- Philadelphia form: Philadelphia Union have won 1, drawn 4 and lost 5 of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
- New York form: New York Red Bulls have won 4, drawn 2 and lost 4 of their last 10 games.
- Home form: Philadelphia have drawn their last 3 home matches, but have not won any of them.
East Coast clash should be a close and intense
The mid-season edition of the I-95 derby should be a good measure of how two teams that have been on different journeys are faring in the MLS 2026 campaign. Ryan Richter has been in charge of Philadelphia Union since 27 May 2026 while Ibrahim Sekagya took over the helm at New York Red Bulls on 2 July 2022.
The teams have been on contrasting runs of results in recent months, but the Red Bulls have been more consistent in their approach and therefore appear better placed to take something from this matchup at Subaru Park. There's little doubt that Philadelphia should nick it, but the odds on the moneyline tell you that this is going to be a very close and scrappy game.
- Union are certainly the better team on paper and the bookmakers rate them as such with odds of 1.75 to beat the visitors here, compared to 4.51 about Red Bulls and 4.22 on the draw.
- New York's 4.51 looks a good return on the double chance bet, but our preferred wager is for the home side to prevail with under 2.5 goals in the game.
- Union's results have been a bit all over the place lately, particularly their two most recent results – a 1-1 home draw with Columbus Crew and a 6-4 away defeat to Inter Miami CF.
Richter’s men remain a work in progress
Team structure and cohesion
Richter's team remain a real work in progress as they seem to have a similar structure to what Jim Curtin's side employed in 2025 – compact, structured and with the ability to press forward en masse in order to win the ball and get men in behind. However, the results they've achieved in the last month or so don't quite suggest they are as cohesive as the Union were in the second half of last season.
Opposition threat and tactics
Sekagya's men still have the typical Red Bulls DNA in that they will press, they will get bodies forward and they will hurt teams that give the ball away in dangerous areas. Their counter-attacking speed of play is lightning fast and if Richter's side can't control the second balls or build pressure cleanly, they will be punished.
Philadelphia have been ineffective at home in all competitions, averaging 0.33 goals per match with only one strike in their three most recent fixtures at Subaru Park. This game will be a battle of the presses and whoever is better able to deal with the pressure of playing in the opponent's half for long periods will win. New York Red Bulls have split their last four away games (Won 2, lost 2), so they can travel well, but do leave gaps.
Key player
Milan Iloski is the danger man to watch for the hosts as he has seven goals in 15 MLS 2026 appearances, five of which have come in Philadelphia's last five games.
