Union Still Looking to Clinch Home Field In First Round of Playoffs
CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 23: Andre Blake #18 of Philadelphia Union passes the ball against Los Angeles FC at Subaru Park on September 23, 2023 in Chester, Pennsylvania.
The Union have just 1 regular season game left before the playoffs begin. But despite having already sealed a playoff spot, that game Saturday against New England has huge implications for them. Because Home-Field advantage could be on the line. The Union had a chance to clinch a top 4 seed with a win last Saturday when they played Nashville. But the game ended in a draw.
And for the Union, getting home field is a massive deal. Subaru Park has been among the best Home-Field Advantages for the last several years. The Union have lost just one game there this season. And since 2020 they are 42-4-14 playing at home.
But they still have work to do if they want to clinch home field. The Columbus Crew and the New England Revolution still could pass them in the standings, knocking the Union down to the 5th seed. Both Union and Crew only have one more game, but the Revolution have 2, one of them vs the Union on October 21st. If the Revolution Win or Draw vs Nashville this Saturday, it would set up a pivotal final game on the road for the Union.
If the Union win that final game, they are the 3 seed no matter what. But a draw or loss could complicate things. The Revolution currently trails the Union by 3 points. But a win would tie them with the Union. And even a draw this Saturday would give them a chance to pass the Union with a win. The Crew being just 1 point behind the Union complicates things further.
Luckily the tiebreakers are on the Union’s side. It first goes to total wins, which they currently lead by 1 over the Revolution. The second tiebreaker is goal differential, which they led by 5. So a draw in that final game should be enough to clinch home-field. But we will know more about what they need after the Revolution play on Saturday.
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Lionel Messi Visits Philadelphia And Blows Out The Union (Gallery)
Tuesday night, Philadelphia had a brush with soccer greatness. Lionel Messi became the best soccer player to step onto the pitch at Subaru Park since Sebastien Le Toux (real Union fans respect the legend). A packed crowd of Union fans, unfortunately, had to see him and Inter Miami tear our team apart in the Semi-Finals of the Leagues Cup. That part sucked. But still, getting to see one of the Goats of the sport up close, even later in his career, was a treat.
In the same way, we don’t mind too much getting to see Barry Bonds deposit a Jon Lieber pitch into the 3rd deck of Citizen’s Bank Park, you have to appreciate the greatness of Lionel Messi. Even while his team rips our team apart by a final score of 4-1.
Messi got involved in the scoring. With Miami already up 1-0 in the 19th minute, Messi got a little bit of open space. And that little bit was too much to give the Goat. He snuck a ball past Andre Blake on the ground, to put his team up 2-0 early.
Jordi Alba made it 3-0 in stoppage time just before half-time. In the second half, Alejandro Bedoya would get the Union on the board in the 73rd minute. But David Ruiz got that goal back for Miami 10 minutes later.
The Union did not cover themselves in glory. Andre Blake had a rare bad game. They looked like they were playing scared from the start, and showing way too much respect for Messi. And it all showed on the field. That much is clear from the results. But embarrassing loss aside, we did still get to see Messi’s greatness in person.
So while we clean our wounds, let’s look back on what was still an exciting night for the Sport in Philadelphia:
Dylan MacKinnon is The Digital Content Coordinator For 97.5 The Fanatic. he has been an Eagles, Flyers, Sixers, and Flyers fan his whole life. He graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelors in Journalism. Dylan has worked at the Fanatic since 2016, starting as an Intern, moving to the Street team, and eventually was hired as an Associate Producer before settling into his current role in the Digital Department. You may hear him referred to on-air as "The D-Train."
