Major League Soccer · 2026Mon, 14 Sept 2026, 01:00 UTCScheduledPre-match analysis

San Diego FC

DWDLL

vsPre-match analysis

Philadelphia Union

LLDLW

30-second read

What the record shows

One pattern stands out in the record: san Diego FC have recorded the higher season possession share. The next-strongest reading is weaker: philadelphia Union's last-five goals scored average is above their season average. Limitation: At least one team lacks a recent completed match near this fixture cutoff.

Philadelphia Union's recent record differs from the season

moderate

Philadelphia Union's last-five goals scored average is above their season average.

2.4 goals/match ▲Goals forLast 5 · Season1.31 goals/match

Evidence and caveat

Comparison: An unweighted last-five average is compared with the unweighted season average.

Window: last_5 versus season

Metric	Last 5	Season	Baseline
Goals for	2.4 goals/match	1.31 goals/match	1.63 goals/match

Caveat: Five matches are sensitive to opponent mix and isolated match states.

San Diego FC show a distinct attacking-volume record

moderate

San Diego FC's shot volume and the opposing shot-allowance context sit below their competition baselines.

11.2 shots/match ▲ShotsSan Diego FC · Philadelphia Union15.4 shots/match

Evidence and caveat

Comparison: Team shot volume is paired with the opponent's recorded shot allowance.

Window: season

Metric	San Diego FC	Philadelphia Union	Baseline
Shots	11.2 shots/match	15.4 shots/match	13 shots/match
Shots against	13.4 shots/match	9.38 shots/match	12.3 shots/match

Caveat: Shot volume describes activity; it does not establish finishing quality or a match outcome.

The teams have contrasting possession records

strong

San Diego FC have recorded the higher season possession share.

60.8% ●PossessionSan Diego FC · Philadelphia Union45.4%

Evidence and caveat

Comparison: The recorded possession gap is 15.3 percentage points.

Window: season

Metric	San Diego FC	Philadelphia Union	Baseline
Possession	60.8%	45.4%	49.9%

Caveat: Possession share does not show where possession occurred or how chances were created.

Metric comparison

Team comparison

Season averages · sample sizes shown with each metric. Context, not a forecast.

Where the edge is

Season: San Diego FC favored in 4 of 11 directional metrics · Philadelphia Union in 6 · 1 too close

recorded edge higher value (descriptive) too close

Window

Season

San Diego FC16 matchesPhiladelphia Union16 matches

1.88 goals/match ▲Goals scored16/161.31 goals/match

1.75 goals/match ▲Goals allowed16/161.94 goals/match

1.43 xG/matchExpected goals13/13▲ 1.6 xG/match

11.2 shots/matchShots16/16▲ 15.4 shots/match

4.44 shots/matchShots on target16/164.56 shots/match

60.8% ●Possession16/1645.4%

4.56 corners/matchCorners16/16● 5.88 corners/match

2.88 cards/matchCards8/43.5 cards/match

11.1 fouls/matchFouls16/1615.1 fouls/match

Style profile

Competition percentiles describe recorded style; they do not rank likely outcomes.

Possession control

Relative share of recorded possession within the competition.

San Diego FC98.3

Philadelphia Union18.3

0–100 competition percentile · coverage 100%

Attacking volume

Recorded shot and scoring volume, expressed as competition percentiles.

San Diego FC41.7

Philadelphia Union46.1

0–100 competition percentile · coverage 100%

Defensive resistance

Lower recorded scoring and shot allowance produces a higher descriptive percentile.

San Diego FC28.3

Philadelphia Union70.0

0–100 competition percentile · coverage 100%

Directness proxy

Shots per possession point; a descriptive transition/directness proxy, not an outcome score.

San Diego FC1.7

Philadelphia Union98.3

0–100 competition percentile · coverage 100%

Physicality

Recorded fouls and cards relative to competition peers.

San Diego FC50.9

Philadelphia Union95.0

0–100 competition percentile · coverage 63%

Set-piece relevance

Corner volume relative to competition peers.

San Diego FC40.0

Philadelphia Union86.7

0–100 competition percentile · coverage 100%

Tempo and pressure proxy

Combined event-volume percentiles for shots, corners and fouls.

San Diego FC30.0

Philadelphia Union76.2

0–100 competition percentile · coverage 100%

Schedule context

Rest and recent workload

Matches in previous 14 days · Both teams: 0 matches

53 daysRest before fixtureprevious completed fixtures · 1/153.1 days

Evidence quality

How much supports this analysis

Grade B · Useful evidenceUseful evidence — limited

Season samples16 / 16home / away teams

Recent samples5 / 5last-five windows

Freshness53 daysstale at cutoff

At least one team lacks a recent completed match near this fixture cutoff.

Known unknowns

Lineups, injuries, suspensions and tactical changes are not available in the retained dataset.
The nearest completed-match evidence is stale relative to this fixture cutoff.

Analysis cutoff: Mon, 14 Sept 2026, 01:00 UTC · analysis-v4