As Phillies, Union surge, Eagles, Sixers, and Flyers reset, Philly’s sports scene looks ever more promising

The NBA and Stanley Cup champions are crowned. The NFL’s on vacation. The Phillies are figuring it out, and the Union are kicking butt again. The summer solstice arrives Wednesday morning, the longest day of the year, and so it seems like a good time to pause and assess the scene.

A year ago there was rampant uncertainty and general dissatisfaction with the state of Philadelphia’s five teams, and there were general sentiments and desires about each. Remarkably, to a large degree, all of those sentiments have been addressed and those desires have been satisfied.

A year ago, the Eagles had made the playoffs but had been destroyed by the Bucs and Tom Brady, which helped make rookie defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon a Philly villain. They had added wideout A.J. Brown, and they entered their vacation with high hopes. They hoped to win a playoff game in 2022; develop Jalen Hurts into a franchise quarterback; and determine which veterans should return for 2023.

A year later, the Eagles are coming off a Super Bowl appearance. Hurts finished second in MVP voting. And the Birds remain the class of the NFC. They re-signed almost all of their best veterans, another coup for general manager Howie Roseman. They added defensive tackle Jalen Carter, the best player in the draft.

And Gannon is gone.

A year ago, the Phillies were a $244 million mess, a mass of question marks in cleats. They’d fired Joe Girardi two weeks before but were just four games above .500, and Bryce Harper was three days from breaking his thumb and missing two months.

Perhaps the most breathtaking turnaround in Philly sports history saw the Phillies make a run to the World Series after the promotion of anonymous career coach Rob Thomson. A handful of kids and a collection of stars just ... clicked. They created a postgame playlist, headlined by the club hit “Dancing On My Own,” and the city fell in love. That love was tested the first two months of 2023, but the Phils entered Tuesday having won 13 of 15, including a 6-1 road trip that moved them to more respectable 19-23 on the road.

They’ve recovered from their World Series hangover. New shortstop Trea Turner has gotten over his $300 million stage fright, Kyle Schwarber is hitting June bombs in the leadoff spot again, Zack Wheeler is dominant, Taijuan Walker is earning his $79 million, and Ranger Suarez is back in the groove.

As soon as Aaron Nola gets past his chronophobia — he’s been overwhelmed by the new pitch clock — they should challenge for the pennant again.

A year ago the Sixers hoped Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey would continue to improve, and they hoped James Harden would develop into a more polished, deferential point guard.

Embiid won MVP. Maxey became a lethal offensive player. Harden facilitated both developments with nuanced, mature point guard play.

Yes, a sixth straight playoff disappointment underscores the fact that The Process and its culture of losing continues its decade of failure, but there’s no arguing that the Sixers got better in the past year.

Also, unpopular coach Doc Rivers got fired, replaced by capable Raptors casualty Nick Nurse, who is very popular — for now.

Check back in a year.

A year ago the Flyers and their dwindling, remaining faithful were less than a week into hoping that their ever-injured, underachieving roster would be inspired by retread coach John Tortorella.

A year later, Torts has overseen a lost season in which he completely lost the locker room and finished with the league’s sixth-worst record. He spent several games not coaching at all; rather, he sat upstairs with the brass and laid plans for a rebuild that most fans considered long overdue.

A year later, Tortorella remains, but the rebuild is finally underway.

Unpopular general manager Chuck Fletcher has been fired. Unpopular chairman and governor Dave Scott has resigned. Valerie Camillo, the CEO of the Flyers’ parent company, will leave the company by the end of the month. The Three Wise Men — Bobby Clarke, Paul Holmgren, and Bill Barber — have been stripped of influence.

» READ MORE: Sources: Three Flyers legends had no say in Danny Brière’s promotion or Chuck Fletcher’s firing

The replacements aren’t particularly accomplished; actually, they aren’t accomplished at all. Dan Hilferty, Scott’s replacement, has no experience in the sports world, and, in a moment of hubris, called Tortorella the franchise’s “spiritual leader.”

Danny Brière finished a brief, powerless apprenticeship before taking over as general manager. President Keith Jones and adviser Patrick Sharp are both former TV analysts. Adviser John LeClair is a coach of a fledgling, gimmick three-on-three hockey ... something.

All four are Flyers alumni, which, incredibly, follows the incestuous template that delivered Flyers fans nearly 50 years of frustration. But all are, at least, different, and they’re willing to be bold. They already traded overpaid, overrated defenseman Ivan Provorov.

That, for now, is enough.

The Union seemed stalled at 6-8-1 last year before a late June home win over NYCFC sparked a 13-2-4 finish that pushed them all the way to the Eastern Conference title, also won over NYCFC, and their first MLS Cup final, where they lost to LAFC in a penalty-kick shootout.

They retained coach Jim Curtin, a local gem who looks like he’ll become an institution, added striker Julian Carranza, who leads them in goals, and have the fourth-most points in MLS.

It’s perfect timing.

As Lionel Messi joins the league this summer and the World Cup visits in 2026, the Union have developed an elite product and proven themselves a more competent franchise than a few of their more established Philadelphia peers.