After long break, Union ready to face NYCFC in conference semis

Wake up, Philadelphia. After 22 days, the Union are back in the Eastern Conference Semifinal tonight against a familiar opponent. The Cityzens of New York City FC are making their way down I-95 to meet the Boys in Blue in the postseason for the third time in six seasons.

NYCFC enters the match after an electric first round, defeating Charlotte FC away from home in game three to advance. New York won both of their road matches in the series, ending the Crown’s season with a 3–1 victory on November 7. The Pigeons finished fifth in the Eastern Conference, 10 points behind the Union, after the sides split their regular-season meetings. Each team won its home match, with NYCFC beating the Union in April before Philadelphia clinched the Supporters’ Shield against New York on October 4.

However, this will be a much different NYCFC side than the one the Union saw earlier in 2025. Most notably, the tragic loss of top goalscorer Alonso Martínez to a torn ACL while representing Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying will undoubtedly impact the Pigeons’ game plan. Martínez sealed the series win over Charlotte after a Nicolás Fernández brace in the 3–1 victory. Additionally, with both Aidan O’Neill and Andrés Perea unavailable, manager Pascal Jansen will be forced to rotate his squad as he looks to knock out the Supporters’ Shield winners.

New York will look to players like Austrian forward Hannes Wolf to step up. Wolf finished the regular season with 11 goals and six assists, ranking second on the team in both categories. Philadelphia will also need to be wary of Maxi Moralez, who has scored five career goals against the Union. Another familiar face awaits in goal, as U.S. Men’s National Teamer Matt Freese returns to Subaru Park to face his former club.

Regardless of NYCFC’s tactics, the Union are well-rested and ready to face their northeastern rival. Quinn Sullivan’s season-ending knee injury makes him the lone unavailable player for Philadelphia. Though it has been more than three weeks since the Union’s last competitive match, several players spent that time on international duty. Danley Jean Jacques helped Haiti qualify for the World Cup, while Andre Blake led Jamaica to the World Cup qualifying playoffs in March.

With such a long layoff, the Union will look to maintain the form they displayed in the First Round of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. Forwards Bruno Damiani and Tai Baribo found the back of the net in the 3–0 win over Chicago in the Windy City. Four different Union players scored across the two matches against the Fire, with Indiana Vassilev and Milan Iloski each scoring in the first game at Subaru Park. While there were concerns after the defensive lapses late in match one, allowing Chicago to force penalties, the team cleaned play up to pitch a shutout in the second leg. Philadelphia will once again lean on Defensive Player of the Year finalists Jakob Glesnes and Kai Wagner to hold the line in front of three-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Andre Blake.

The winner on Sunday night will face either FC Cincinnati or Inter Miami CF. That match, played at 5 p.m. on Sunday, could determine the host of the Eastern Conference Final should the Union fall. But as long as the Boys in Blue have anything to say about it, the road to MLS Cup runs through Chester, Pennsylvania.

You can catch the Union take on NYCFC on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV at 7:45 p.m.