At the beginning of the season, if you had told me that the Philadelphia Union would be in the conversation for the Supporters’ Shield, I would’ve told you that you were crazy, however, they impressed us all and actually went out to win their second ever trophy! (Won Supporters’ Shield back in 2020).

This season, the squad finished 1st in the Eastern Conference (1st across the entire league) & fell in the Conference Semifinals of MLS Cup Playoffs after a 1-0 defeat versus New York City FC.

Taking a glance at the overall season, the Union went 12-1-4 at home & 8-7-2 on the road. They scored 5 less goals and allowed 20 goals less in comparison to their 2024 campaign.

With their roster decisions published, Philadelphia will have some roster flexibility.

The biggest questions for this group are: Does Bedoya make a return in another player-coach role? Will they make any major tweaks to their roster? Who do they really lose this offseason?

In the offseason guide:

The Positives

Winning the Supporters’ Shield is the biggest accomplishment of the 2025 season. A second trophy in club history is definitely the best thing to celebrate for the Union this season.

Bradley Carnell did a fantastic job commanding this Philadelphia Union team. In his first season, he proved that the Union were still one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and that the fluke that was the 2024 season was nothing to be worried about. It wasn’t shocking to see Carnell named the Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year after bringing the Union back to the playoffs as the #1 seed in his first season with the club.

Tai Baribo was on fire this season. The 27-year-old forward who is only on a guaranteed salary of $810,000 had 19 goal contributions (16 goals & 3 assists) in 29 games this season. Connecting him with 23-year-old forward Bruno Damiani (9 goal contributions - 7 goals & 2 assists) was a massive reason for Philadelphia’s success this season.

Also, the Philadelphia Union managed to make the U.S. Open Cup Semifinals this season. Their road to the semifinals was victories over Indy Eleven (1-1, 5-4 in penalties), Pittsburgh Riverhounds (4-1), & New York Red Bulls (3-2). As mentioned before, their run came to an end in the Semifinals when they fell 3-1 to the eventual champions, Nashville SC.

The Negatives

Getting eliminated at home versus New York City FC stings. The club had 1 win (at home) and 1 loss (on the road) versus New York City FC this season (both ended in 1-0 results). Just an unfortunate end to a very successful season.

At the current moment, the club is losing 31-year-old Designated Player forward Mikael Uhre. The forward, who is out of contract, has been with the Union since 2022 and would be a massive loss in their attack. It would be crucial for the club to make an adjustment at that position IF they fail to retain him in free agency.

Roster Flexibility

The Philadelphia Union has a good amount of roster flexibility. At the moment, the club has one designated player (Bruno Damiani) and two U-22 initiative signings (Olwethu Makhanya & Quinn Sullivan).

This club has the choice of entering the 3DP & 3U22 or the 2DP and 4 U-22s model. In regard to GAM totals, the club has $1,100,612 of GAM (as of Sept. 18, 2025).

The club announced their end-of-season roster update, where they announced most contract option decisions. 

The club is entering the 2026 season with 24 players rostered as of November 25th.

Offseason Priorities

Determine which roster model that the club wants to stay in and then go out and sign either a second or potentially third DP or a third & fourth U22 initiative player.

Determine whether or not Designated Player Mikael Uhre is returning to the club. (Philadelphia is currently undergoing negotiations over a potential return with the forward.)

Acquire further midfield depth. More specifically, a DP or U22 player in the center of the pitch.