Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union

We’ve made it everyone! I don’t know how everyone else experienced it, but for me it felt like this off-season flew by, and we’ve officially arrived at the first Purple Friday of the 2025 season with Orlando City set to open its regular season slate tomorrow against the Philadelphia Union at home.

A visit from the Union means I chopped it up with Matt Ralph, the managing editor of the excellent Philadelphia Soccer Now. He was kind enough to bring us up to speed on a Union side that looks very different from the way it has in recent years.

It’s a new day for the Union, with longtime manager Jim Curtin replaced by Bradley Carnell. How do you expect the Union to try to play under Carnell, what does he want this team to look like?

Matt Ralph: Carnell is all in on the Red Bull way and seems to be fully committed to the high press. While Curtin employed the 4-4-2 diamond and had a similar emphasis on transition play and scoring goals off opponents’ mistakes, Carnell has rolled out both a 4-2-3-1 and 4-2-2-2 formation in preseason that seems to play more to the strengths of the personnel in place. Carnell is also known for subbing earlier and more often to keep fresh legs pressing late into games. 

Curtin isn’t the only one gone, as Jack McGlynn, Jack Elliott, and Leon Flach have all exited the club. Who has been brought in to replace them, and do you think the club did a good job with who they landed?

MR: Ian Glavinovich was brought in on loan to fill Elliott’s large shoes but you could also argue he was brought in to replace the departure of Damion Lowe last summer. Sporting Director Ernst Tanner has also replaced last summer’s departures of Jose Martinez and Julian Carranza with Jovan Lukic and new striker Bruno Damiani. Damiani won’t be available for Saturday, but he broke the club’s previous transfer record ($2.8 million for Mikael Uhre) with his recent $3.4 million signing. All three transfers look promising, and when you add in summer purchase of Danley Jean Jacques there’s a lot of firepower and promise that’s been added.

You mentioned club-record signing Damiani, who was inked to a deal earlier this week. What sort of expectations do you have for him once he arrives?

MR: The club certainly is high on him and made a big splash out of his signing, but he’s also coming off a season where he scored just seven non-penalty goals, so there is still going to be the question of how he adjusts to a new league. That said, the system seems to fit him well, so whether he’s scoring goals or not, he should be able to put his stamp on the team.

Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?

MR: Nathan Harriel, Olivier Mbaizo and Glavinovich have all been out with injuries in preseason, so they are questionable. 

Projected Lineup: Andre Blake; Kai Wagner, Jakob Glesnes, Ian Glavinovich, Olivier Mbaizo; Jovan Lukic, Danley Jean Jacques, Daniel Gazdag, Quinn Sullivan; Mikael Uhre, Tai Baribo.

Score prediction not provided.

Thank you to Matt for helping get us all up to speed on the Union. Vamos Orlando!