The Philadelphia Union survived a dramatic MLS Cup Playoffs opener, defeating Chicago Fire FC 6-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw at Subaru Park [7]. Philadelphia, the top seed, saw a two-goal lead evaporate in the final minutes before securing the win in the shootout [8]. The Union now lead the best-of-three first-round series 1-0 [2].
Key Moments
Philadelphia came out pressing, reminiscent of their regular-season match against Chicago where they won 4-0 [5]. The Union faithful filled the stadium, greeting Chicago coach Gregg Berhalter with boos [5]. The Union took the lead in the 70th minute when Indiana Vassilev scored, assisted by Mikael Uhre and Milan Iloski [9, 11]. Philadelphia extended their lead in the 83rd minute [11]. However, Chicago mounted a late comeback, with Jack Elliott scoring in his return to Subaru Park [10].
Penalty Shootout Drama
After the late equalizer, the game went to a penalty shootout [7]. Chicago's Elliott had his penalty saved, while Brian Gutierrez and Hugo Cuypers scored [9]. However, Jonathan Waterman missed his attempt [9]. For Philadelphia, Uhre's penalty was saved, but successful kicks from Jack McGlynn, Iloski, Tai Baribo, and Jesús Bueno sealed the victory [9, 7]. Bueno scored the decisive penalty [8].
TL;DR
- The Philadelphia Union defeated Chicago Fire FC 6-4 in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series [7].
- Chicago mounted a late comeback, erasing a two-goal deficit to force the shootout [10].
- Jesús Bueno scored the winning penalty for Philadelphia [8].
- The game was broadcast on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+ and FS1 [1].