By Franco Domínguez

Philadelphia Union knew it deserved more from its Leagues Cup opener, and on Sunday night, the team responded in emphatic fashion. An explosive start against visiting Necaxa saw the Union score twice in the opening 12 minutes, setting the tone for a convincing victory at Subaru Park.

Nathan Harriel opened the scoring on Philadelphia’s first attacking move of the match. A well-worked sequence involving Kai Wagner, Indiana Vassilev and Cavan Sullivan ended with Sullivan providing the final pass for Harriel to finish and give the hosts an early lead.

Less than 10 minutes later, the Union struck again. This time, Bruno Damiani finished off a direct attacking move that began deep inside Philadelphia’s own half and reached the Necaxa penalty area in just two passes, doubling the advantage before the visitors had a chance to settle into the match.

The early deficit proved too much for Necaxa to overcome, as its struggles away from home continued at Subaru Park. Philadelphia maintained control through the remainder of the first half, taking its two-goal advantage into the break.

The Union came out of halftime with the same intensity and pressure it showed in the opening minutes. Philadelphia recovered the ball quickly, pinned Necaxa inside its own half and gave the Liga MX side little time to build any sustained possession.

That pressure eventually produced a third goal in the 53rd minute. Cavan Sullivan capped off an impressive performance by finding the back of the net himself, with the 16-year-old connecting with his left foot to beat Luis Jiménez and extend Philadelphia’s advantage to 3-0.

From there, the Union shifted into cruise control, allowing Necaxa more possession while protecting its advantage. The visitors improved as the match progressed and eventually found a consolation goal through Matías Espíndola with 11 minutes remaining in regulation.

It was a commanding response from Philadelphia, which collected its first three points of Leagues Cup 2026 and kept its quarterfinal hopes alive. Necaxa, meanwhile, was eliminated from contention after suffering back-to-back defeats against MLS opposition.