New York City vs Philadelphia Union preview

United States flag 2026 Major League Soccer, United States
Yankee Stadium Sun, 16 Aug - 10:00 PM
Major League Soccer
New York CityNYC
Philadelphia UnionPHI
KICKOFF : Sun, 16 Aug - 10:00 PM
Regular Season

CONTEXT

New York City welcomes Philadelphia Union to Yankee Stadium for a Major League Soccer regular season fixture in 2026. The home side carries a power rating of 69.31 against 65.34 for the visitors, establishing a modest four-point edge and confirming New York City as the stronger team overall. Domestic league positions reflect this gap, with the hosts occupying fifth place and the away side thirteenth. Form scores also tilt toward the home team at 27.67 versus 21.33. Both clubs approach the contest with limited recent outing details available, leaving emphasis on structural metrics and positional standing. The encounter promises a measured battle shaped by these underlying differentials rather than dramatic recent results.

TL;DR

  • Structural: New York City holds a four-point power advantage and sits fifth in the league while Philadelphia Union is thirteenth.
  • Form: New York City enters with a form score of 27.67 compared to 21.33 for Philadelphia Union.
  • Squad: New York City is identified as the stronger team in this encounter.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency metrics are unavailable for both teams in this fixture.
  • Transition: Transition data is not provided for the upcoming match.
  • Set pieces: Set piece analysis shows low confidence with no xG data available.
  • xVariable: The power scores indicate New York City at 69.31 and Philadelphia Union at 65.34.
  • Market: Projection split: New York City 0% (Δ+0%) | Draw 0% (Δ+0%) | Philadelphia Union 0% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
New York City P. Jansen
P. Jansen
VS
Philadelphia Union R. Richter
R. Richter
1.44
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
0.89
1.83 i
Last 6 Opponents
Toronto Rank: 60 D
Chicago Fire Rank: 66 W
Columbus Crew Rank: 65 W
Nashville SC Rank: 73 L
New York RB Rank: 62 D
Charlotte Rank: 66 W
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
1.67 i
Last 6 Opponents
Atlanta United Rank: 58 W
Seattle Sounders Rank: 68 W
New York RB Rank: 61 W
Inter Miami Rank: 78 L
Columbus Crew Rank: 68 D
Orlando City Rank: 66 L
4
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
4 - 0 - 2
2
No sidelined player data available.

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
69.31
65.34
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
New York City
Philadelphia Union
Power Score
69.31
65.34
League Position
5
13
Global Rank
312
429

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
New York City — Opponent-weighted form score
Philadelphia Union — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) New York City Philadelphia Union

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 6 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

New York City NYC Home
6 matches
Philadelphia Union PHI Away
Match Record
4
Wins
2
0
Draws
0
2
Losses
4
Goals
7
Goals Scored
8
8
Goals Conceded
7
-1
Goal Difference
+1
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-08-13T00:30:51+00:00

STARTING XI - EXPECTED

Pitch
F. Matthew
49 F. Matthew
T. Gray
24 T. Gray
M. Ilenič
35 M. Ilenič
J. Sands
6 J. Sands
N. Cavallo
2 N. Cavallo
J. Shore
32 J. Shore
H. Wolf
17 H. Wolf
A. Perea Castañeda
8 A. Perea Castañeda
A. Ojeda
26 A. Ojeda
N. Fernández Mercau
7 N. Fernández Mercau
T. Bacelar Martins
11 T. Bacelar Martins
A. Rick
76 A. Rick
K. Wagner
27 K. Wagner
J. Sery
5 J. Sery
N. Harriel
26 N. Harriel
F. Westfield
39 F. Westfield
I. Vassilev
19 I. Vassilev
D. Jean Jacques
21 D. Jean Jacques
J. Lukić
4 J. Lukić
C. Sullivan
6 C. Sullivan
E. Alladoh
23 E. Alladoh
B. Damiani
9 B. Damiani

General Information

Date & Time
Aug 16, 2026, 10:00 PM
Competition
2026 Major League Soccer, United States · Regular Season
Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Capacity
47309
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair

Expected Lineup

Starting XI ▼

49
Matt Freese
Matt Freese Goalkeeper
6.92
26
Agustín Ojeda
Agustín Ojeda Attacker
7.01
7
Nicolás Fernández Mercau
Nicolás Fernández Mercau Centre Forward
7.81
11
Talles Magno
Talles Magno Attacker
6.74
17
Hannes Wolf
Hannes Wolf Central Midfield
6.85
32
Jonathan Shore
Jonathan Shore Central Midfield
6.63
6
James Sands
James Sands Left Back
7
24
Tayvon Gray
Tayvon Gray Right Back
7.02
35
Mitja Ilenic
Mitja Ilenic Right Back
2
Nico Cavallo
Nico Cavallo Left Back
6.79
8
Andrés Perea
Andrés Perea Central Midfield
6.91

Starting XI ▼

76
Andrew Rick
Andrew Rick Goalkeeper
5.64
6
Cavan Sullivan
Cavan Sullivan Midfielder
6.83
19
Indiana Vassilev
Indiana Vassilev Midfielder
6.66
9
Bruno Damiani
Bruno Damiani Attacker
6.87
23
Ezekiel Alladoh
Ezekiel Alladoh Attacker
6.62
5
Japhet Sery Larsen
Japhet Sery Larsen Left Back
6.64
21
Danley Jean Jacques
Danley Jean Jacques Central Midfield
6.83
27
Kai Wagner
Kai Wagner Left Back
7.54
4
Jovan Lukić
Jovan Lukić Central Midfield
6.67
26
Nathan Harriel
Nathan Harriel Right Back
6.87
39
Frankie Westfield
Frankie Westfield Right Back
7.16

CONCLUSION

New York City enters the fixture with measurable edges in power rating, league position and form score that collectively point to a controlled home performance. Philadelphia Union will look to exploit any lapses in structure but faces an uphill task given the current standings and underlying numbers. The absence of detailed efficiency and set piece data shifts focus toward the available positional and rating differentials. Both sides operate in a league environment where consistency across phases often decides outcomes. Expect New York City to leverage their slight overall superiority while Philadelphia Union seeks to disrupt rhythm through organized defending and opportunistic transitions.