The Philadelphia Union finished first in the MLS with a record of 20-6-8, winning the 2025 Supporters Shield to wrap the season up, holding off San Diego, Inter Miami, and Cincinnati. Sadly, the Union were removed from the Audi 2025 MLS Playoffs in a 1-0 defeat to New York City FC in the quarterfinals.
Former VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Mönchengladbach defender Bradley Carnell led the Union in an unforgettable season. Carnell took over for former head coach Jim Curtin after his exit from the club at the end of the 2024 season. Carnell was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, which later led him to receive national team call-ups for the South African National Team, and play for some of the top clubs in Germany. Carnell started his managerial career with the New York Red Bulls as their assistant manager in 2017, which later led to him becoming an interim manager in 2020 for the Red Bulls. After, he managed St. Louis City and was assistant manager of the Canadian National team before coming to the Union.
Sébastien Le Toux
For this article, I interviewed Philadelphia Union club legend and record holder Sébastien Le Toux. He serves as a broadcaster for Apple TV and the Philadelphia Union. Le Toux provided good insight into the 2025 season, as well as the players and new format.
Union Team Dynamics
Carnell introduced a new format, using two forwards and two center-defensive midfielders, creating a 4-4-2 playing style. According to Le Toux, Carnell’s format led to more “offensive” playing, with more “defensive stability”. Within this playing style, the main objectives were to create a solid defense, while creating more scoring opportunities by playing the ball into the box more frequently.
The team grew in terms of mindset and connection. Le Toux expressed that the Union improved with pressing, stating that “as soon as they lose the ball, they try to win it back right away”. The team also improved with the connection between players, especially with bringing in new starters and a new head coach. Players were rarely seen showing angry emotions on the pitch, especially towards each other which shows their chemistry.
According to Le Toux, this season brought out many stars within the Union, both defensively and offensively. Some of the bigger names, Baribo and Wagner, made great contributions, while some younger players impacted the team in ways that are not seen to most.
Union Offense
In the 2025 season, the Union scored a total of 57 goals in 34 games. The new format brought attention to the club’s forwards Tai Baribo, Bruno Damiani, and Milan Iloski, each scoring over eight goals. The midfield’s almost flawless structure gave attention to more defensive players such as Danley Jean Jacques and Jovan Lukic, but also offensive midfielders such as Mikkel Uhre and Indiana Vassilev.
Tai Baribo
Union Forward and Israeli international Tai Baribo scored 16 goals during regular season play, the leading scorer for the Union this past season. According to Le Toux, Baribo started the season strong with five goals in the first two matches, but dipped in performance after the middle of the season. Baribo played a crucial role as the team’s go-to striker, playing alongside forwards Bruno Damiani, and occasionally Milan Iloski.
Quinn Sullivan
Twenty-three year old Union homegrown Quinn Sullivan had an outstanding season, assisting nine goals. Sullivan’s “charismatic playing style” led him to receive numerous caps for the United States National Team, competing against Turkey, Switzerland, and Haiti as a midfielder in June. Sullivan experienced a season ending injury, tearing his ACL against Columbus Crew in the later part of the season. With this injury, Sullivan will not be able to return until after the summer, unfortunately missing the 2026 World Cup. Although injured, Sullivan has made great progress post-surgery and continues to support his younger brothers, Ronan (18) and Declan (18), in their college journey, committing to Division I St. Joe’s University for soccer, and Cavan (16) playing alongside Quinn for the Union, as well as the United States U-17’s.
Danley Jean Jacques
Union Center-Defensive Midfielder Danley Jean Jacques played a key role as the heart of the midfield this season. Danley brought defensive stability and structure, playing a “box-to-box” style, says Le Toux. Throughout the season, Danley showed his “physicality and athleticism” throughout the midfield whether hustling up and down the pitch, regaining possession, or creating a build-up play.
Bruno Damiani
Twenty-three year old Uruguayan Forward Bruno Damiani scored seven crucial goals in his debut season for the Union. The Union received Damiani from Nacional in Uruguay at the beginning of the season, bringing in a new young talent. Damiani showed his physicality in his spirited playing style. Le Toux expressed that Damiani has great presence and control with the ball at his feet. Damiani created fast breaks, breaking down defenses seamlessly, and scoring placed goals.
Unions Defense
The Union’s tough and respected defense was acknowledged across the league, earning defenders Jakob Glesnes and Kai Wagner MLS Best XI honors.
German left-back Kai Wagner led the team with 11 assists and became recognized for his speed and defensive abilities.
Norwegian center-back Jakob Glesnes showed his all-star abilities by controlling the defense.
South African center-back Olwethu Makhanya has proved his talent as a young defender through his knowledge of the position and physicality.
North East Philadelphia native and Union homegrown Frankie Westfield has shown promise and flexibility within positions, bringing hope to the future of the club.
Veteran Leadership
Off and on the pitch, Union Veterans Alejandro Bedoya and Andre Blake brought great leadership and knowledge to the team.
Union veteran Ale Bedoya has played for the Union since 2016 and has contributed massively to the history of the club. Bedoya has played for well known clubs such as Rangers in Scotland, and Nantes in France, bringing knowledge of top professional teams. Although Bedoya did not play many minutes in the midfield, he created chemistry within the team and bridged the gap between the new coaching staff and players, says Le Toux.
Jamaican international Goalie Andre Blake is known as a top MLS goalie of all time for his skilled saves and athleticism. Blake brought skill and his voice in each match, leading the defense in corners and free kicks. Although dealing with many injuries, Blake always returned in good form to help contribute to the team.
Union Academy
The Union Academy continues to produce young talent each season. The Union produced notable international players: Brenden Aaronson, Paxton Aaronson, Mark McKenzie, and Zack Steffen, and current talent: Nathan Harriel, Quinn Sullivan, and Cavan Sullivan. With talent like these players, the club has partnered with lower-level clubs in Denmark and Germany to supply players.
Le Toux states that the club is focused on building young talent out of the academy rather than spending on transfers. The bench for the Union is typically composed of swing players, playing for both the Union and Union II, the club’s second team. The Union II helps develop these players more fully, giving them an atmosphere to show their talent and receive playing time that they do not always receive for the first team. These players include forward Sal Olivas, midfielder CJ Olney, goalkeeper Andrew Rick, and midfielder Cavan Sullivan.
In the 2025 season, goalkeeper Andrew Rick and midfielder Cavan Sullivan rose as emerging talents.
Andrew Rick
At only nineteen years old, goalkeeper Andrew Rick has shown promise when needed. Rick is known as the Union’s second goalie, behind star goalie Andre Blake. This season, Rick played a total of 1232 minutes for the first team, playing 14 games with 6 clean-sheets. In those 14 games, Rick showed athleticism and his skilled abilities. Goalkeepers typically progress with age which shows Rick’s possible abilities for the future.
Cavan Sullivan
In 2024, Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan became the youngest debut in MLS history at 14 years and 293 days. Sullivan has caught the attention of European giant Manchester City and others because of his impressive talent at a young age. Although only appearing in 11 matches with zero goals scored this past season, Sullivan earned himself a cap for the 2025 U17 World Cup in Qatar. In his four matches played, Sullivan scored two goals, had one assist, and received three Man of the Match awards for his performances. Cavan’s performance remains impressive and suggests potential to become a top well-known player.
World Cup Call-ups
With the 2026 World Cup approaching, the MLS has made the decision to suspend league play for 54 days, picking up around the semifinals in July, giving the league’s top-players a chance to represent their countries. Jean Jacques is a top candidate to represent qualified nation Haiti. With the United States hosting the 2026 World Cup, the country automatically qualifies. Possible candidates for the United States include Nathan Harriel and Frankie Westfield.
