Unlikely heroes spring Philadelphia Union to historic unbeaten streak

With some last-second heroics from young striker Markus Anderson, the Philadelphia Union continued their MLS-leading hot streak.

Anderson’s goal late in second-half stoppage time, the latest game-winning goal in club history at 97:58, secured a 2-1 win for the Union over Charlotte FC, elevating Philly to the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings and preserving their 10-match unbeaten streak — the longest in club history.

“I think there's momentum, there's belief, there's energy, there's cohesion, there's commitment to each other as teammates,” head coach Bradley Carnell said after the game.

Young stars step up

Without Tai Baribo and Mikael Uhre, who are both dealing with injuries, and Quinn Sullivan, who is away on national team duty, the Union turned elsewhere for their attacking production. Jesús Bueno notched his first goal of the season to kick things off, while 19-year-old Frankie Westfield added the assist on Anderson’s game-winner.

As they’ve often done in the past, the Union relied on youthful depth to fill gaps and maintain their torrid start to the campaign.

Carnell noted the club’s recent friendly victory over Liga MX side Atlas FC proved a valuable testing ground. Anderson appeared as a substitute in that game and scored quickly on a strike from outside the box.

“The squad’s very thin at the moment with all the guys out and all the guys traveling,” Carnell said. “So we dug deep there against Atlas, and that gave us a base and a foundation, and it gave us looks at different guys. Credit to everyone who played a part today.”

Anderson’s winner, his first MLS goal, offset Wilfried Zaha’s 78th-minute strike. Westfield and fellow substitute Cavan Sullivan combined to create late pressure on Charlotte’s backline, leading to Anderson’s half-volley into the bottom corner.

“We’ve shown that we believe in every player on the roster,” Carnell said.

“Our starters trust in us and our depth that we have on the team, but they also know that everyone's going for a spot,” the 15-year-old Sullivan said. “So there's sort of this unselfishness for the team but a selfishness to try to earn your spot. And that's what creates a team that scores goals in the 96th minute.”

King of the hill

The win marked the Union’s seventh in the past 10 games, putting them four points clear of FC Cincinnati for first place in the Eastern Conference.

Combined with the Vancouver Whitecaps’ loss to the Columbus Crew, Philly now own sole possession of the top spot in the Supporters’ Shield race.

Next up, they face Chicago Fire FC in a midweek match on June 25 (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+), followed by a weekend clash with another Eastern Conference powerhouse in Columbus.

“Winning is the result, the byproduct is everything that we're doing around here,” Carnell said.