII	UII	1st	UII	Cur Acad
23.2	18.6	21.7	19.6	20.3	17.6
Benitez	Ferreira	Sullivan	Reed	Davis
UII	UII	1st	Cur Acad	1st
22.0	17.3	16.7	17.6	19.9

Unused Substitutes: None.

Elliott	Krueger	Bernstein	Fontana	Berthe	Olivas
Ac Grad	Ac Grad	Ac Grad	Ac Grad	UII	1st
19.3	20.4	19.4	26.7	19.4	19.9
Wetzel	Hasan	Diop	Harrington	Craig
Ac Grad	Ac Grad	Cur Acad	Ac Grad	Ac Grad
19.8	17.9	16.3	18.0	18.7

Cote d’Ivoire. Head coach Emerse Fae.

First Period: Alban Lafont; Operi Christopher, Ousmane Diomande, Kossounou Odilon, Singo Wildried, Seri Michael, Sangare Ibrahim, Toure Bazoumana, Guiagon Parfait, Guessand Evann, Bonny Yoan.

Second Period: Alban Lafont; Operi Christopher, Ousmane Diomande, Kossounou Odilon, Guela Doue, Seri Michael, Oulai Christ Inao, Toure Bazomana, Guiagon Parfait, Guessand Evann, Bonny Yoan

Third Period: Kone Mohamed; Konan Ghislain, Agbadou Emmanuel, Franck Kessie, Guela Doue, Seko Fofana, Oulai Christ Inao, Simon Adingra, Nicolas Pepe, Diomande Yan, Oumar Diakite

Goals

CIV – Evann Guessand 9’

CIV – Ange-Yoan Bonny 40’ (PK)

Yellow Cards

UII: Moore— 29’

CIV: (Unidentified Player)— 51’