The Philadelphia Union are struggling to defend their Eastern Conference regular-season title and are still looking for their first points this season.
They hope to change their fortunes this Saturday when they face CF Montreal, another team facing difficulties.
Last season, the Union finished first in the East and won the Supporters’ Shield, claiming their third top spot in six years. This season, they are trying to replace 16 goals from Tai Baribo, who was traded to D.C. United.
Finding a replacement for their top goal scorer has been tough, as the Union (0-6-0) is the only MLS team without a point. They have been outscored 11-4 in their first six matches, marking their first winless start since 2017 when they began with an 0-4-4 record.
Their latest defeat was a 2-1 loss to Charlotte last Saturday. Danley Jean Jacques equalized in the 78th minute, but the Union lost their lead just two minutes later, making it the second time this season they allowed a game-changing goal late in the match.
“We just need to be resilient and keep going, but we also know we are making mistakes. We are trying to motivate ourselves differently each week. This week has felt different after a good discussion in the locker room,” said Bruno Damiani of Philadelphia. “If you look at our training, the team’s performance has improved.”
Things aren’t looking much better for Montreal (1-5-0, 3 points), which began last season 0-8-3 in its first 11 games. They will play their home opener after being outscored 17-7 and facing three shutouts.
Montreal showed some improvement in a 4-3 loss at Cincinnati but lost 3-0 to New England last weekend, conceding two goals in the 77th minute and stoppage time.
“We have no excuse not to win this game. We can talk about expected goals and stats, but games are decided by goals. It’s time to stop talking and perform on the pitch,” said Montreal goalkeeper Thomas Gillier.