Wagner fit and ‘ready to play’ upon Philadelphia return

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Philadelphia Union interim head coach Ryan Richter says the returning Kai Wagner is fit and ready to go in their first MLS match following the break against the New York Red Bulls.

Wagner is back at Philadelphia after just six months with Birmingham City, returning to the club where he spent seven seasons and won two Supporters’ Shields.

It is a much-needed boost for Philadelphia, whose eight-match winless streak before the World Cup break resulted in Bradley Carnell’s sacking, as they sit bottom of the Eastern Conference.

But Richter says Wagner is likely to feature against the Red Bulls as the Union aim to come back stronger.

“He’s fit. He’s ready to play,” Richter said of Wagner. “It’s not only Kai and the fans that want him out there.

“It’s the coaching staff and his team-mates that also want him out there. So, he’s ready, and he’s fit, and he’s a great professional, so he always keeps himself in a good way.

“We’ll see exactly how he is for the 90 minutes in the match, but he’s in a really good spot, and I think he’s ready. I don’t know if he would let me keep him out from this game.”

Philadelphia Union acquire defender Kai Wagner via transfer from Birmingham City F.C.

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) July 17, 2026

New York, meanwhile, are fifth in the East and went into the World Cup break on the back of a four-game unbeaten streak (W3 D1).

Michael Bradley expects a different Philadelphia to the one that played the first half of the season but insists his team will not change their way of preparation.

“When we talk about preparation for games, we talk about ourselves; we talk about being at our best,” he said.

“We talk about the football that we want to play. We talk about doing everything we can to put the game on our terms.

“And we have really used the summer period to push our ideas and our way of playing and to really see if we can raise the level and the consistency with which we play every time we step out on the field.”

Wagner has returned to the Union after playing for Birmingham in England, and it seems like he will be thrown straight into the action on Philadelphia’s MLS return.

In his first stint with Philadelphia, Wagner delivered 63 assists in regular-season play, making him the only player in club history with 50 or more MLS assists.

New York Red Bulls – Jorge Ruvalcaba

The Red Bulls’ last three goals prior to the break were all scored by Jorge Ruvalcaba after the three immediately prior to that were all scored by Julian Hall.

The last player to score all the goals in a four-goal span for the team in the regular season was Bradley Wright-Phillips in June-July 2014.

MLS is back, and we couldn’t be more pumped. pic.twitter.com/TEoohMm4Ve

— Red Bull New York (@NewYorkRedBulls) July 19, 2026

MATCH PREDICTION: PHILADELPHIA UNION WIN

NYRB’s 1-0 home win over Philadelphia last August ended a 16-match winless run against the Union in all competitions. It was the Red Bulls’ first victory over them since a 2-0 road win in September 2019.

The Union are the fourth team in MLS history to collect seven or fewer points from their first 15 games of a season, joining Chivas USA in 2005 (six), D.C. United in 2013 (six) and LA Galaxy in 2025 (four).

Philadelphia still have not won a regular-season match in the United States in 2026 (only win at CF Montreal).

NYRB entered the break winning three of their last four matches (D1) after winning three of their first 11 this year (D3 L5). New York won their last two road games before the break, their first regular-season road winning streak since a three-game run to end the 2023 season.

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