Philadelphia Union achieved their first win in the 2026 Leagues Cup on Sunday night (9). After the 1-0 loss to Cruz Azul in the debut, Ryan Richter 's team responded with a dominant performance and beat Necaxa 3-1 at Subaru Park.
The Union practically settled the match from the start. Nathan Harriel opened the scoring at two minutes, Bruno Damiani extended the lead at 12, and Cavan Sullivan scored the third at 53. With Philadelphia managing the advantage and after several changes made by Richter, Matías Espíndola scored at 79.
The win keeps Philadelphia Union alive in the dispute for a spot in the knockout stage, although qualification no longer depends solely on their own results.
Philadelphia Union started the match doing exactly what characterizes the team: pressing with extremely high intensity.
However, this time there was an important adjustment in relation to the loss to Cruz Azul. When the first combat didn't work, the Union reorganized its lines and continued pressing further back, avoiding the spaces that had cost dearly in the previous round.
And that's how the first goal was born.
Kai Wagner pressed Necaxa's exit and helped the Union recover possession. Bruno Damiani found Wagner, who activated Indiana Vassilev . The midfielder turned the game over to Cavan Sullivan, who received one-on-one, moved forward, and instead of finishing, saw Nathan Harriel's arrival. The defender appeared from behind and scored with his first touch at two minutes.
Necaxa felt the frantic start and continued to have enormous difficulty organizing its defense.
At 12, Jovan Lukić made a spectacular pass from the defensive field, finding Nathan Harriel in attacking depth. The defender reached the end line and crossed low for Bruno Damiani to complete and make it 2-0. It was the striker's fourth goal of the season.
Two minutes later, the Union could have practically sealed the match.
After good construction involving Wagner, Vassilev, Damiani, and Ezekiel Alladoh , Kai Wagner appeared again and crossed for Cavan Sullivan. The young player got behind the defense and was in excellent condition to finish, but hit the ball poorly and sent it out.
It was another great opportunity wasted by Cavan, something that also happened against Cruz Azul and still appears as one of the points to be developed in his game.
Necaxa began to have more possession as the first half progressed, but without turning it into great opportunities. At 24, Julián Carranza crossed for Matías Espíndola to head into Andrew Rick 's hands. Near the interval, Dániel Leiva and Espíndola himself tried from free kicks, again without being able to overcome the Union's goalkeeper.
Philadelphia returned from the interval maintaining control.
At 51, a play that is beginning to become characteristic of the team appeared: Kai Wagner crossed, and Neil Pierre attacked the ball from above. This time, however, the defender was unable to direct the header well.
Shortly after came the third goal.
The Union repeatedly pressed Necaxa's exit and recovered different second balls in the offensive field. After another attempt was cleared by the Mexican defense, Indiana Vassilev was left with possession on the left side of the area and put the ball back inside.
Cavan Sullivan appeared. The number 6 dominated the ball on his chest and finished with his left foot to score the third at 53 minutes.
With the built advantage, Ryan Richter began to manage the team and made several changes. Philadelphia naturally lost part of its intensity, while Necaxa found more space.
Ricardo Monreal had one of the best Mexican opportunities when he received from Dániel Leiva and faced Andrew Rick one-on-one, but the goalkeeper closed the angle well and made a great save.
At 79, Necaxa finally reduced the deficit. After recovering possession and accelerating the play, Carlos Vargas launched the ball into the offensive sector. Japhet Sery Larsen struggled in the dispute with Julián Carranza, and the ball reached Matías Espíndola, who finished first-time, with no chance for Rick.
The goal, however, did not change the scenario.
The Union controlled the final minutes and confirmed an important 3-1 win at Subaru Park.
Cavan Sullivan was the best player on the field. At 16 years old, he scored a goal, provided an assist, and mainly responded exactly to the challenge he had set for himself a few days earlier.
Against Cruz Azul, Cavan had another excellent game. He was the player with the most completed dribbles on the field, created two chances and a great opportunity, and was constantly involved in the start of the offensive constructions. There were 57 actions with the ball.
However, after the defeat, he publicly assumed responsibility and acknowledged that he needed to turn his performances into more goals and assists.
Against Necaxa, that's exactly what happened.
Cavan had only 26 actions with the ball, less than half of what he had against Cruz Azul. Still, he was directly involved in two of the three goals.
It's an important demonstration of the versatility he has been developing.
Against Cruz Azul, Atlanta United , and Seattle Sounders , and many other teams, he had already shown that he can be the player responsible for the construction, the pre-assist, the progression, and even the defensive work. Now he has also shown that he can decide a match with few contacts.
This doesn't mean that his development is complete, quite the opposite.
Cavan wasted another great opportunity, and the finishing is still a foundation that needs to evolve. These are completely natural details for a 16-year-old player.
Perhaps it's precisely this that makes his moment even more impressive.
Cavan didn't do it alone.
Nathan Harriel was directly involved in the first two goals of the Philadelphia Union. First, he appeared as a surprise element to take advantage of Cavan's assist and open the scoring. Then he perfectly attacked the space to receive Jovan Lukić's pass and serve Bruno Damiani.
Defensively, he didn't have his best performance, but his offensive contribution was huge: a goal and an assist.
The statistics show nine Necaxa shots on goal, but the score shows only one.
Andrew Rick was directly involved in this.
The young goalkeeper made eight savesand appeared mainly when Necaxa began to find more space during the second half. His best intervention occurred against Ricardo Monreal, quickly closing the angle in a one-on-one situation.
In Espíndola's goal, he could do little.
Perhaps the best news for the Philadelphia Union isn't simply the victory.
It's recognizing the Philadelphia Unionon the field again.
Ryan Richter has been recovering an identity that has accompanied the club for years: intensity, pressure, quick possession recovery, and vertical attacks. It was like this in different moments with Jim Curtin, continued to be part of the organization's philosophy, and was also present in Richter's work with Philadelphia Union II.
Against Necaxa, it appeared again.
And there was an important correction.
Against Cruz Azul, the Union started pressing aggressively, but was punished when the opponent managed to escape the first line. José Paradela's goal was born precisely during a start in which Philadelphia was still trying to find its balance.
This Sunday, the approach was different.
When they couldn't recover possession immediately in the opponent's field, the Union reorganized, compacted their lines further back, and continued pressing. They didn't abandon their identity; they simply found a safer way to execute it.
The first goal was born precisely from this situation.
And there's another factor that makes this model even more interesting: the current squad has the technical quality to add something to the intensity that has always characterized the club.
Kai Wagner continues to be one of the best creators in his position in the MLS. Cavan Sullivan offers an absurd ability to conduct, pass, and associate. Milan Iloski , even starting on the bench in this match, has been one of the team's main offensive names. Danley Jean Jacques , Frankie Westfield, and other players also give the Union tools to do more than just press.
And the center-forwards are starting to respond.
Ezekiel Alladoh has already shown evolution since the season resumed, and Bruno Damiani scored again against Necaxa. When the strikers manage to turn the volume produced by the rest of the team into goals, the entire model starts to work better.
But Cavan inevitably returns to the center of the discussion.
The most interesting thing about his moment isn't just the numbers. It's realizing how many different functions he can already perform at 16 years old.
He can start a play. He can eliminate an opponent with a dribble. He can find the pass before the assist. He can press. He can recover balls. He can help defensively. And against Necaxa, he showed that he can also appear small and still decide.
There's still a lot to develop, especially in finishing.
And he's 16 years old.
This might be the most frightening detail of all.
With the victory, the Philadelphia Union reaches three pointsin the Leagues Cup and remains alive in the knockout stage dispute.
The situation, however, remains complicated. Different teams have already reached five or six points, and the Union doesn't depend only on its own result to advance.
The Philadelphia Union returns to the field on Thursday, at 8 pm (Brasília time), when they host Santos Laguna, again at Subaru Park. The opponent has lost its first two matches, making a victory an obligation for the Union to maintain any chance of classification.
However, there is a small advantage in the calendar.
Most of Philadelphia's competitors take the field on Wednesday. In this way, if the Union is still alive in the dispute, they will be able to start their match on Thursday already knowing exactly what they need, including in relation to the goal difference.
Necaxa also plays on Thursday. The Mexican team faces New York City FC at 8:30 pmin the New York area. With three points, NYCFC is also directly involved in the classification dispute.
