Union spent two weeks taking a hard look at themselves. What they learned will be revealed against Charlotte FC.

After losing their first five Major League Soccer matches for the first time in club history, the Union got a break.

The FIFA international window that spanned the last week of March halted the MLS schedule and gave Bradley Carnell’s side a chance to catch its breath for the first time this season.

Still searching for their first points of the season, the Union will travel to face Charlotte FC on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).

In his news conference on Thursday, Carnell seemed encouraged by his team’s performance during the off week, both in meetings and scrimmages.

“There’s been a lot of reflection, a lot of meetings, a lot of chatting, a lot of executing on the training ground, and a lot of competition,” Carnell said. “The boys were grinding it out over the weekend.”

The Union (0-5-0, 0 points) is hoping that a weekend without a match and a full week to focus on Charlotte will translate into a positive result.

“This week, the full focus has been on us against Charlotte in a tough stadium,” Carnell said.

Charlotte was the primary focus of this week’s training and preparation, but according to longtime midfielder and team captain Alejandro Bedoya, the week before had a good deal of reflection — on tape.

“It was just a lot of film [that first week],” said Bedoya. “Obviously, soccer’s not as much [film] as maybe football guys do, but it definitely felt like that first week of these two weeks was a lot of breaking down certain plays and just trying to, you know, simplify things, getting back to the basics. One of the things that [coach Carnell] harped on was taking a hard look at ourselves in the mirror.”

Bedoya said that while it’s not ideal to start a league season 0-5, MLS is “a forgiving league” where one win — particularly on the road, where the Union have found success in past seasons — can begin to turn things around.

“At this point, even a draw can turn things around for us,” he continued. “And look, I know it may not look like it at the moment, especially for those watching with a birds-eye view, but this is a playoff-caliber team. It just comes down to focus, and that focus is more on how do we want to play — as a team?”

On paper, Charlotte (2-1-2, 8 points) looks like one of the most potent attacks in the Eastern Conference. Head coach Dean Smith’s side has scored 10 goals in its first five games and is fourth in the conference standings behind Nashville SC, Inter Miami, and New York City FC. Only NYCFC and Nashville have scored more goals than Charlotte in the East.

However, a closer audit reveals that six of Charlotte’s goals came in the club’s most recent match, a 6-1 rout of the New York Red Bulls. Four of Charlotte’s goals in that match were scored while New York was shown a red card and reduced to 10 men.

Three of Charlotte’s goals this season have come while playing 11-on-11, a fact Carnell brought up on Thursday.

“I think they have a savvy group that pulls the emotions one way and tries to dictate the play another way,” Carnell said. “Whether it’s [Wilfried] Zaha, Pep Biel, [Kerwin] Vargas, there’s a couple guys there that pull all the emotional strings a little bit, on the tension of the game and the intensity of the game. That’s where our discipline has to be.”

The Union have already been bitten by red cards this season, going down to 10 men in losses to D.C. United and New York City FC. Carnell said his team’s ability to remain composed on the road will be crucial to their chances on Saturday.

“[Charlotte is] trying to manipulate the game in certain ways and expect certain things from the officials and what have you, but we can’t get involved in that battle,” Carnell said.

The Union will also be tasked with breaking down Charlotte’s defense, which has conceded six goals in five matches this season. The Union will remain without Agustín Anello, who is recovering from a hamstring strain, but the team will have Ezekiel Alladoh available at striker.

Alladoh was left off the team sheet for the Union’s loss to Chicago after being late to a practice, but Carnell said the 20-year-old progressed well this week.

“We believe that he will be available,” Carnell said. “He’s been dialed in. He’s actually done really well, and we’re excited about having him around the group.”

While most of the Union’s players stayed in Chester for the duration of the international break, Danley Jean Jacques and Andre Blake spent the week with their respective national teams ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

Jean Jacques was sent off for a second yellow card in a friendly against Tunisia with his native Haiti, which had already secured its place for the World Cup.

Blake spent the week with Jamaica in Mexico for the World Cup playoff, trying to qualify for its first World Cup appearance since 1998. But Blake has yet to return to the team since a 1-0 loss on Tuesday in the playoff final against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Blake’s return to the Philadelphia area was delayed until Thursday night, but Carnell said the goalkeeper is prepared for the Union’s match on Saturday.

“We’re all gutted, not having him represent at the World Cup,” Carnell said. “Having felt it myself, in qualifying for a World Cup and playing for a World Cup, and to know what it feels like, and to know that feeling is missing … But I think he’s been a stalwart for that country, in goal for them, for so many years now. I think he can hold his head up high.”

Carnell added: “He’s already sent me the message, ‘I’m ready,’ which is awesome. And sometimes the next moment, the next opportunity, is the best moment to get over something.”

The Union signed Malik Jakupovic to a homegrown contract on Thursday afternoon. Jakupovic, 16, emerged as one of the premier prospects in the club’s academy after joining it in 2023 and has featured for the U.S. Under-17 national team.

The striker has already made his debut for the Union, coming off the bench in three matches during the Concacaf Champions Cup and earning a short-term call-up in the Union’s loss to Chicago Fire FC.

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment my whole entire life,” Jakupovic said. “Coming up through the academy, through the second team, and now with the first team. I’m just really honored that all the higher-ups believe in me to take that step to the first team.”

Jakupovic scored eight goals in 16 matches with Union II in MLS Next Pro in 2025, and scored twice in four games this season before earning his contract with the first team.