Mad to think that the Union, who sat at the bottom of the league before the World Cup break, could potentially clinch a playoff spot this weekend with any of the possible scenarios Philadelphia win vs. Charlotte AND Cincinnati lose/draw vs. Columbus or... Philadelphia win vs. Charlotte AND D.C. lose/draw at Orlando or... Philadelphia draw vs. Charlotte AND Cincinnati draw vs. Columbus AND D.C. lose at Orlando AND Toronto lose/draw at New York AND New York City lose/draw vs. LAFC #doop #MLS

Another sign of just how good the Union have been since the restart after the World Cup? FOUR of the last SIX MLS Players of the Matchday have been Union players, with Bruno Damiani earning the honor twice. Cavan Sullivan and Milan Iloski being the other two Philadelphia representatives. 14 matches unbeaten. Eight straight wins. A completely different team. What a turnaround. #DOOP #usmnt #usymnt 📸: Carl Gulbish (@carlgulbishpho1) – at Sanatoga, PA

Sources: The Philadelphia Union turned down an offer from Borussia Dortmund for Malik Jakupovic during the most recent transfer window. Jakupovic, 17, is a blue-chip prospect for both the Union and U.S. soccer. As a Homegrown player for Philadelphia, he is under contract through the 2029-30 season, with a club option for 2030-31. A massive sign of Jakupovic’s potential, with Dortmund being perennial developers of young talent. Under Ryan Richter, Jakupovic has taken significant strides in his development, including scoring his first MLS goal. #doop #USMNT #USYNT #MLS #Dortmund #Bundesliga 📸: Don Robson (@donrobson) and Dortmund

“And my job, if I want that, is to convince them through our work and through the culture and the environment that we build that I’m the right person for that. And if not, I’ll find another role and I’ll put my full heart in that. So that’s where I’m at.” Ryan Richter on an interview with Glenn Davis (@GlennDavisSoc) on the Soccer Matters ESPN broadcast earlier this evening, discussing his interest in becoming the Union’s head coach and removing the interim tag. Full transcript of his answer: “No, of course. I mean, you know, I want to be the head coach. They know that, you know, and I’m operating like I am the head coach. But my job isn’t to worry about that at all. It’s to do the best job I can possible to help the club. And I’ve been in a number of different roles here for almost nine years, you know, and I’ve always just focused in doing the best I can in the position that I’m in. And right now, that’s exactly where my mind’s at. And my job, if I want that, is to convince them through our work and through the culture and the environment that we build that I’m the right person for that. And if not, I’ll find another role and I’ll put my full heart in that. So that’s where I’m at. But I’m focused on Orlando this weekend, and that’s where I’m going.” #doop #MLS #USMNT #USYMNT #MLSNEXTPRO 📹: @soccermattersGD – at Halfway House, PA

Neil Pierre, during today’s media availability at #USMNT camp, spoke about the Union’s turnaround and the role that Ryan Richter has played in righting the ship: “I definitely see Ryan Richter and the whole club’s kind of turned everything around, from obviously me and the youngsters to Kai [Wagner] and everyone. I think the biggest thing was fixing the locker room and stuff like that. And I think the first thing he came in was like, ‘Hey, we’re good enough. This is a whole new season.’ So I think that kind of led us in the right way. And then with the youngsters, we still do side things like, ‘You guys are good enough to play. I have the confidence in you guys.’ And I think when you have confidence, like, the ceiling is, there’s no ceiling. So I think when he gave me that, I guess, words of confidence, I think it was the biggest thing for me for the second half of the season to do well.” #doop #MLS #USYMNT 📹: US Soccer – at Halfway House, PA

“He deserves it. He deserves all the praise that he is getting... Now is another. It is a challenge that he will need to adapt to a new level.” Pochettino on the role of Cavan Sullivan and the way the national team plans to help him grow: “To be with him and to try to provide the best platform for him to evolve. Every day we need to be the people that go there to push him, and to evolve, to sometimes put limits, to encourage, to keep doing what he is doing. It is a good challenge for us.” #doop #USMNT #USYMNT #MCFC #CTID 📹: US SOCCER YouTube – at Pottstown, PA