Union Eliminated From Playoffs After Lose To FC Cincinnati
Philadelphia Union midfielder Alejandro Bedoya (11) reacts after FC Cincinnati defender Yerson Mosquera (15) scores a goal in the second half in a MLS Cup Eastern Conference Semifinal
There will be no 3rd straight Conference Finals appearance for the Union. They played to a draw with Cincinnati for 93 minutes and were about to force Overtime. But on what appeared to be an offside play, Yerson Mosquera scored the game-winning goal.
Watching the playback, it sure looks like Ian Murphy (#32) was offside. But the only opinion that truly matters is the refs, and they ruled he was onside, so the goal counted. And with that one goal, the Union’s season ended.
It continued a trend we saw play out all season long. The Union were dominant at home. They lost only 1 game at Subaru Park all season long. But when they went on the road, as they were tonight, it was a different story. In the regular season, they were 5-8-4 outside of Philadelphia. Which lead to them being lower in the standings, and having to go on the road in the playoffs. They did win in New England to get to this game. An impressive feat considering the Revolution were 12-1-4 at home. But they could not make it two straight road wins.
And now the questions start. What do the Union do next? They had been dominant for the past several seasons. But cracks started to form this season. They will likely lose Kai Wagner, who was suspended from this game after his use of a racial slur in one of the games against the Revolution. Who replaces his production?
After making it all the way to the MLS Cup last year, and the Eastern Conference Finals the year before, they came up short this time. They are still among the most recently successful Philly teams, but you have to wonder if this hurts the great momentum they were building in the city, at least with the more casual fans.
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5 Eagles Players Who Could Be In Store For Big Games Against the Bills
So much for the hard part of the Eagles schedule. The Eagles have now played The Dolphins, Cowboys, and Chiefs, and beat all of them. Were some of those games closer than any Eagles fans are comfortable with? Sure. But wins are wins. And the Eagles have more wins than anybody. They are 9-1. And if they can win this weekend, they will have a 2-game lead over every other team in the NFL.
The gauntlet is not over quite yet though. They still have 4 more games vs tough teams coming up. Bills, Niners, Cowboys, and Seahawks. Starting with the Bills this Sunday. It should be said, the Bills are not exactly the great team everyone thought they would be. They come in 6-5 and are currently out of the playoffs. But they are still not a team to take lightly. They are 4th in point differential. And perhaps more importantly, they are desperate for a win to stay in the playoff win.
The Eagles go into the game as 3-point home favorites. And to this point in the season, they are 4-0 vs teams with winning records. They may not have looked perfect this year, but they always come out on top. And there is something to be said for pulling out wins. In fact, losing close games is part of the reason the Bills have 5 losses, with 3 of them coming in games where they blew leads late in the game.
So what do the Eagles need to do to pull out their 10th win? Which of their players do they need to step up? Thankfully, there are plenty of matchups the Eagles can exploit. And some of their key players could be in store for good games.
Here are 5 Eagles Players Who Could Be In Store For Big Games Against the Bills:
Tyrone Johnson is the host of “The Best Show Ever” on 97.5 The Fanatic. He has been with the station for the past 8 years. Before working at the Fanatic, Tyrone produced political radio, did financial reports, and was assistant chief engineer of another radio station. As a content creator for 97.5 The Fanatic, Tyrone writes articles on the Sixers, Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers.
