The Union have won all three of their meetings with Inter Miami FC in Florida (W2 D1, including a 2-1 victory in MLS is Back). However, Union coach Jim Curtin has only played one game against the Miami Fusion; that was a 2-1 loss to Chicago on July 18, 2001, at Lockhart Stadium, which is the same location as DRV Pink Stadium.
With a 2-0 victory over CF Montreal at home, Inter Miami became the first team in its four seasons to win in the season opener. The Herons had conceded at least one goal in ten of their previous ten home games, the longest such streak in MLS as of 2023.
The Union began their campaign with a 4-1 victory over Columbus, their third consecutive game in which they scored at least three goals since the playoffs of last season. Philadelphia has never scored at least three objectives in four successive MLS games (normal season and end of the season games).
Serhiy Kryvtsov became the first Ukrainian player since Dema Kovalenkko did so for the Galaxy in the 2010 season to score in an MLS game when he scored Miami’s first goal on Saturday. Since scoring for Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukrainian Premier League on September 20, 2020, it was Kryvtsov’s first goal in a league game.
Daniel Gazdag, with two goals and two assists in the match against Columbus, became the fourth player in MLS history to score four goals in the season opener for his team, surpassing Jason Kreis in 1999 and Brian Ching in 2006.
