By Jawn Kruk | Side Jawn Sports | October 21, 2026

Well, that was a beautiful way to ruin a party.

The Knicks had the rings, the banner, the Garden crowd, and a whole building ready to celebrate themselves. The Sixers showed up and left with a 106–100 win. Enjoy the ceremony, New York. We’ll take the basketball game.

And before we get into it, let me make something perfectly clear: outside of the Bird Lady from Home Alone 2, I loathe the scum that are Knicks fans. She gets a pass. Anybody willing to help Kevin and weaponize a flock of pigeons has earned my respect. The rest of that fan base? Watching them leave disappointed is a lovely way to spend a Tuesday.

All That Mouth, Then an Opening-Night Loss

Of course, their scumbag fans had to break out the “Fuck Embiid” chants. Raise a championship banner and somehow Joel is still taking up space in your head. Congratulations on the jewelry. Apparently it didn’t come with anything new to say.

Then you had a fan jawing at LeBron, who had some words right back. Imagine paying to watch your team celebrate a championship and deciding your contribution to the evening should be trying to get under LeBron James’ skin.

They can do all the shouting they want. That final score is a pretty good response.

Maxey Had Other Plans

For all the excitement about the new faces, Tyrese Maxey led the scoring with 28 points, adding five assists and three steals. His late steal and finish helped give Philly breathing room when this thing was still up for grabs.

That’s what I want from him. When the building gets loud and every possession matters, go make something happen. Adding talent around him doesn’t mean he needs to take a back seat. Maxey gave us a pretty good opening-night reminder of that.

LeBron in Philly Is Still Going to Take Some Getting Used To

I’m going to need a minute here. LeBron James in a Sixers jersey still looks like somebody messed around with the rosters in a video game.

But his debut produced 14 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Jaylen Brown added 19 points and eight rebounds, then delivered a huge late block on Jalen Brunson. That’s a pretty nice introduction to the rivalry, fellas.

We’ve spent enough years asking who else is going to make a play when things get uncomfortable. For one night, we had answers. A veteran who can help organize things. A wing who can score and make a massive defensive play. Give me more of that.

Embiid Didn’t Have to Do Everything

Joel finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks. Nobody’s hanging that scoring total in a museum, but I’ll gladly take a win where he contributes in several ways without needing to score 40.

If this group is going to work, some nights have to look like that. Get the rebound. Protect the basket. Find the open guy. There is enough talent here to share the responsibility. Every possession shouldn’t require Joel to rescue everybody.

One Game, but I’m Enjoying This One

The Sixers closed the third quarter on an 11–0 run, a stretch that helped turn the game their way. Then they finished the job in a building that desperately wanted to send them home with a loss.

Am I planning a parade after one game? No. I’ve watched this franchise long enough to know better than to start shopping for confetti in October. There’s a whole season ahead, and this team has plenty left to prove.

But I’m absolutely enjoying this one. You can have reasonable expectations and still laugh when the Knicks’ big celebration ends with a loss to Philly.

Raise the banner. Admire the rings. Chant whatever the hell you want.

The Sixers are 1–0. Play the damn song.

By Jawn Kruk | Side Jawn Sports
October 14, 2026

Philadelphia loves to call itself a sports town. We can spend an entire afternoon arguing about one Eagles play, one Phillies pitching change, or whether somebody looked miserable walking to the bench.

Meanwhile, the Union are making club history, and it still feels like we aren’t making nearly enough noise about it.

Thirteen straight MLS matches without a loss. Seven consecutive wins. An 11-0-2 record during the unbeaten run.

What the hell else do they have to do to get our attention?

This isn’t me saying there’s literally no coverage. It’s me saying this story deserves a much bigger place in the Philly sports conversation. A team pulls itself out of the basement and starts stacking wins like this, we should be talking about it with some damn excitement.

This turnaround deserves more respect

The Union were last in the league at the World Cup break. Now they head into tonight’s match sixth in the Eastern Conference with 42 points.

During the 13-match streak, they’ve outscored opponents 38-15. That’s a plus-23 goal difference, and 35 points out of a possible 39.

They aren’t just surviving. They’re giving themselves a chance to turn a miserable start into a season people remember for something much better.

Interim head coach Ryan Richter deserves serious credit. He became the first coach in MLS history to start his head coaching career unbeaten through 13 regular-season matches.

Keep the distinction straight: this is the Union’s club-record unbeaten streak, with a separate MLS record for Richter’s start. It isn’t the league’s longest unbeaten run ever.

But it’s still historic. And if Philly wins tonight, the Union become only the third club in the post-shootout era to win eight straight matches in a single MLS season.

That deserves more than a quick mention between arguments about the other teams.

The guys driving this thing:

Cavan Sullivan is giving people plenty of reasons to watch. At 17, he’s already September’s MLS Player of the Month and has earned eight Team of the Matchday selections this season. My favorite part is that he’s producing while this team is chasing meaningful points. The hype is fun. Helping your club win is better.

Milan Iloski is the finisher this run needs. He has 17 league goals and six assists, with five goals in his last three matches. When your striker is rolling like that, every decent attacking move feels like it could become a problem for the other team.

Bruno Damiani deserves his share of the spotlight, too. His opener against Real Salt Lake was his ninth goal of the season and eighth since play resumed after the World Cup break. Having another scorer alongside Iloski makes this attack a hell of a lot more interesting.

Frankie Westfield and Neil Pierre also belong in this conversation. Both have made their USMNT debuts, and both started in the back line against Salt Lake. Watching academy players become important first-team contributors is one of the best reasons to follow this club.

And Andre Blake still matters. He made an important second-half save against Salt Lake while the Union were protecting a one-goal lead. For all the excitement up front, somebody has to handle the moments when the other team punches back.

Tonight: a real test in Chicago

The Union visit Chicago Fire at Soldier Field tonight, Wednesday, October 14, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Apple TV.

Chicago sits third in the East with 48 points, six ahead of Philly, and has won three straight. The Fire can clinch a playoff berth with a victory tonight.

So forget the idea that the Union are walking into an easy eighth straight win.

Robert Lewandowski gives Chicago a dangerous target in the box. Maren Haile-Selassie has 10 goals and 10 assists, and former Union defender Jack Elliott is now a leader in the Fire’s defense.

My three keys are pretty simple…

First, make Lewandowski work for everything. Pressure the service and track his movement. Letting a striker like that find comfortable space is asking for a long night.

Second, keep attacking with purpose. I want Sullivan involved and Iloski and Damiani getting opportunities. Respect Chicago, but give their defense something to worry about.

Third, stay composed when the match gets ugly. A road game against a playoff contender will bring stretches where Philly has to defend, slow things down, and make smart decisions.

My pick is a 2-1 Union win. That’s a prediction, not a promise. Chicago can absolutely test them.

But I’m backing this team to keep the run alive.

And whether you watch every week or haven’t paid much attention yet, tonight is a good time to tune in.

The Union have earned a louder conversation in this city. Let’s give them one.

DOOP.

Temple’s Homecoming Hangover: Fast Start, Same Frustrating Finish

By Jawn Kruk | Side Jawn Sports
October 12, 2026

Well, that party went to hell pretty quickly.

Temple gave us fireworks early Saturday against UConn, then left us staring at the scoreboard wondering where the hell the rest of the offense went. The Owls lost 34–20 at the Linc, dropping to 2–4. Homecoming is supposed to give you something to celebrate. This one gave us another reason to complain on the ride home.

For a minute, we had something cooking…

Ajani Sheppard hit JoJo Bermudez for a 79-yard touchdown on Temple’s first offensive play. One snap, one score. That’s how you answer somebody punching you in the mouth.

Then Colin Chase threw a 29-yard touchdown to Peter Clarke on a trick play, tying it at 14 in the first quarter. A receiver throwing a touchdown? Beautiful. Give me a little creativity with my Saturday football.

Carl Hardin’s second-quarter field goal put Temple ahead 17–14. The problem? After those two early touchdowns, the Owls managed only two field goals the rest of the game.

You can’t throw a welcome party in the first quarter and start stacking the chairs before halftime.

The numbers make this more annoying:

Sheppard finished 19-for-25 for 260 passing yards and a touchdown. Chase’s 29-yard trick-play touchdown brought Temple’s team passing total to 289 yards. Bermudez led the Owls with 96 receiving yards on two catches, including that 79-yard touchdown. Clarke added five receptions for 88 yards and a score, while Keveun Mason ran for 88 yards on 13 carries. Temple produced 437 yards of total offense.

There were guys making plays. There was enough production to give this team a chance. That’s what makes the final score aggravating: the offense showed you what it could do, then couldn’t keep putting touchdowns on the board.

And the defense didn’t exactly make life easy. UConn piled up 505 yards, including 248 on the ground. Trey Cornist rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown. When somebody can keep moving you backward like that, your early highlights only buy you so much time.

The plays that hurt:

Mason’s fumble late in the first half gave UConn another possession, and the Huskies turned it into a field goal for a 24–17 halftime lead.

Temple got within 24–20 in the third quarter. Still a game. Still a chance.

Then came the fourth-quarter strip sack of Sheppard. UConn followed with a touchdown drive, capped by Cyncir Bowers’ eight-yard run, to make it 31–20 with 7:52 left. That’s the kind of sequence that takes “we can steal this” and turns it into a long, irritated sigh.

The good, the bad, and the ugly:

The good: The explosive passing plays, Sheppard’s accuracy, and real contributions from Bermudez, Mason, and Clarke. There’s talent here. Saturday gave us reasons to believe that.

The bad: Two fumbles at costly moments and a defense that allowed far too much on the ground.

The ugly: No Temple touchdowns after the first quarter. Zero fourth-quarter points. You don’t get credit for finishing strong because your opening act was entertaining.

My take:

I’ll keep backing Temple. But backing your team doesn’t mean putting a pretty bow on a frustrating loss.

The Owls showed enough to get us invested, then didn’t finish the job. That’s the part they have to fix: turn promising possessions into touchdowns, protect the football, and make opponents earn their yards.

Charlotte comes to the Linc Saturday, October 17, at 1 p.m. Another home game. Another opportunity.

Let’s give the fans something to take home besides a headache. I’ll be in the End Zone, loud and proud.

Eight Seconds, One Complete Disaster

The Eagles went all the way to London to find a new way to piss us off. Sunday’s 19–17 loss to Jacksonville wasn’t just heartbreaking, it was a winnable game thrown away, dropping the Birds to 2–3 with three straight losses.

Jake Elliott nailed a 48-yard field goal to put them ahead 17–16 with eight seconds left. Eight. Freaking. Seconds. Then Ameer Abdullah ripped off a 53-yard kickoff return, and Cam Little buried a 57-yard winner as time expired. Nick Sirianni took responsibility for the kickoff decision afterward. Fair enough, but taking the blame doesn’t put the win back in the standings.

And let’s be honest, that ending shouldn’t hide how lifeless the offense was. Jalen Hurts went 21-for-40 for 220 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Avoiding turnovers helped, but completing 52.5% of your passes isn’t getting it done. The Eagles finished with 232 total yards to Jacksonville’s 408, including just 22 rushing yards. Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby were unavailable, and Will Shipley left injured, but the offense still needed answers. Instead, it produced three second-half points.

There were guys worth applauding. Jalen Carter had two strip-sacks, Quinyon Mitchell grabbed an interception, and Zack Baun made 11 tackles. Darius Cooper supplied a 62-yard touchdown catch. The defense made critical stops that kept this thing within reach, even while surrendering too much yardage.

My blunt take? Hurts needs to be sharper, the offense needs to function after halftime, and the coaching and kickoff coverage failed when the game was practically over. Injuries explain some struggles. They don’t explain every mistake.

You don’t need a perfect team to protect a lead for eight seconds. You need a team that finishes the damn job.

-Jawn Kruk

Side Jawn Sports

-Jawn Kruk/Side Jawn Sports

A Rough Weekend For Two, Not For Three

Temple put up enough yards to win and somehow lost. The Flyers dressed a lineup that looked a lot like the real thing and got smoked by Washington’s kids. Thank God for the Union, who gave us a hat trick, four goals, and at least one reason to enjoy the weekend.

Temple: Army 21, Owls 17

Temple’s 21–17 loss Friday was the kind that sticks in your craw. The Owls gained 459 yards, didn’t turn the ball over, and took a 17–14 lead with 7:38 left. Then Army did exactly what Army does: marched 75 yards in 12 plays, chewed up nearly six minutes, and scored with 1:41 remaining. Temple got to the Army 24 on its last drive, but a fourth-down pass fell incomplete. That’s your conference opener gone. 

The good: Ajani Sheppard threw for a career-high 242 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions, and added 48 yards rushing. His 78-yard touchdown to Sam Brown and 67-yard strike to Colin Chase were the kind of explosive plays this offense needs. Brown was a beast: 96 rushing yards plus that 78-yard catch, giving him 174 yards from scrimmage. Temple also ran for 217 yards as a team. There’s talent here, Cuz. 

The bad: Temple went 3-for-9 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth down. Army held the ball for 38:01 and ran for 279 yards. When you give that offense the ball for that long, your big plays have to do an awful lot of work. 

The ugly: The Owls had the lead and needed one stop. Instead, Army’s Cale Hellums finished his third rushing touchdown of the game, then Temple’s last chance died at the 24. After last week’s gut-punch loss to Toledo, another close one slipping away feels especially brutal. The Owls are 1–3 and 0–1 in conference play. Enough with the almosts. 

Flyers: Capitals 5, Flyers 1

Saturday was supposed to be a dress rehearsal. Most of the Flyers’ NHL lineup played; Washington dressed only four NHL regulars. The Flyers outshot the Caps 37–24 and still lost 5–1. Jamie Drysdale put Philly ahead 31 seconds into the second period, and then Washington scored five unanswered. That is a lousy way to head toward opening night. 

The good: Drysdale’s goal came from a hard forecheck by Tyson Foerster and Travis Konecny, who both picked up assists. The Flyers had chances, too. Alex Bump hit the crossbar, while Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone ran into big saves. They generated pressure for two periods; the shot total wasn’t some meaningless fluke. 

The bad: Philly went 0-for-4 on the power play, with all four chances coming in the first period. You cannot get that many early looks, fail to score, and expect it not to bite you. Charlie Lindgren kept Washington in it, but the Flyers also had to finish their chances. 

The ugly: Turnovers helped Washington grab the lead, and Aleksei Kolosov allowed five goals on 24 shots. The Flyers had 34 shots through two periods and just four in the third. Washington’s younger lineup got stronger as the night went on while Philly faded. It’s preseason, sure, but a mostly NHL lineup losing this way in its final tune-up deserves more than a shrug. The Flyers finished the preseason 1–3–0. 

Union: Union 4, Orlando City 2

Now that was fun. Milan Iloski scored in the 11th and 19th minutes, Indiana Vassilev made it 3–0 just after halftime, and Iloski completed his hat trick in the 51st. The Union beat Orlando 4–2 despite missing five starters on international duty. They’ve now gone 12 straight matches unbeaten, a club record, and won six straight MLS matches for the first time. 

The good: Iloski was ridiculous: three goals, including an early penalty and a blast to finish the hat trick. Vassilev added a goal and two assists, and Nathan Harriel, Jesús Bueno, and Jovan Lukić contributed assists. Iloski is up to 16 goals this season. With that many regulars away, the Union still jumped on Orlando and made the game look over by the 51st minute. That’s depth showing up when it counts. 

The bad: Up 4–0, the Union let Orlando score in the 78th and 90th minutes. Iván Angulo got the first, and Martín Ojeda added the second. A win is a win, but I’d prefer to spend the last ten minutes enjoying a four-goal lead instead of wondering how comfortable it really is. 

The ugly: Honestly, there’s no disaster to manufacture from a 4–2 win with five starters missing. The late defending was sloppy, and that’s the note to take into the break. But if the worst thing we’re saying is “please finish your four-goal wins more cleanly,” the Union are in a pretty damn good place. 

Temple and the Flyers gave us plenty to complain about. The Union gave us something to brag about. That’s the Philly sports weekend in a nutshell: aggravation, aggravation, and then Iloski showing up with a hat trick to save our mood.

Jawn Kruk/Side Jawn Sports

I respect the hell out of the men and women who serve this country. Let’s get that out of the way first. But when Army rolls into the Linc on Friday, I want Temple to give the Black Knights a long ride home with an L.

The Owls open American Conference play coming off a 49–48 overtime loss at Toledo, and I’m still trying to process that one. Temple led by 14 with under seven minutes left. Sam Brown had 109 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Ajani Sheppard answered Toledo’s overtime score with a touchdown run of his own. Then Temple went for two and the win, and the pass fell incomplete. I liked the gutsy call. I would’ve liked the result a whole lot more.

The encouraging part? Temple can run the ball. The Owls have gained at least 176 yards on the ground in each of their first three games and are averaging 221.3 rushing yards per game. Keep that going Friday. Give Brown room to work, let Sheppard use his legs when the opportunity is there, and finish the drives that get into scoring range. Against Army, every possession feels a little more valuable because those dudes can hold onto the ball forever.

And yeah, stopping Army’s run game is the whole damn assignment. The Black Knights are averaging 394 rushing yards per game, best in the country. They opened the season by running for 569 against Bryant, then put up 219 on the ground in a 28–24 loss to South Florida. Quarterback Cale Hellums can hurt you with his legs, and Army has other backs who can break a play open. Temple’s defense has to stay disciplined, make the first tackle, and keep a four-yard gain from turning into a drive that eats half a quarter.

That doesn’t mean the Owls can ignore the pass, either. Hellums threw two touchdowns against South Florida. If Temple sells out against the run and loses track of somebody downfield, Army has shown it can make them pay. Linebacker Curly Ordonez, who has led the Owls in tackles in all three games, figures to have a busy Friday.

Army has won four straight against Temple, including a 14–13 game last season. There’s your extra motivation. This is a home conference opener, and after the way Toledo ended, the Owls have a chance to show they can respond instead of letting one painful loss turn into two.

Respect Army? Absolutely. Salute the people who serve? Every time. But for three hours Friday afternoon, I’m rooting for Temple to tackle like hell, run the ball down Army’s throat, and finally snap that streak.

Give me an Owls win, Cuz.

Temple vs. Army kicks off Friday, September 25, at 4 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field. The game airs on ESPN.

-Jawn Kruk

Side Jawn Sports

For 31 years, Reading waited for another outright Eastern League championship. Last night, the Fightin Phils made sure nobody had to wait one more day. They beat Erie 13–4 at FirstEnergy Stadium, swept the championship series, and sent Baseballtown into one hell of a celebration.

And because this team apparently enjoys making us sweat, Erie jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the first. Reading tied it in the fourth on an Aidan Miller double and a wild pitch, only for Erie to go back ahead, 3–2. Then came the sixth inning. Carson DeMartini worked a bases-loaded walk to tie it, and Caleb Ricketts stepped up and launched a grand slam to put the Fightins in front for good. Bryan Rincon added an RBI single before the inning was over. Just like that, 3–2 Erie became 8–3 Reading.

DeMartini wasn’t done. He hit another grand slam in the eighth, giving him five RBIs on the night and turning the final innings into a championship party. Estibenzon Jimenez struck out the last batter, and that was it, the Fightins were champs.

The playoff numbers tell you how much of a team effort this was. Reading went 4–0, outscored Hartford and Erie 44–12, and put up 34 runs in its two home playoff games. Rincon and Ricketts each drove in seven runs across the four games. Rincon had five RBIs in the 21–4 playoff opener against Hartford and homered in the game that finished that series. Ricketts drove in four with last night’s slam after bringing home the only run in Sunday’s 1–0 win at Erie. DeMartini went 4-for-7 with five runs scored in the Hartford series, then delivered those five RBIs when the title was on the line.

The arms deserve their flowers, too. Luke Russo gave Reading five scoreless innings in that 1–0 win at Erie, and Jimenez closed out both the Hartford series and the championship clincher. One night this team won a pitching duel, the next it hit two grand slams. That’s a pretty damn good way to finish a season.

I got to cover the Fightins this year from afar and also in the booth a few times, so watching them finish it off means a little more to me. From that ridiculous 21-run playoff opener to the final strikeout last night, these guys gave Reading a run to remember. Enjoy every second of it, Baseballtown. Your Fightin Phils are champions!

-Jawn Kruk

Side Jawn Sports