Milan Iloski Hat Trick Powers Philadelphia Union Past Orlando City 4-2 for Club-Record Unbeaten Run

The Philadelphia Union were without five starters on international duty, including three Homegrowns who had made their U.S. Men's National Team debuts earlier that day, and Andre Blake was away captaining Jamaica. On a soggy Saturday night in Chester, it did not matter one bit, because Milan Iloski was available.

Iloski scored a hat trick inside 51 minutes, Indiana Vassilev added a goal and two assists, and the Union beat Orlando City SC 4-2 at Subaru Park. Orlando's two late goals made the scoreline look respectable. The night itself was not close. The win extended Philadelphia's unbeaten run to 12 matches, a club record, and it was also the first time the Union have won six straight MLS matches.

Done and Dusted by the 51st Minute

Iloski did not wait long. In the eighth minute he drove at goal from the left and was brought down in the box by Eduard Atuesta. After a delay that the Union's site pinned on Orlando's antics, Iloski sent the penalty into the bottom right corner in the 11th minute. Atuesta was booked a minute later.

The second goal was a counterattack straight out of the coaching manual. Nathan Harriel, wearing the armband, won the ball back, Vassilev carried it up the left and drew defenders inward, and Iloski was left one-on-one with Maxime Crépeau. He finished through the middle of the goal in the 19th minute. That made it 2-0, and Iloski nearly had his hat trick before halftime, dragging one just wide in the 21st minute and then hitting the left post from a tight angle in the 25th.

Orlando had the ball. Philadelphia had the chances. Crépeau kept out Quinn Sullivan in the 32nd minute, Antoine Griezmann dragged a shot from the center of the box wide in the 33rd, and the hosts went to the locker room 2-0 up after six minutes of added time.

Whatever Orlando discussed at halftime lasted about two minutes. Jesús Bueno found Vassilev on the left side of the box, and Vassilev rolled a left-footed finish into the middle of the net for 3-0 in the 47th minute. Four minutes later, Vassilev returned the favor, and Iloski launched a right-footed rocket from outside the box into the top left corner. Hat trick. Ballgame.

Orlando interim head coach Martín Perelman made a triple change in the 54th minute, sending on Harvey Sarajian, Luis Otávio and Vinícius Nogueira, the last of whom was making his club debut. Crépeau made another strong stop on Sullivan in the 61st minute, getting a foot to it per the Union.

The visitors finally broke through late. After Japhet Sery Larsen was booked for a foul outside the box in the 77th minute, Griezmann played the free kick short to Iván Angulo, who fired into the bottom right corner in the 78th. Martín Ojeda added a second at the 90-minute mark, slotting home a Sarajian pass. Philadelphia substitute Ezekiel Alladoh forced two late saves from Crépeau, and Union II defender Jordan Griffin made his MLS debut in stoppage time.

Iloski Is Not Slowing Down

Iloski's line: six shots, three on target, three goals. Every shot he put on target ended up in the net, and he hit the post for good measure. Per MLSsoccer.com, the hat trick lifted the club's top scorer to 16 goals and six assists on the season. He became the third player in Union history with multiple hat tricks in a single season, joining Julián Carranza and Dániel Gazdag, who both did it in 2022. His first of 2026 came against Inter Miami in May.

"A lot of hard work. We made sure we set that standard first," Iloski told Apple TV. "Of course, scoring a hat trick is great. But a lot of guys really stepped up tonight and played really well."

Vassilev was the perfect running mate. Goal, two assists, two shots on target. He had a hand in three of the four goals and was named to the league's Team of the Matchday alongside Iloski.

For Orlando, there was a bright spot in the gloom. Ojeda's goal was his 47th across all competitions for the club, tying former teammate Facundo Torres for the club's all-time scoring record, according to Orlando. Angulo has now scored in four consecutive MLS matches.

The Two Minutes After Halftime

The game turned in the 47th minute. Orlando entered the second half trailing 2-0 but with plenty of the ball and the talent, Griezmann included, to make a comeback realistic. Vassilev's goal killed that idea before Orlando had completed a meaningful attack, and Iloski's rocket four minutes later sealed it. When Orlando's late rally produced two goals, it only underlined how much those early second-half minutes cost.

The Box Score Breakdown

• Possession: Orlando 64.2 percent, Philadelphia 35.8 percent.
• Shots: Philadelphia 20, Orlando 11. On target: Philadelphia 9, Orlando 2.
• Saves: Crépeau 5, Andrew Rick 0. Orlando's only two shots on target both went in.
• Interceptions: Philadelphia 20, Orlando 7.
• Fouls: Philadelphia 19, Orlando 13.

A Historic Run in the East

Philadelphia improved to 11-6-10 with 39 points. MLSsoccer.com noted that the Union's 32 points over their last 12 games tie the most in any 12-game span in league history, matched only by Seattle in 2018, and that the run has lifted Philadelphia from last in the Eastern Conference at the World Cup break to sixth. The Union's six straight wins have come against the Red Bulls, Montréal, Cincinnati, San Diego, Sporting Kansas City and Orlando, and the team has scored at least four goals in four of them. Interim head coach Ryan Richter's side hosts Real Salt Lake on Oct. 10.

Orlando dropped to 10-4-13 with 34 points and has lost two straight after a 4-2 defeat at New England the previous weekend. The Lions won the first meeting 4-3 in May, so this one evened the season series. Orlando hosts the Columbus Crew on Oct. 10.

The Next Man Up Gets His Own Theme Song

Philadelphia's depth chart this week looked like a spreadsheet with half the cells blank, and the Union still looked like the best team in the building by a distance. Iloski put it best, calling the result "a full team effort," and adding, "we really showed our depth tonight." It is a bit like watching a band lose its lead guitarist for a show and discovering the bassist can shred. When the stars come back, the rest of the East has a problem.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes and match notes as reported by the Philadelphia Union (philadelphiaunion.com), Orlando City SC (orlandocitysc.com) and MLSsoccer.com.