The 2020 Philadelphia Union season was
the club's eleventh season in
Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer. The team was managed by
Jim Curtin
Jim Curtin (born June 23, 1979) is an American professional soccer coach and former player who is the current head coach of the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. He spent most of his playing career with the Chicago Fire.
Youth and ...
, his seventh season with the club. The Union's season began on February 29, 2020, and was scheduled on end in October or November 2020, depending on their regular season performance. On March 12, 2020, MLS suspended the season due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Originally planned to be a 30-day suspension, the league remained suspended until July 9, 2020, when competition resumed with the
MLS is Back Tournament
The MLS is Back Tournament took place during the 2020 Major League Soccer season to mark the league's return to action after being suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 26 Major League Soccer teams, 24 participated in the tourna ...
. The tournament ran through August 11, 2020, with the remainder of the season, under a truncated format, continued through November 8, 2020.
The 2020 season saw Philadelphia win their first major trophy in club history, by capturing the
Supporters' Shield for the best regular season record. Philadelphia finished 14–4–5, averaging 2.04 points per game. Outside of MLS regular season play, the club was eliminated in the Conference Quarterfinals of the
2020 MLS Cup Playoffs
The 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs (branded as the 2020 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for sponsorship reasons) was the 25th edition of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States ...
, losing to
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compe ...
. In the MLS is Back Tournament, Philadelphia reached the semifinals of the tournament before losing to eventual champions,
Portland Timbers. The Union were also slated to participate the
2020 Leagues Cup
The 2020 Leagues Cup was planned to be the second edition of the Leagues Cup organized by Major League Soccer and the Mexican Football Federation. The tournament would have featured 16 teams, an increase from the inaugural edition that had eight ...
and the
2020 U.S. Open Cup
The 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was planned to be the 107th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, a knockout cup competition in American soccer. Atlanta United FC were the defending champions after defeating Minnesota United FC in the 2019 final. Th ...
, but both competitions though were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020 roster
Transfers
In
Out
Loan out
Staff
Competitions
Preseason
MLS
League tables
= Eastern Conference
=
= Overall
=
Match results
''
Only matches numbered in the left column apply to the season standings''
MLS Cup Playoffs
MLS is Back Tournament
Group stage
= Group A standings
=
= Group A results
=
Knockout round
U.S. Open Cup
Due to their final standings for the 2019 season, the Union were scheduled to enter the competition in the Fourth Round, to be played May 19–20.
The ongoing
coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...
, however, forced the
U.S. Soccer Federation to cancel the tournament on August 17, 2020.
[
]
Honors and awards
References
{{2020 MLS season by team
Philadelphia Union
Philadelphia Union seasons
Philadelphia Union
Philadelphia Union
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...