The Philadelphia Union survived a dramatic MLS Cup Playoff opener, defeating Chicago Fire FC 6-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw [14]. The Union's Jesús Bueno scored the decisive penalty after the Fire rallied from a two-goal deficit in the final minutes of regulation [15, 14]. The game, the first of a best-of-three series, took place at Subaru Park [9, 17].
Key Moments
The Union controlled much of the game, mirroring their dominant 4-0 regular-season victory over Chicago [12]. However, Chicago showed resilience, battling back from a 2-0 deficit [4, 14]. Philadelphia took the lead in the 70th minute when Indiana Vassilev scored [16]. They extended their advantage shortly after, appearing to be in control [16]. Chicago, however, mounted a late comeback, forcing the game into a penalty shootout [4, 14]. Despite the Fire's late surge, they couldn't overcome the Union from the penalty spot [7]. Joel Waterman's missed penalty proved costly, allowing Bueno to seal the win for Philadelphia [4, 16].
Player Impact
Andre Blake, the Union's goalkeeper, played a crucial role, saving one of Chicago's penalties [6]. His counterpart also made a save, but Waterman's miss ultimately made the difference [6, 4, 16]. Several substitutions impacted the game, with Mikael Uhre and Milan Iloski assisting on Vassilev's goal [13, 16]. For Chicago, late goals from Vasilev and Iloski forced the shootout [11]. The Fire's Jonathan Dean lost the ball in a dangerous area, almost leading to a Union goal [5]. Chicago's captain, Jack Elliott, scored in his return to Subaru Park [17].
TL;DR
* The Philadelphia Union defeated Chicago Fire FC in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw in Game 1 of their MLS Cup Playoff series [14, 15]. * Chicago mounted a late two-goal comeback to force the shootout, but ultimately fell short [4, 14, 17]. * Jesús Bueno scored the decisive penalty for the Union after Joel Waterman missed his attempt for Chicago [4, 14, 16]. * The Union now lead the best-of-three series 1-0 [9].