Philadelphia Union v Nashville SC: Match Preview and Betting Notes

Photograph Credit: Philadelphia Union

The Philadelphia Union ended a two-game road trip with a 2-0 defeat in Columbus. In today’s Match Preview, we’ll review Saturday’s loss in Ohio before focusing on our 7:30pm matchup against Nashville.

No End in Sight

The MLS season is a long one. It starts in late-February and runs to mid-December if your team can make MLS Cup. Unfortunately, when your club is struggling like Philly is, the 9 month stretch of games can feel like an eternity. The Boys in Blue are a third of the way through their 2026 campaign, are 1W-2D-7L, and are positioned in 15th place in the Eastern Conference Standings. They're only in front of Sporting KC in the overall MLS standings.

I wasn’t too optimistic entering last Saturday’s contest against Columbus. The Crew haven’t lost to Philly in their home arena since 2016, and that streak was extended after the frustrating 2-0 result.

Columbus attacked Philly from the jump and first punished the Union when Ndinga misplayed a longball from Chambost. Next, a stoppage time turnover from Bueno in the first half led to an own goal from Nate Harriel. It was an unfortunate moment for the Philly defender, who became the first Homegrown in club history to start 100 matches.

Nashville didn't add to their total, but the Union were unable to break through the Nashville defense on Saturday night. We also saw extended time from Ben Bender who replaced Ndinga at halftime. The Maryland native even had a nice shot on target. I don't know what the future holds for Bender, but he did look more comfortable on the field than Ndinga did.

After the match, Bradley Carnell spoke with the media and had this interesting quote regarding the Union's play. Jose Nunez was nice enough to share it on his twitter (Josernunez91)

As a Union fan, this was a frustrating response to hear from Coach. The Union are the worst team in the Eastern Conference and have been anemic on offense all season. I don't know how Carnell can watch the 2-0 defeat and think we had a "good game". With 1st place Nashville coming to town, we'll see what adjustments Bradley makes on Saturday night. It's Star Wars night at Subaru Park by the way. Maybe the Force will be with the Boys in Blue...

Nashville Preview

Nashville is a wagon. Simple as that. The Tennessee visitors are 7W-1D-1L and have a +15 goal differential. They're also in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Semi-Final (more on that in a moment).

Nashville is 3W-1D-1L on the road, with their only loss being a 1-0 defeat in Chicago. They've scored 21 goals so far this season, with 18 coming from open play. Hany Mukhtar and Cristian Espinoza are key contributors, with each having 3 goals so far in 9 games. However, 2026 has been all about Sam Surridge.

The English striker had 25 goals in 37 MLS matches in 2025, and he's currently on pace to break that total. Surridge has 9 goals in 7 matches in MLS, with 1 goal in 4 matches in CONCACAF Champions Cup. In case you're wondering, the Union have 9 total goals in MLS.

Speaking of CONCACAF Champions Cup, Nashville is currently facing Tigres from Liga MX. The first leg of the two-game matchup was on Tuesday, April 28th, and Tigres left GEODIS Park with a 1-0 result. The second leg of the semi-final will be held on Tuesday, May 5th at 9:30pm in Mexico. So, what does that mean for the Union?

First, the player I just raved about, Sam Surridge, was absent from Tuesday's matchup. The Nashville forward is currently listed as week-to-week with a back injury, and this is now the second time in 2026 that Sam has missed time with an injury. He missed two matches in April with a hamstring issue.

In a normal situation, I'd mention that players like Madrigal would slot into Sam's place and try to replicate his production. However, if I'm BJ Callaghan, I'm not worrying about the Union match on Saturday evening. Nashville has a legitimate chance to win CONCACAF Champions Cup, and they're only down 1 goal entering the second leg. Also, Edvard Tagseth left Tuesday's match in the 18th minute due to injury, and it's unclear if Surridge could make it back for the second leg. If I'm in Callaghan's shoes, I'm resting all my key starters and relying heavily on my B squad. Get some rest and prepare for another tough matchup against Tigres.

Player Availability and Betting Notes

Philadelphia appealed the red card that Sery received against Columbus, and we learned on Thursday that the card had been rescinded. I expect to see Sery on the backline Saturday night. Unfortunately, both Sery and Makhanya are now on caution accumulation warnings, while Nashville does not have anyone on the disciplinary report.

For injuries, Chris Applewhite (lower body), Sam Surridge (middle body), Eddi Tagseth (lower body), and Thomas Williams (lower body) are all out for Nashville. For Philly, Quinn Sullivan remains out, while Jesus Bueno finds himself on the injury report with an ankle injury. We saw him take a hard tackle against Columbus before he was helped off the field by the training staff. Bueno has been one of the better players for Philly over the last month. I feel terrible for Chu Chu and wish him a speedy recovery. We'll certainly miss him on Saturday.

I'm using DraftKings again for today's betting notes, and the sportsbook has Philly as the favorite in Saturday's matchup. The Boys in Blue are +135 on the moneyline, the draw is +230, and Nashville is +185 to win. I know I've been fading the Union for a majority of the season, and we had another winner in last week's moneyline play on Columbus. However, this might be the most difficult game to predict so far in my previews considering two important factors. First, we have no idea what squad Nashville will have on the field in Chester. I imagine Callaghan may play some key starters for 45 minutes, but I'm not sure if it will be the first or second half. Next, the Union are terrible right now. Bradley might be shifting around the lineups, but the approach and the formation are the same. Against Columbus, Philly had 10 total shots, with only 2 on target (1 Iloski and 1 Bender). Once again, Damiani can't find the back of the net, and Alladoh didn't do much in his limited minutes. If Carnell changes the formation, maybe we have a better chance of scoring some goals. However, with the way the Union are playing, I'm not sure if they can even beat Nashville's backups.

So, what are we going to do with the betting notes? Well, I'm going to keep it simple with one play. Nashville beat Philadelphia three times last year, which included a 3-1 result in the Open Cup Semi-Final. I'm not sure if Nashville can make it 4 in a row, but if the visitors park the bus at Subaru park, they could certainly walk away with a draw. I'd like to see the lineup before officially making this bet, but I'm leaning toward Nashville Tie No Bet at +105.

Ultimately, I don't like placing bets without having some certainties. The Union's poor form + Nashville's rotated lineup is enough to keep me away from making too many plays. However, if you are interested in Anytime Goal Scorers, I've listed a few key ones here: Mukhtar +215, Madrigal +245, Anello +330, Sullivan +400, and Bender +550. Again, I would wait for the lineups to come out before making a bet. If Cavan starts, maybe he can find the back of the net against a rotated Nashville side. I'd also like to see Anello earn a start next to Bruno.

Final Thought

The Union are hard to watch. They can't score goals and their defensive miscues are aggravating. However, it's a long season and I do believe the Union are talented enough to make a playoff push. If they want to see the postseason, then they'll need to start winning at home again. The Boys in Blue have yet to leave Chester with three points in 2026, and a win in front of their fans would be a step in the right direction.

After the game, hop on AAT Sports Network for our Union Post Game Show. We'll be live on Facebook and YouTube, so hop in the comments and join the convo! Doop!