Columbus Crew v Philadelphia Union: Carnell urges visitors to learn from naivety

Bradley Carnell hopes the Philadelphia Union can learn from their naivety when they visit the Columbus Crew for Saturday’s MLS clash.

The Union saw late elation turn into heartbreak last time out, taking a 3-2 lead in the 89th minute before Toronto FC equalised for a 3-3 draw in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time.

It marked a second straight draw for Philadelphia, who are 14th in the Eastern Conference, with only one win to their name all season.

But Carnell is backing his group of players to respond at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.

“This group is locked in, and we’re doing everything for each other. Of course, we looked a little bit naive at times,” Carnell said after the Toronto thriller.

“We need to think more about how to close out games, but this is what happens with a young group, and we will continue to follow this road of learning by doing.”

The points are shared in Toronto.#DOOP | @PennMedicine pic.twitter.com/afmoIBktUB

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) April 23, 2026

Having thrown away their chance for just their second win in 2026, an irate Carnell seemingly grew tired of the line of questioning as he bit back to defend his team’s decision-making.

“It was two points lost, but we will continue fighting, trying to bring the group along and help the youngsters at the end,” he added before snapping at a follow-up question.

“Anyone who is a pro knows what we need to do – can you go to the corner flag, limit chances – there’s a whole bunch of things we can do, but I don’t need to tell the group that.”

The Crew will head into a second consecutive home fixture on the back of a 2-1 win over the LA Galaxy that lifted them to ninth in the East.

However, Carnell hopes the Union’s last-gasp collapse can motivate his troops to improve.

“We’re going to leave this locker room galvanised and look forward to Columbus,” he concluded.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Columbus Crew – Diego Rossi

Diego Rossi’s goal on Wednesday was his 35th for the Crew since joining in 2023, tying Cucho Hernandez for the most at the club during that time.

The Crew forward has four goals in nine league outings this campaign, a tally he will be keen to add to here.

Philadelphia Union – Alejandro Bedoya

Alejandro Bedoya came off the bench to deliver an assist again on Wednesday.

It was Bedoya’s second league game this season, having an assist as a substitute (also at Atlanta United in March), tying him with three others for most such games by an MLS player this season.

MATCH PREDICTION – COLUMBUS CREW WIN

Although Philadelphia have fared well in the last month, the Crew are the favourites for this encounter. Columbus have lost only two of 21 home matches against the Union in all competitions (W14 D5), including going unbeaten in 12 straight dating back to 2017 (W8 D4).

The Crew have conceded just five goals during their 12-match home unbeaten streak against the Union, making it simple to understand why the Opta supercomputer sided with them.

However, Columbus have recorded consecutive wins in regular-season play just once since the start of May 2025, a three-match run in June which includes a home victory over Philadelphia.

And the Union will not roll over. They are on a three-game unbeaten streak in MLS play (W1 D2) and have scored five goals during the run. Prior to this streak, Philadelphia had lost seven straight regular-season games dating back to last season, scoring four times in total.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Columbus Crew – 49.5%

Draw – 25.5%

Philadelphia Union – 25%