Nashville SC's busy schedule keeps rolling. After their 1-0 loss to Tigres UANL in the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal, they're heading to Chester, PA, for a match against the Philadelphia Union, before travelling to Monterrey for the second leg against Tigres.
For the latest on the Union, we checked in with José Roberto Nuñez, who covers the team for José's Union Substack, as well as the league at large for MLSSoccer.com.
Philadelphia Union Coverage from José Roberto Nuñez
Ben Wright (SixOneFive Soccer): After winning the Shield last year, the Union have really struggled this year, currently second-to-last in the Shield standings this year and in last place in the East. What's gone wrong this season? How concerned are you?
José Roberto Nuñez (Jose's Union Substack): It’s been a mess, no doubt.
A number of factors have contributed to the downturn, but if you had to pinpoint one, it’s the constant rotation of the roster. Make no mistake, the Philadelphia Union executed exactly what they set out to do this past offseason: get younger and reduce salary commitments.
That came with moving on from key pieces like Jakob Glesnes, Tai Baribo, Mikael Uhre, and Kai Wagner. In their place, they brought in a range of younger players to reload the squad.
But that approach comes with a tradeoff. There are expectations, yes, but also a real need for patience. These are younger players adapting to a new league, often a new country, and a different style of play.
The challenge is that last year set a misleading benchmark. Players like Danley Jean Jacques and Jovan Lukić came in and contributed almost immediately. That kind of seamless transition is the exception, not the rule, and so far, it hasn’t been replicated. At least not yet.
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BW: Losing players like Wagner, Glesnes and Baribo all in one window is pretty brutal. How have their departures impacted the mood among the fanbase, and what's the impact on the field?
JN: From a fan base perspective, it’s a bit bleak right now.
A team that went on to win the Supporters’ Shield undergoing that level of roster turnover was always going to be difficult to absorb. To be fair, head coach Bradley Carnell still found success even after moving on from key pieces like Dániel Gazdag, Jack McGlynn, and Leon Flach, so some patience was earned. But this start has been tough for supporters to stomach.
