CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Philadelphia Union’s hopes for a second Supporters’ Shield were dealt a serious blow on Saturday with a dismal 4-0 loss on the gridiron-lined turf at Bank of America Stadium.
Daniel Rios gave the expansion team’s crowd of 43,860 plenty to cheer for, scoring four times to hand the Union their worst loss since a 4-0 defeat in Montreal on July 27, 2019. Rios had two goals in 24 matches entering the day.
But perhaps worse than the final score line — which upped the team’s goals against to 26 — the Union will be without one of their biggest weapons for a Decision Day battle at home against Toronto FC next Sunday after Kai Wagner was sent off with a second yellow for a handball in the box.