Philadelphia Union Dominates Defence Force FC 5–0 in Concacaf Champions Cup Opener
- elclasicohonduras
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago – The Philadelphia Union delivered a commanding 5-0 victory over Defence Force FC in the first leg of their Round One series at Hasely Crawford Stadium.
The Union produced a clinical performance that leaves them firmly in command heading into the return leg. Philadelphia broke the deadlock in the 29th minute through Milan Iloski, who unleashed a sensational free kick from distance that left the goalkeeper with no chance.Just three minutes later, the visitors doubled their lead. Frankie Westfield delivered a pinpoint cross into the area, where Ezekiel Alladoh rose above the defense and powered home a header to make it 2-0.
The Union continued to dictate the tempo in the second half. In the 64th minute, Iloski turned provider, whipping in a dangerous corner kick that found Olwethu Makhanya, who buried a commanding header to stretch the lead to three.The pressure continued and produced more goals. Bruno Damiani added a fourth in the 69th minute when his strike from the edge of the box took a deflection and slipped past the keeper. Damiani then secured his brace in the 81st minute, calmly converting a penalty kick following a VAR review to cap a dominant night for the MLS side.
With the emphatic 5-0 result, Philadelphia returns to Subaru Park holding a commanding aggregate advantage. The two sides will meet again next Thursday, February 26th, with a place in the Round of 16 on the line.
Should the Union advance, they would face Mexican giants Club América in the Round of 16. Due to the competition’s seeding structure, the higher-ranked team hosts the second leg. In this case, América enters the tournament ranked No. 5 in the region, while Philadelphia sits at No. 12 — meaning the Union would host the first leg, with the decisive return match taking place in Mexico.
Before turning their attention to back to the second leg of the Round One, Philadelphia will shift focus back to domestic competition. The Union travel to Audi Field this Saturday, the 21st, to face D.C. United in the opening match of the 2026 MLS season . The last time the Union visited the Nation's capital they obtained a dominant 6-0 win on September 27th, 2025. The question now is whether Philadelphia has the squad depth to balance league and Concacaf Champions Cup ambitions while securing its first win of the new MLS campaign.
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