Photo: Stephen Speer

It has, undoubtedly, been an incredible run of form for the Philadelphia Union over the last four seasons.

Two first-place conference finishes, a Supporters’ Shield, two continental semi-finals, and a third place finish in Leagues Cup. No team in MLS has had as much recent sustained success as the Union.

And yet, the club has only won one major trophy. For many, the period in which that is acceptable is running out; however, the Union must maintain their course.

In 2018, the Union first broke their points record (48 in 2011) by netting 50 points across the full MLS regular season. While hitting the half-century mark wasn’t inherently impressive on its own, it marked a moment of change for the Union and was something to build on.

The following season saw the Union progress, this time netting 55 points and winning their first-ever playoff game, before losing in the second round. 2020 saw the club win its first major trophy, the Supporters Shield; 2021 saw the club reach the Conference Finals of MLS Cup; and 2022 saw the Union just miss out on the MLS Cup after falling to LAFC. Despite the trends of heartbreak and almost winning, the club made progress, and that progress softened all blows. With the only progress left being the hoisting of MLS Cup, the Union find themselves in a precarious position heading into the 2023 postseason.

In reality, it’s difficult to call MLS Cup a must-win for the Union this season. They don’t look like the giant killers of last season, and the competition in the East has improved drastically. Couple that with the changed playoff format, and while the Union will undoubtedly have a shot at lifting the trophy, it’s hard to feel like it’s do or die the same way it was in 2023. But what does that mean for the Union as an organization?

It’s difficult to say. When you win a championship, repeating is, of course, the goal, but it likely won’t happen. While that may be frustrating or sad in the moment of defeat, it’s a lot easier to forgive because the ultimate goal of a trophy was achieved so recently. However, when a club falls just short of a title, there are no feelings or laureles to fall back on. Progress must somehow be made toward that ultimate goal of a championship despite coming so close the year prior and despite the reality that it’s unlikely to come that close again so soon. For an organization like the Union, who have measurably improved over the last five years, that goal of progress becomes increasingly difficult without lifting a trophy.

Does that make MLS Cup a must-win for the Union? In reality, no.

There are very few circumstances in which winning a league’s ultimate prize should be considered an absolute necessity. The Union have made marked progress over the last five seasons, and it’s critical for those involved with the club, from ownership to supporters to understand that not every year can yield watershed results. The Union’s strategy of fostering youth talent and bringing in players that fit into their system as opposed to flashy signings has paid off and led to the club’s recent success. Putting faith in manager Jim Curtin has allowed him to build something exceptional within the dressing room and helped to solidify Philadelphia as one of the premier places to play in Major League Soccer.

While a failure to capture MLS Cup in 2023 may result in calls for knee-jerk reactions from fans and analysts alike, it’s important to remember how they reached its current level of expected success, through buying into an identity and sticking with it even when some things didn’t go the right way. While the payroll of clubs begins to grow exponentially, and star players and managers are being targeted across the league; the Union must retain their belief that intentional, steady progress will win out. Even if that means not every season has tangible “progress”. For all intents and purposes, the Union cannot do any better than they did in 2022. The club was fantastic, and was ultimately humbled by the pure dumb luck that is sport.

Sometimes, things don’t go your way, and there’s little you can do about it.

Routinely attempting to compare season to season, result to result, is a route to inevitable failure. The Union must prioritize genuine progress and growth over chasing trophies at all costs. Need mention be made of the Flyers shipping off young goalie Sergei Bobrovsky after they failed to win the cup in 2011? That trade can be linked to the steady decline of the organization after their Stanley Cup final loss in 2011. It was a short-sighted decision that cost the club exponentially in the long run.

The Union must avoid the same mistake and maintain the course that has brought them so much success.