Columbus Crew v Philadelphia Union: Carnell unfazed by late draw in reverse fixture

Philadelphia Union head coach Bradley Carnell is not worried about his side’s mentality when they face the Columbus Crew this weekend.

The Crew scored a 93rd-minute equaliser in the reverse fixture back in May, with the match finishing 2-2, as Sean Zawadzki took advantage of poor defending from a corner.

That was the fourth match in Philadelphia’s current 11-match unbeaten run in MLS, during which time they have scored four match-winning goals after the 80th minute.

Carnell believes late goals are just part of the sport, which does not cause him a lot of concern.

Carnell said: “There are ebbs and flows throughout the season. You know, some teams are on top throughout the season and some teams face lulls in mid-season, through the summer months, so I do not see it [conceding late] as a maturing process or learning process.

“I just think it is in the moment, what can we do to buckle down and with that comes momentum and team belief, team culture and experiences of being in these situations.

“I was talking to the boys, saying that we are going to score late in games, and we are going to concede late in games. It is just part of the nature of the game.

“Soccer is a game of mistakes, and teams and players benefit from others’ mistakes, and sometimes we will be the benefactor, and sometimes we will be on the receiving end and I think you have seen it since then [2-2 draw against the Crew in May], and I’m happy we have been more on the advantageous [side] of those events.”

Feeling gooooood #DOOP pic.twitter.com/cWRZF4c7Zj

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) June 26, 2025

For the Crew, the reverse fixture was the first in a six-match winless run, but they have now won their last two matches, beating the Vancouver Whitecaps and Atlanta United.

They sit in fourth, six points behind Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia, and two points behind FC Cincinnati.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Columbus Crew – Diego Rossi

Columbus have been led by Diego Rossi. The attacking midfielder is the club’s leading scorer with nine goals, while he has also registered three assists.

The Uruguayan has either scored or assisted in five of his last six matches.

Philadelphia Union – Bruno Damiani

With top-scorer Tai Baribo still an injury doubt, Bruno Damiani will look to step up again in his absence.

Damiani scored the only goal in the Union’s midweek win over the Chicago Fire, netting from the penalty spot. He also had the most touches in the opposition box among his team-mates (six).

MATCH PREDICTION – COLUMBUS CREW WIN

In the 38 all-time meetings across all competitions between Columbus and Philadelphia, the home team have won 24 times (D7 L7). The Crew have lost just twice at home to the Union (W13 D5).

Columbus have got the better of Philadelphia of late, unbeaten in the last four MLS matches between them. Philadelphia are looking for their first league win in encounters between the two sides since February 2023.

In their last six league matches, Columbus have won two, drawn two and lost two. Philadelphia, meanwhile, have won four and drawn two in their last six.

However, Columbus have allowed at least one goal in 14 consecutive MLS matches, the second-longest active streak in MLS (Atlanta United – 16). The only longer streak in regular-season play in team history was a 26-game run from April-September 2019.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Columbus Crew – 48.8%

Draw – 25.7%

Philadelphia Union – 25.5%