Philadelphia Union must win and get help on Decision Day

For the first time in quite some time, the Philadelphia Union enter Decision Day with their playoff hopes on the line.

Anything but a win over FC Cincinnati will spell the end of the 2024 campaign but even a win might not be enough for the boys and blue to clinch a seventh straight postseason appearance.

The last time the Union had anything real riding on Decision Day was in 2020 when they won the Supporters’ Shield but even that decision was made before the full-time whistle. Once Toronto’s game went full-time the Union won the shield regardless of the outcome.

The Union were eliminated with a loss to Sporting Kansas City on Decision Day in 2013 and qualified for playoffs despite a loss to the Red Bulls on Decision Day in 2016.

This Saturday, the Union will need both Montreal and DC United to lose in addition to them beating FC Cincinnati. There are some additional scenarios too, of course, because what would MLS be if it wasn’t a league with complexity?

In almost any other league where goal differential is first tiebreaker the Union would have at least one more trophy (2022 Supporters’ Shield), would’ve hosted MLS Cup in 2022 and would be facing a win and in scenario. But MLS isn’t the rest of the world and this is what the road map to playoffs looks like:

If the Union find a way to pull it off, they would get a single-elimination play-in game. Why MLS needs to allow 9 teams in each conference a chance at postseason is a topic for another time, but the reality here is that even a 9th place finish could see the Union make a run. It wouldn’t be the first time the Union wore the underdog tag well.

Like Jim Curtin has been saying all season long, it’s not about how you start, but how you finish.