Philadelphia Union learned on Friday night that the club will host rivals New York City FC in the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Subaru Park.
The Supporters' Shield Winners will face off against the Eastern Conference foe for the third time in 2025 but this time in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs with a ticket to the Eastern Conference Final on the line. The Union are the No. 1 overall seed which means the postseason goes through Subaru Park for the rest of the tournament. Official date and time will be announced by Major League Soccer upon the conclusion of all Round One matches but tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking the button below.
Philly advanced to the second round via a Round One sweep of Chicago Fire FC. After seeing a two-goal lead slip away late in Game One, the Boys in Blue were resisilent to grab the win in a penalty kick shootout where Andre Blake make a crucial opening save. In the series-clinching match in the Windy City, Tai Baribo netted his first postseason goals with a first-half brace while Bruno Damiani added to the scoring in route to a 3-0 shutout on the road.
The No. 5 seed in the East, NYCFC comes to Chester, PA., after a three-game series against Charlotte FC which saw the road team grab a result in every match. The Cityzens opened the postseason with a gritty 1-0 win in North Carolina behind a 34th minute finish from Alonso Martinez. In Game 2 at Yankee Stadium, the match went the distance with Charlotte FC forcing a decisive third match via a 7-6 penalty kick shootout win. In Game 3, NYCFC nabbed the series victory behind Nicolas Fernandez Mercau's amazing solo goal just before the halftime whistle. With Charlotte FC chasing the match, New York doubled their lead early in the second half on another goal from Martinez but the hosts cut it in half with 10 minutes and a lengthy added time to go. During the tense added time, NYCFC secured their trip to Pennslyvania on a second goal from Nicolas Fernandez Mercau to make it 3-1.
In the regular season, the Union and their Eastern Conference rivals split the series with the home team grabbing a 1-0 win in each leg. In April, homegrown goalkeeper Andrew Rick made two reaction saves in the first half but the different was Alonso Martinez who scored for the home side in the 55th minute. Philly got their revenge with a home win against New York in the club's regular season home finale as they clinched the Supporters' Shield for the second time in club history via a Mikael Uhre goal in the 40th minute.
Philly and New York have met three times in the MLS Cup Playffs with NYCFC owning a slight 2-1 record in the previous meetings. The two foes squared off in back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals in 2021 and 2022 at Subaru Park with each lifting the trophy to advance to MLS Cup.
