Bradley Carnell treats the reunion of Saturday with St. Louis City as just another game, while the Philadelphia Union looks back from their first defeat of the campaign.
Carnell was fired last year by St. Louis and led Philadelphia to three straight victories to start the 2025 MLS campaign, but his new team suffered their first setbacks last week.
A 3-1 defeat against Nashville SC left them in second place in the rankings of the Eastern Conference, prior to Saturday's game against his former club in Subaru Park.
Carnell was the very first head coach of St. Louis and led them to the top of the Western Conference classification in their debut season in 2023.
Although he houses many good memories from his time there, he is simply aimed at leading the Union to three more points.
Carnell said: “It's just another game, an opponent of a cross-conference, but there are certainly quite special people I still have contact with and I keep in touch.
“I am going to welcome many faces and people with whom I have always had contact.
“Special memories certainly, but at the end of the day it is three points on the line and another game.”
St. Louis has taken eight points of their first four games of 2025 and has to give an MLS goal under new head coach Olof Mellberg.
“It is clear that new coaching staff comes in, different playing style, different formation, they defend themselves in different parts of the field,” said Carnell about the approach of St. Louis.
“They are, I would say, very ruthless in transition, there are a whole series of guys they can start.
“So again, it's a slightly different way of playing, but still a successful way I would say, and they started well, a hot start, and we are enthusiastic to face them.”
Players to watch
Philadelphia Union – Jovan Lukic
Lukic scored in successive matches for the trade union, so that the only goal of the team set their loss against Nashville last Sunday.
He is the sixth different trade union player who finds the net in successive matches at least once since the start of last season.
St. Louis City – Roman Burki
St. Louis is the third team in the history of MLS that does not allow a goal in their first four games of a season (after the New York Red Bulls in 2007 and Vancouver WhiteCaps in 2012).
Burki and his teammates will set an MLS record for the longest Shutout streak to start a campaign if they can hold the first 68 minutes scoreless on Saturday.
Match Prediction – Philadelphia Union Win
This will be St. Louis's 85th match in all matches, but their first against Philadelphia.
The trade union has only won six of their last 24 home games for the regular season dates from mid -September 2023 (D9 L9). This run comes immediately after the trade union won six consecutive league matches in Subaru Park.
In the meantime, St. Louis has only lost one of their 15 regular seasonal matches in February and March (W8 D6), including unbeaten by their first four games this season (W2 D2).
But Philadelphia looks like real contenders this term, with only Inter Miami currently above them in the rankings of the Eastern Conference, so they will have faith in the victory.
Opta wins probability
Philadelphia Union – 53.3%
St. Louis City – 22.8%
Drawing – 23.9%
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