UNION STUNS NYCFC WITH THREE-GOAL AT YANKEE STADIUM

BRONX, NY (August 16, 2026) — The Philadelphia Union pulled off a breathtaking second-half resurgence on Sunday evening, overcoming a two-goal deficit to defeat New York City FC 3-2 at Yankee Stadium.

The victory extends the Union’s winning streak to four matches under interim head coach Ryan Richter, while snapping a three-game unbeaten run for the hosts.

The opening 45 minutes belonged entirely to New York City FC, who capitalized heavily on early defensive mistakes by the visitors.

Just four minutes into the match, NYCFC was awarded a penalty kick. Forward Bénie Traoré stepped up to the spot and calmly converted the opportunity, recording his first career goal for the club.

History repeated itself deep into first-half stoppage time. A second penalty was awarded to the boys in blue, and teenage forward Luighi stepped up to fire it home. Like Traoré, it marked Luighi’s maiden goal in an NYCFC uniform, sending the home crowd into halftime with a commanding 2-0 lead.

Whatever adjustments Richter made in the Philadelphia locker room at halftime paid immediate dividends. The Union came out firing in the second half, the deficit in half just three minutes after the restart. Midfielder Danley Jean Jacques found the back of the net in the 48th minute to shift the game’s momentum entirely.

From there, the night belonged to Philadelphia forward Bruno Damiani and the Sullivan brothers. In the 69th minute, 16-year-old phenom Cavan Sullivan delivered a precise pass to Damiani, who buried the equalizer. Just six minutes later, Cavan’s older brother, Quinn Sullivan, provided the assist on another Damiani strike in the 75th minute, completing a stunning 3-2 turnaround.

With the loss, NYCFC squanders a crucial opportunity to climb higher in the Eastern Conference standings, while Philadelphia continues its mid-season surge under new leadership.