The Philadelphia Union will be very pleased with the format of the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs.
After going up 2–0 in the 75th minute of game one in their best-of-three series against the Chicago Fire, the Supporters’ Shield winners collapsed in the final 10 minutes, allowing the Fire and former Union star Jack Elliott to draw level at 2–2 and force a penalty shootout.
Luckily for the Union, they could exhale a few minutes after, winning the penalty shootout.
Without an aggregate score to worry about, they can look to close out the series in game two when they visit the Fire next Saturday.
“I think we put on a really good display of what we were trying to do,” MLS Coach of the Year finalist Bradley Carnell said post-match. “We worked in transition, and we created chaos moments and took our opportunities when they came. It’s just unfortunate, the way we gave up the two moments at the end.”
