Photo courtesy Philadelphia Union
The Philadelphia Union hosted New York City FC at Subaru Park in the MLS Cup Playoffs for the third time ever, and a 41st-minute counterattack goal from Maxi Moralez was the difference between the sides. New York City FC will travel to face Inter Miami in the Eastern Conference Final.
First Half
Jakob Glesnes was dispossessed outside of the Union’s 18-yard box in the fifteenth minute by Maxi Morales, whose shot reverberated off the post. What was a likely goal for the visitors was taken the other way, but Indiana Vassilev’s cross, intended for Tai Baribo in the center, was mis-hit and went out for a goal kick.
New York City FC opened the scoring in the 27th minute after Olwethy Makhanya was beaten on the dribble down the left side. Maxi Moralez made the run through the middle and was through on goal against Andre Blake. His shot was well-placed into the side netting. Both sides had their share of chances leading up to the moment, but the visitors were first to capitalize and celebrated in front of nearly two whole sections of travelling fans.
Hannes Wolf was the first to see mustard after kicking Milan Iloski in the chest on the far sideline. On the recycled free kick, there looked to be a potential handball in the box for New York. Play continued so VAR could have time to review the incident, and Baribo collided with a New York center back, then was shown a yellow card of his own. Guido Gonzales held the restart for a full VAR review, which resulted in play on.
Maxi Moralez was next to get a yellow for a 50/50 challenge on Danley Jean Jacques.
Nate Harriel worked to retrieve an overcooked cross from Kai Wagner and managed to win his side a corner. Wagner made his way across, and on the delivery connected with Olwethu Makhanya on the back post, whose header went straight down, then bounced into the safe hands of Matt Freese.
Andre Blake made a heroic save in the 38th minute to deny another strong attack from the visitors.
Danley Jean Jacques set the ball on a tee for Tai Baribo in the 41st, but Baribo’s one-time shot rolled just wide of the opposite post.
The fourth official indicated five minutes of added time. The Union went back to the locker room down at the break.
Second Half
Neither side made changes at the interval.
New York City’s Nicolas Fernandez caught Andre Blake off of his line in the 55th minute and played a low, driven ball that looked to be going in, but Blake sprinted all the way to his post to swat it away at the last second. Blake seemed to have tweaked something in the process and went down needing treatment to his right leg. The heroic act was unfortunately his final act of the night.
Andrew Rick entered for Blake, and Frankie Westfield and Mikeal Uhre came in for Jovan Lukic and Tai Baribo. Westfield’s entrance slid Vassilev into the holding midfield.
Rick made his first stop on a play that was ultimately offside minutes after entering.
With a 1-0 lead, New York intended to waste every possible second they could.
Indiana Vassilev made way for Jesus Bueno in the 69th minute.
Both Danley Jean Jacques and Bruno Damiani had the opportunity to level the match on the same Frankie Westfield cross, but failed to connect with the ball.
Westfield got on the end of a Milan Iloski cross on the next attack, but his shot was kept out on the line by Matt Freese.
Nate Harriel was then brought down in the box, which could have been a penalty, but Guido Gonzalez did not call it. Matt Freese stalled the ensuing goal kick long enough to get a yellow card.
Andrew Rick had his second save of the night to stop Maxi Moralez 1v1.
Cavan Sullivan, fresh off his U-17 World Cup trip, came into the match for Danley Jean Jacques in the 83rd minute. He immediately got involved and played a ball into the middle for Bruno Damiani, but the Uruguayan’s shot was blocked for a corner.
Raul Gustavo became the second NYFC player to see yellow for time wasting in the 86th minute.
Westfield got on the end of another cross a minute later, but his shot went over the bar and into the River End.
With two New York players down at midfield, Milan Iloski took his chances with a long-ranged shot, but a fully outstretched Matt Freese kept it out.
The Philadelphia Union’s 2025 season concluded after six minutes of added time and change.
Three Points:
- Andre Blake was instrumental in keeping the match at 1-0 until his injury.
- Olwethu Makhanya was confident on both sides of the ball, but his rapid decision-making still has room to improve. That will come as he ages and continues to adjust to first-team football.
- Substitutes Frankie Westfield, Cavan Sullivan, and Mikeal Uhre brought life into the attack, but their efforts were not enough to get one back.
Lineups
Philadelphia
Andre Blake (Andrew Rick-60’) ; Kai Wagner, Jakob Glesnes, Olwethu Makhanya, Nathan Harriel, Jovan Lukic (Frankie Westfield-60’) , Danley Jean Jacques (Cavan Sullivan- 83’), Indiana Vassilev (Jesus Bueno- 69’), Milan Iloski, Tai Baribo (Mikeal Uhre-60’), Bruno Damiani
Unused subs: Alejandro Bedoya, Ben Bender, Jeremy Raffaello.
New York City
Matt Freese; Thiago Martins, Kevin O’Toole, Tayvon Gray, Agustin Ojeda, Raul Gustavo, Maxi Moralez (Strahinja Tanasijevic- 87’), Hannes Wolf (Mitja Ilenic- 78’), Jonathan Shore, Justin Haak, Nicolas Fernandez (Julian Fernandez- 90+’)
Unused Subs: Tomas Romero; Nico Cavallo, Max Murray, Maximo Carrizo, Sebestiano Musu, Seymour Reid
Scoring Summary:
NYC: Moralez– 27’
Discipline Summary:
NYC: Wolf– 31’
PHI: Baribo- 33’
NYC: Moralez- 35’
NYC: Freese- 77’
NYC: Gustavo- 86’
Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr
Well, that was a bummer but I don’t feel that upset. I didn’t think this club would win their second Supporters’ Shield and it was a fun ride. Finishing top of the table was a great accomplishment and they should be proud of it. However, the SS feels like the highwater mark for this organization.
.
The Philadelphia Union’s model is very unlikely to win them a MLS Cup. These playoff teams have the talent necessary to handle the press and car-crash style of soccer the Union play. Matt Doyle posted about the team being 7W-7L-5D with a -2 goal differential against playoff teams. The Union won the Shield by beating the crap out of the rest of the league – and no slight to the boys for taking care of business. But the Union simply do not have the top-end talent necessary to get them past the top clubs.
.
I feel numb to being in the mix, but not having the talent to get over the top. The academy setup and their business model gets them close. But they won’t win MLS Cup until they spend on a difference-maker or two. And it doesn’t need to be a Messi or Son.
.
Lots to be proud of this season. Yet, silverware for their trophy room feels just as far away as ever.
They also don’t get Messi calls. They don’t get a referee known to give large foul discrepancies (per our Coach presser) Wow, MLS got a Miami NYFC playoff game in Miami. Stunner.
Dave, c’mon; Miami has found a 6th gear this month. Messi has what, 24 goals/assists in his last 9 games. They are clearly the best team in the East. A harsh reality, but to not acknowledge the roll they’ve been on is sheer DeNial.
/
As for me, I now root for Vancouver to go all the way, and now am convinced they have to cut ties with Tanner. How can he hang around now?
Paul
If they can win the league legitimately, why do they need help?
I think the Union II have a better shot at winning a championship. The organization has prioritized the academy and youth development. If winning is what you want most from the organization, better to focus on the kids. As stated by many on this platform and nationally, the first team will never keep pace with the rest of the league’s top teams, especially during playoffs. Eventually more successful teams will produce academies that will surpass the Union. Only massive change will produce what fans are looking for.
I really did not think this would happen.
This. I expected them to go out in the next round, to Miami. This is disappointing.
–
OTOH, you can spend $23m on Son Heung-Min and still get bounced out in the confernce semi-final…
This. Sometimes the superstar still isn’t enough. (I also expected a next round exit. Messi is too much.)
Philadelphia Fans:
Santa Claus forgot us again…
I don’t have any dreams left to dream…
(Island of misfit toys)
Great Season !
Kinda sad ending.
We’ll get ’em next year, before the great change…
DOOP !
Respectfully, you’re wrong. We NEED a Messi or Son…or Thomas Muller, who was available, but his price tag was too high for the Connie Mack, as in cheapskate of MLS, Jay Sugarman. Why root for the Union, then if they’re not going to spend and this will be the same result year after year after year.
FUCK YOU mls. Our guys were not sharp, reflecting the ridiculous 3 week layoff in the FUCKING PLAYOFFS. This is the 2nd time we’ve been fucked by MLS after winning the shield. Perhaps NYC would have won anyway, but I really would like to have seen the team that crushed Chicago play the douche bag divers.
.
Of course the officiating was poor. What else could it be in MLS? The league hasn’t realized that if your officials suck using a “clear error” VAR standard doesn’t work, especially if that standard is judged using your regular not very good officials. The shit head should have given yellow at the outset to the db diver, but no, he had to let it descend into a shit show. Did he study the history of these teams? Didn’t look like it. The 2nd half call was a clear penalty. The db diver made no attempt at all to play the ball. He just bodychecked our guy and knocked him over. Of course there is no review, because… MLS. FUCK YOU MLS, you suck.
Completely agree. I think next year if the Union make the playoffs, I’m going to opt out of playoff tickets and save my money rather than wasting it on a crapshoot tournament.
Bet any of those voters who picked Carnell as coach of the year are having to take a dishtowel and wiping egg off their faces right now?
/
SUGARMAN OUT! And take Tanner with you.
To wait three weeks for such a poorly played game is a difficult pill. Ineptitude. Brutally sloppy. Technically poor. Many to blame Uhre for me the poster player of this ineptitude.
.
Lukic & Danley poster players of this ineptitude and weak links in possession. Lost the midfield battle. Subs on Bueno to have 3 defensive midfielders down 1 – 0.
.
Damiani fouling everyone —> acting aggrieved.
.
Baribo complaining incessantly —> misses a sitter.
.
Again & Again…bending over to help the other team’s players up? Asking if they are alright. Pats on the back orange slice soccer. In a Conference semifinal down 1-0 ? No f’ing way.
.
Wouldn’t have beaten Messi’s Merry Pranksters anyway so at least I do not have to hear about that now.
.
They might not have beaten Miami but they lost to a team missing three key players. They choked again in a knock out game.
Hard to argue.
Matty Ice ….. The irony. He was the biggest difference maker in the game. I know it’s right after another heartbreaking loss but I don’t think you go into next year with Andre Blake as your number one goalie. Also Baribo and Damaini for me have zero chemistry on the field. At some point, they need to change something as this is the definition of insanity.
I was of the mind that Blake starts MLS games, and let Rick have the Leagues and Champions Cup with a few spot starts in league play. The frequency of Blake’s injuries imply he might have some underlying issues beyond just normal aging.
Andre should not have been re-signed. That’s harsh, but reality. He is perpetually injured and refuses to close down his international play, where he frequently gets new injuries or irritates old ones. He is a great player, and deserves a place on the ring. But re-signing him was a bad decision.
This team’s success always felt too good to be true for me. Lots of heavy running and effort, poor passing and turnovers. Managed to perform better somehow than everyone else to land the shield.
–
That’s not to say they didn’t earn it. I think this team always put in the effort. Did the same tonight. But there has always been a limit to what they could do, especially with a forward line with only one goal scorer. A goal scorer who has been pretty cold as the season closed out.
–
In some ways, I wish they hadn’t been so successful. I’d really like to see this energy drink football phased out. It’s just tough to watch. And ultimately, it’s not reliable.
–
Anyway, on to the rest of the European season and so long MLS. Was a weird and disjointed post season. Two months to play three matches. Hard to believe any of it was real.
Largely pointless running though. Rarely did they win the first ball for it. Decided to not press when they should’ve and vice versa. Just a step slow and too sloppy. Maybe blame the layoff. I dunno. Missing the spark to win a championship.
Inevitable. Doyle was right. Can’t even blame Garber, though I want to………
Miami would have destroyed this team-so I’m less pissed than usual. Feels like an era ended before it ever really began.
It’s the futility of their existence that sickens the most.
U had joy, U had fun-had a season in the Sun, but the hill U must climb-will defeat U every time.
Plus; whatever “style” you play is unaesthetic and deserves your reality.
You can blame Garber for setting up a playoff format where the teams that play best in the first round have 3 weeks between games.
Can not believe no one mentioned Frankie’s shots; one incredibly saved by Freese, the other one flew high from 5 yards out. If one of those had made it in it would have been a totally different game.
.
The biggest problem in the game was that NYC won 99% of the head balls. This made our corners and high crosses totally ineffective.
.
Upset about those a..holes screaming you s… a..hole every time Freese kicked the ball. Freese went to Radnor HS and should be given more respect.
Zero excuses for New York to boss us in the midfield like they did last night. Ze-ro.
Well at least this loss keeps us from being throttled by Miami next week. Wow, losing the midfield to the team that lost their starting midfield. The U were NOT up for this match…so Union to lose this one. Finally with a new GM coming soon, should we hope for the team buying at least one real difference maker for next year?
Not as long as Sugarman is in charge, we won’t. I’ve an idea; let’s run it back in 2026!!!!
Tweets that aged *extremely* poorly…
/
@PhilaUnion
·
27 Jan 2023
Philadelphia Union acquire up to $750,000 in GAM from New York City FC in exchange for Homegrown goalkeeper Matt Freese.
/
Thanks for everything and we wish you the best, @matty_ice49!
/
Time to just blow it all up and start over?
Freese left because he wanted a chance to start instead of being stuck behind Blake. Who could blame him? So the team dealt him. I was not happy that he was dealt to NYC, but we also don’t know what other offers there were.
Why was Damiani on the field for the whole game ? He offers NOTHING and we always look way better when he comes off. This one is 100% on Carnell. He was out-coached and should have sent a team out there to boss a lower seeded (and short-handed) opponent at home. We all saw what was happening throughout the season – the team didn’t pass the eye test yet somehow managed to eek out wins.
You can say we overachieved and should be happy we got so far and only lost twice at home all season but the MLS regular season is a bit of a joke – the real thing happens in the playoffs and this team just can’t do it in a big game.
Spot on…..I’ve felt this way all season. Damniani is a waste. It was sickening to listen to the announcer gush over everthing he does for the team. All I see are stupid fouls, wild shots and no cohesion with his striking partner. We were consistently at our best with Uhre and Baribo on the field together, which didn’t happen near enough.
Baribo came off because he was on the Yellow Card.
Did Blake play his final Union game last night? He’s under contract for 2026 with club option for 2027, but is getting older and has trouble being available. He is easily the Union’s greatest player ever, but 2026 or 2027 will be the start of the Rick era.
What a totally depressing game on a cold night in Chester.
The comment prior to mine that resonated the most with me is that the Union epitomizes the definition of insanity. Sugarman keeps doing the same thing year after year and drags all of the fans along, expecting a different result. He is cheap and needs to either change his ways or sell the team.
As it stands, this team will always be the bridesmaid but never get that ring. I give so much credit to the players who go out there every game and work their butts off to get the results we have seen. However, without a true big-money, reliable, superstar who can both score and take on defenses one-on-one then we will never win MLS Cup.
The Union style of play is just hard to watch, and I believe we fans deserve better. The long-ball, smash and grab style just is not pretty soccer. I look at the stats every game and the one that stands out to me every time is pass completion percentage. Invariably it always hovers at around 70% and that just is not good enough. It means that passing is neither crisp nor accurate. Look at quality teams that focus on control, and you will see passing completion at or above 90%.
I believe we have a solid defensive unit that can adapt and change if the style of play is changed. However, the midfield and the strikers need to be revamped almost completely. We need midfielders who can control the ball and create real chances, and strikers who can finish off those chances consistently.
STOP THE INSANITY of money-ball, which history has demonstrated does not win championships. STOP the relentless and unsuccessful barrage of long balls to no one. STOP runs to the wing with passes that go nowhere.
STOP being one of the cheapest owners in the league. BTW this refers not only to the player salaries but also to the way the fans are treated as merely a commodity. The team consistently goes nowhere while the parking lots remain unpaved, season ticket prices continue to rise, concession prices get more insane every year, they roll out the long overdue Union app that is useless, and the STM portal has steadily lost features over the years. Hey Sugarman Cheapskate, how about remembering that without dedicated fans, you have NOTHING.
Rant over. Just so upset at how futile it is rooting for this organization when the ownership doesn’t care about anything beyond profits!
They won the Shield this year. Go back to Feb, what were your expectations for this team?
.
Chris Albright has been spending money like crazy in Queen City, what has that gotten them?
.
You want the team to spend more money? Where’s the money coming from?
.
They actually do spend on player salaries. They have at least 10 players making more than $750K per year.
JayKoz3 is 100% correct. Would it be nice if the Union brought in a playmaker like Son or Muller? Sure. But LAFC is out. Cincy is out. Atlanta didn’t make the playoffs.
I do agree with the original post about the U treating fans as a commodity. I can remember the last time I was thanked for being a STH, let alone one of the founders.
That should be “I *can’t* remember… “
Dead last in salary allocation:
https://www.spotrac.com/mls/cap/_/year/2025
Happy to see this team have success when none of us expected it. Nothing can diminish that.
–
I last minute bailed on going to this game. instead, willing to pay for conference final and the chance to upset Miami or have my heart broken, again. Last night was the best $85+ I didn’t spend. Like many saying here, nothing is gonna change for ‘26. I am really happy we have Rick. Defeated by another ex-Union keeper is hard to swallow. Also echo the inevitable winding down of Dre.
Just imagine how bad Andre Blake feels: he got injured again, the Union went down, and Jimmy Cliff died…
Brilliant
Crappy cold disappointing night to be a Philly fan.
Can’t take the Shield from them, so there’s that.
The team did outperform expectations this year, which is a good thing.
Seeing Freeze, Trusty, MacKenzie, Aaronson, Sullivan, Harriel and McGlynn currently on the MNT; with P. Aaronson & C. Sullivan and other “YSC/Union juniors” playing on the younger national teams, it really is amazing how much talent has come through their system.
Talking about the energy-drink play style, I wonder if the U the changed to a possession-style game, they could get better coaches and keep talent longer to develop more fully?
Obviously there is a low development cap with this style of play.
They looked rusty. It’s hard to be effective at smash mouth fast paced soccer when you’re not really in sync and it showed. Lots of talk about the players they were missing but very little here or on the broadcast about who we were missing- Quinn Sullivan. This was the first critical game since we lost him and he was a difference maker.
I know the first player who needs to be unconditionlly cut; Olwethu Makhanya. 29 of the 30 teams in MLS would’ve sent him packing already. Why is he still here? His defensive breakdown led to the loss.
/
/
And I’ll ask once more. How on earth or any other planet in the Milky Way can Tanner be allowed to be gainfully employed here? Unless, like Makhanya, nobody else will take him now.
You’re an idiot. He’s one of the best defenders in the league, and is still young and improving.
,
Never change Paul Continuum
There is NO team in this league quaking in their boots at the prospect of lining up against Olwethu Makhanya.
/
The only thing we can look forward to is NYCFC will have the next 90 hours or so to savor this win before Miami takes ’em out to the woodshed this weekend. Inter is, at least this year, the standard of how to win, from the front office to the field. Remember; they pay just enough to contend. JUST contend. NEVER to win. Thomas Muller was out there for the taking. And we said no thanks.
Agreed, he stepped in when Glavinovich went down and had an extremely strong first season, both defensively and in carrying the ball. On the lone goal, Makhanya did get beat but Glesnes (who had a rare poor game and got beat several times) and others didn’t exactly step up to help.
You are a dope. If you think Makhanya should be cut you don’t know sh!t about soccer.
The upside is that the team punched up to win a full season Shield and are back in the CCC and Leagues Cup for lots of international matches.
. . .
The downside is 16 seasons having never won a championship in anything, including the USOC. Until Sugarman buys known difference makers to compliment our framework, that unwanted track record will continue.
Could be worse, we could be Red Bull fans…..
True.
You just said they won the Shield and qualified for continental play, but also that they didn’t win anything?
The Shield is meaningless, just like the Presidents’ Trophy in the NHL.
I said “never won a championship in anything”. The Shield isn’t a championship, and qualifying for a tournament isn’t the same as winning it.
. . .
To win championships, we need investment in known deliverers to amplify our solid development program players.
Belatedly, here is the final view from Section 105:
1) Cold night at the Sub, late start on a school night. Little did we know that the Eagles debacle, which finished shortly before kickoff, was a harbinger of the future. Full house with more than the usual number of away fans.
2) The Union started slowly and could not find connections. The Pigeons fouled persistently and in the first thirty minutes by my count got no fewer than 3 “stern warnings.” The Union got some “stern warnings,” too. It was reminiscent of the first game against the Fire in which the Union played disjointedly. They were fortunate to win on PKs.
3) To those of you who think that Damiani does nothing, I remind you that in the 20th minute or so, he came back all the way into the box to dispossess a Pigeon attack–and he ended up being the last line of defense. Have you ever seen Messi make a defensive play like that? I have not (and I am a big Messi appreciator). It was not just Damiani and Baribo who had problems in the offensive end. There was a lot of disjointed play–it was like the team hadn’t played together in weeks.
4) Yes, on the NYCFC goal, Makhanya was beaten, but that was an anomaly–he had an excellent season, and as others have pointed out, Glesnes should have picked up the runner who scored the goal. I have to give NYCFC credit here, it was really a beautiful play. We felt at that moment that it was game on–the Union had come back from deficits before this season and they surely would fight back.
5) On the foul on Harriel in the box in the 72nd minute or so, Guzman took out Harriel’s legs with absolutely no intention of playing the ball–there was contact with forearm, shoulder and most importantly, leg. It was not a “soft” foul in which Harriel went down easily, and had Harriel not been fouled, he would have reached the ball to send in a dangerous cross. I have seen much less contact called a foul, and less often, I have seen such contact allowed. I know that refs do not want to have their calls decide games, but this call/non-call did decide the outcome of the game. I thought it was a foul in real time, and after watching the replay, I thought that the contact was significant enough to warrant a PK. So, if the PK had been awarded and had the game finished drawn and the Union won on PKs, would people have said the same things as above on this site? I think not. Please don’t misunderstand, results DO matter. But the Union DID play well enough to at least have gotten a draw against a decent NYCFC team on this occasion. No matter what call the ref made, it would not have been reversed by VAR.
6) Matt Freese is an excellent goalkeeper, and he was the reason that NYCFC won.
7) I hope that Quinn Sullivan can return to the form he had this year.
8) I would like to see more of Frankie Westfield and less of Indiana Vassilev.
9) I do think that it is time to say thank you and goodbye to two of the Union mainstays from years past, El Capitan (Ali Bedoya) and Dre (Andre Blake). Unfortunately, they have a lot more mileage on their soccer odometers than do some older players for other teams (Messi). It is Andrew Rick’s time.
10) I am disappointed to not see Messi come to town again, but as others have rightly observed, when this season started, we thought that the Union would be lucky to make the playoffs. They definitely “exceeded expectations.”
Nothing in that match showed that the union wanted to win. Suddenly couldn’t connect 3 passes and played like a HS team. Embarrassing at best. How did they get even this far, playing like this….?
Roster decisions forthwith via MLS.Com
Contract options exercised: Baribo, Harriel
/
Contract options declined: Donovan, LeFlore, Pariano, Semmle
/
In discussions/out of contract:, Bedoya, Bender, Marks, Uhre
Inquirer says Makhanya’s options were picked up (of COURSE they were) and Vassiliev has a deal.
Thanks for playing, NYCFC. The Karma Gods always get the job done. NYCFC 1, Inter Miami 5.