Two games into the 2026 season, the Philadelphia Union can scarcely have had two more different performances. Last week’s CONCACAF Champions Cup romp past Defence Force FC in Trinidad was nothing less than it should’ve been, putting an inferior team to the sword, 5-0. Saturday’s 1-0 loss at D. C. was everything it shouldn’t have been: Going down a goal early, losing Ezekiel Alladoh to a red card on his MLS debut, the same failures to assemble coherent offense that plagued them in last year’s playoff ouster. It’s two games, with plenty of space between the quality of the performances to find a more sustainable medium. The goal in this week’s slate is to divine a more enduring truth for the long haul. Given the ignominy of a first loss to D.C. United in all competitions since 2021, the Union will approach Leg 2 against Defence Force Thursday night (FS2, 7 p.m.) with some caution. The job is mostly but not fully done on two-leg aggregate, which offers freedom to load up for Sunday’s home opener against New York City FC. But it also offers clearance to figure some stuff out on the field. “We have to be fully focused, and we have a lot of things that we need to work on,” coach Bradley Carnell said Wednesday. “And we have a lot of things that we’re still not really happy with right now, with our own performance and putting things in our own control. And we’re going through a series of moments now where we just feel that we have to take control ourselves. “Regardless of opponent now, we have to take the baton in the hand and really focus on ourselves right now.” All the warm-and-fuzzies from last week’s rampage in the Caribbean evaporated in the face of Saturday’s loss. It was great that Alladoh opened his account, that Bruno Damiani scored twice, that Cavan Sullivan was impactful in Leg 1. But their relative unimportance against D.C. United posits last week’s win as more about the low level of Defence Force, the first club from Trinidad and Tobago in this competition in a decade, than the Union’s own excellence. Under no circumstances is the Supporters’ Shield winner losing to the last-place team an acceptable turn of events, less so when the goal scorer is a player the Union traded to D.C. United in Tai Baribo. The straight red card for Alladoh, the 20-year-old club-record signing from Ghana by way of Sweden, casts a pall over his tenure even at this early juncture. Carnell clarified Wednesday that Alladoh was sent off for “inappropriate language.” He added that, “we’ve addressed the issue internally, and we’ll learn and grow from that and move on.” Alladoh is suspended for Sunday, pending potential additional discipline from MLS, but can play in Champions Cup. The Union will be without several defenders on an already shortened backline. Frankie Westfield continues to work to the side from a leg injury picked up last week in Trinidad. His replacement in D.C., Finn Sundstrom, was subbed off at halftime. The reason wasn’t just him being overmatched and out of position but an injury he’s working through. Agustin Anello is also working to the side. Seeing out the win over Defence Force should not be the most challenging of propositions, five goals to the good. The more pressing imperative for Carnell in how to approach this game and Sunday’s playoff rematch with NYCFC is how to get the team playing up to a higher standard. “We’re getting more competitive,” he said. “We’re getting healthier, which is really important for the group as a whole. So, we’ll put out a group that’s very competitive, that’s very combative and plays in our way, and excited about getting guys minutes, excited about players stepping up.” ...read more read less