Neil Pierre earns first start as Union top Seattle Sounders to win second-straight game
Milan Iloski scored his second goal in as many games as the Union remain undefeated since MLS action resumed following the FIFA World Cup.
A first-half goal from Milan Iloski propelled the Union to a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday evening at Subaru Park.
Iloski finished a long feed from Frankie Westfield in the 31st minute, giving the Union (3-10-4, 13 points) an early lead that held for their second win in as many games since returning from the international break for the FIFA World Cup.
Westfield led Iloski into the 18-yard box with a pass from the right sideline near midfield. The ball bounced once before Iloski finished the chance with a right-footed volley that looped over the head of Andrew Thomas.
Iloski has scored in each of the Union’s matches since the club’s return to play. He’s scored a team-leading 10 goals in all competitions this season, seven of which have come in his last five matches.
“It feels nice to do my job,” Iloski said of his goal streak. “I think I should honestly have five or six from the first two games [back]. As much as I’m happy that I scored two goals and scored in back-to-back games and that we won, I try to do more and hold myself to a higher standard.”
Ryan Richter, managing his second game since taking over as interim head coach in May, repeated his lineup from Wednesday’s win over Red Bull New York against the Sounders (7-6-3, 24 points), with one notable exception.
Neil Pierre earned his first start for the Union against Seattle, taking Japhet Sery Larsen’s spot at center back. The 18-year-old, who spent the first half of 2026 on loan at Danish side Lyngby, came on as a substitute and scored his first goal in the Union’s 3-1 win over New York on Wednesday.
Sery Larsen injured his hamstring during Wednesday’s match, but he was healthy and available to come off the Union’s bench for Saturday’s win.
Richter said his decision to start Pierre was based on his effort in training and the Union’s upcoming crowded schedule. Between the Leagues Cup and MLS play, the Union will play eight matches in August.
“With the stretch of games that we have coming up, if we lose a key player for that stretch, it gets pretty difficult for us,” Richter said. “[Pierre] deserved to play. By the way he performed in training, by the way he performed in the last game. It just made sense, with the timing of everything, to start [Pierre] tonight, and I think he proved that was the right decision.”
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Pierre looked comfortable in his first MLS start. He was responsible for five recoveries and four clearances, and he started the play that led to Iloski’s goal.
“[Pierre] did a good job,” Richter said. “He won his duels. He was organized. He was focused. He played a subtle game. It was quiet for him. That’s a good thing for a centerback.”
Iloski’s goal was the focal point of the first half, but another dramatic moment came when Seattle’s Stuart Hawkins collided with Cavan Sullivan in the 26th minute.
The two American teenagers collided near midfield as Sullivan tried to control a long throw-in from Kai Wagner, who made his 200th MLS start on Saturday.
Sullivan hit the pitch before popping back up to exchange words with Hawkins. Both parties walked away from the incident without a caution, and the Union were awarded a free kick that Seattle cleared away.
Seattle logged two shots in the first half, but Nathan Harriel provided a crucial block on one of them.
Harriel chased down Osaze De Rosario as he broke away on a Seattle counter-attack in the 18th minute. As De Rosario turned to shoot on Andre Blake’s net, Harriel slid in and blocked De Rosario’s shot out for a corner.
The Union outshot a shorthanded Seattle team, 16-8. Blake needed one save to secure his third clean sheet of the season.
It looked like Iloski had scored a second goal in the 64th minute, but he was ruled offside after racing past the Sounders’ defense and pushing the ball across the goal line.
Richter made his first set of changes shortly after Iloski was caught offside, bringing on Quinn Sullivan and Ezekiel Alladoh for Bruno Damiani and Indiana Vassilev in the 65th minute.
Another switch came in the 80th minute, with Jesús Bueno replacing Danley Jean Jacques in midfield.
Richter’s final change of the night came in the 89th minute, with Alejandro Bedoya coming on for Cavan Sullivan to help close out the match’s final moments.
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After spending the international break with the league’s worst record, back-to-back wins under Richter have lifted the Union off the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
The Union now sit nine points behind the playoff cutline with 17 games to go.
“It’s two wins, but at the same time, we’re still in second-to-last place,” Harriel said. “We’re nowhere near where we want to be at, but sometimes you have to take it one game at a time, which we’re doing. But the momentum is great. The vibes are great. Everyone’s performing on the training ground and then on the weekends here at home, which is important.”
The win is the Union’s first over Seattle since 2018, and their first home win over the Sounders since 2017.
Up next
The Union return to Subaru Park to face last-place Atlanta United next Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).