- Philadelphia status: Philadelphia Union are 31st in the CONCACAF Leagues Cup 2026/2027 table and in desperate need of a response after taking 0 points from 1 game so far.
- Necaxa status: Necaxa are 30th and also have 0 points from 1 match in the CONCACAF Leagues Cup 2026/2027, leaving the group places wide open.
- Odds: Philadelphia Union are 2.0 favorites ahead of Necaxa at 3.0 and the draw at 3.75.
Home advantage may make the difference
Philadelphia Union and Necaxa are locked in a battle for the bottom two positions in the CONCACAF Leagues Cup 2026/2027 after both teams took 0 points from their opening matchup, Philadelphia losing 1-0 away to Cruz Azul and Necaxa losing 2-0 away to Chicago Fire.
Necaxa enter this game on a streak of 3 straight away defeats across all current competitions, while Union are on a run of 3 wins from their last 3 home games. With Philadelphia's odds at 2.0 for this one looking very generous, we feel they are the ones to take a chance on. Ryan Richter has been in the job just since 27 May 2026 but appears to have already made his mark on Philadelphia Union, who have looked sharper in the pressing game and in utilizing their attacking wing-backs to overload the opposition's wide areas and push players forward.
A tale of the two presses
Pressing styles
Their 3-0 home victory over Atlanta United in the MLS 2026 and 1-0 defeat to Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Leagues Cup 2026/2027 represent two very different outcomes of the same system, but a home game against a similarly pressing side will be a fascinating matchup.
Martín Varini has been in charge of Necaxa since 8 December 2025 and has them playing a high-tempo pressing style themselves, as seen in their 3-1 away loss to Deportivo Toluca FC in the Liga MX 2026/2027 and 2-0 away loss to Chicago Fire in the CONCACAF Leagues Cup 2026/2027.
Players and form
While Milan Iloski has been Union's spark since his arrival, he has been in fantastic form, scoring 6 of their 11 goals in the same period. Philadelphia's narrow back three and attacking wing-backs should look to dictate the pace of the match in the middle third and create overloads in the wide areas, whereas Necaxa's 4-2-3-1 should be able to hit fast in transition if they can spring Philadelphia's wing-backs.
- Necaxa have a Leagues Cup away record of W0 D0 L1, scoring 0.00 and conceding 2.00 goals per away matchup in this competition, but they have the firepower in Julian Carranza to turn this around if he is on form.
- Julian Carranza has been Necaxa's playmaker in recent weeks, scoring 3 of their 6 goals in the last 5 matches across all competitions.
Philadelphia’s edge looks to hold
Both teams are in mixed form in all current competitions with Philadelphia winning 3 and losing 2 of their last 5, and Necaxa winning 2 and losing 3 of theirs.
A Philly result seems the most likely outcome in what should be a tight game, as the hosts have home advantage and a lot more at stake, while Necaxa are on a poor run of 3 straight defeats away from home across all comps. Philadelphia Union to win and under 2.5 goals looks the way to go.
