Philadelphia Union and its ordeal in the 2026 MLS season
Philadelphia followed up an elite 2025 campaign with a collapse that has already tied one of the bleakest opening runs in MLS history.
Philadelphia Union’s start to the 2026 MLS season has not been good – and for some teams, the misery is only getting worse. Few clubs have endured as brutal a stretch as Philadelphia, where negative results keep piling up.
The team from the city known as the birthplace of American independence simply cannot find its footing this year. After finishing as the best side in the Eastern Conference last season, Union are now living the exact opposite reality and sit at the bottom of the table.
Following the March 21 loss to the Chicago Fire, Philadelphia recorded its fifth straight defeat of the MLS season, leaving the club with zero points from its first five games of the campaign.
Philadelphia’s last league win came on October 26, in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, and it came against that same Windy City team in a 2-1 victory.
Concacaf Champions Cup added to the misery
While the Concacaf Champions Cup briefly looked like it might offer some relief for Union, after they crushed Defense Force 12-0 on aggregate in the opening round, the good fortune ran out in the round of 16.
Even though they gave América a scare in Mexico City, Philadelphia was eliminated 2-1 on aggregate, ending its hopes of competing for the regional crown.
One of the worst starts in league history
Philadelphia Union’s dismal run to open the 2026 season is already being ranked among the worst starts in Major League Soccer history. Zero points through five games matches what eight other teams previously endured.
LA Galaxy (2000), San Jose Clash (1998), New England (2001), D.C. United (2009), Toronto FC (2006 and 2012), Seattle Sounders (2018), and San Jose Earthquakes (2019) all went through the same ordeal, opening with five straight games without collecting a single point.
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