For just the second time in club history, the Union clinch the 2025 Supporters’ Shield with a 1-0 win over New York City FC (NYFC) on Saturday night at Subaru Park. With the win, Philadelphia has secured a spot in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup and clinched the top seed and homefield advantage throughout the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs. Let’s wrap:
Moves Like Mikael
In the 40th minute, Mikael Uhre scored with a right footed shot from the right side of the box to give Philly a 1-0 lead. The play really started with Jovan Lukic, however, as the Serbian international aggressively forced a New York turnover at midfield. Lukic then transitioned to offense, where he found Uhre down the right side of the field with a pass. Uhre’s shot was actually deflected by a New York defender, altering the shot just enough to surprise keeper Matt Freese.
Throughout this season, a few different Union forwards have stepped up when called upon from the striker position, most notably Tai Baribo and Bruno Damiani. Nonetheless, Uhre has always been in the attacking shape and can contribute when called upon.
“Mika’s always been there,” Bradley Carnell said after the match. “He’s always been ready and I really enjoy that. He’s been patient and he gets rewarded over the last two matchdays.”
Uhre’s goal was all the boys in blue needed, as goalkeeper Andre Blake slammed the door shut with his ninth clean sheet of the season.
Twice is Nice
The Union previously captured the Supporters’ Shield in 2020, but times were much different then. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the 2020 campaign greatly; in fact, the players weren’t even able to celebrate on the field with the real shield since the actual trophy did not arrive on time for their final regular-season match. Five players from that 2020 squad are still with the team; Andre Blake, Jakob Glesnes, Kai Wagner, Olivier Mbaizo and captain Alejandro Bedoya. They know how much it means to the club, but ultimately, it’s just one step towards the goal of becoming an MLS Cup Champion.
“It’s a great feeling,” Bedoya said. “But, you know, I’ve had this feeling before. I really want want an MLS Cup. We’re going to celebrate, it feels great, but I want that freaking Cup.”
Kai Wagner echoed similar sentiments.
“The job is not done yet,” Wagner said. “We still have a lot to go, and I’m really happy that we could achieve that today, but it’s not done.”
Along with Andre Blake, Wagner was among the most outspoken of the veteran players a season ago about the club needing a myriad of changes to reach the top of the league’s table.
The result of that? The Union set a new club record in 2025 for total wins in a single season, improving their record to 20-6-7 with one more match left on the docket.
They Said It
Bradley Carnell on the Union’s effort this season: “It’s a great testament to their character, to their professionalism, to how they treat their bodies, to show that they can do it and bounce back again.”
Kai Wagner on the Union’s chances at an MLS Cup: “We don’t want to look too far in the future. We’re just going to go game by game.”
Andre Blake on what this Supporters Shield win means to him: “I’ll always say, I prefer team trophies, team accolades over individual accolades.”
Did You Know?
Per the club, the Union now own seven all-time wins against New York City Football Club in 11 matches at Subaru Park.
On Deck
The Union return to action on October 18th, when they head to Carolina to take on Charlotte at Bank of America Stadium. The match is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. and will broadcast on Apple TV, MLS Season Pass.
