Philadelphia Union centerback Jack Elliott said it best.
“I think we started to find ourselves again. This tournament has helped us to reignite the flame that we have,” he said in a press conference this week.
The Boys in Blue will compete for third place in the tournament on Sunday, hosting Colorado Rapids at Subaru Park. There won’t be a trophy on the line, but it’s still a match of consequence as Philadelphia Union has the opportunity to punch their ticket to Concacaf Champions Cup for a third straight year.
How it happened
After an lackluster start to the summer, Philadelphia Union built much-needed momentum throughout Leagues Cup, welcoming back players who had been injured or away with their National Teams for a stretch of complete performances that have sparked their confidence.
To get to this Sunday’s match, Philadelphia Union opened tournament play against Charlotte FC getting the best of Dean Smith’s side for the first time in 2024. They emerged with a 1-0 win to begin their campaign, but in their second match of the group stage, they held Cruz Azul to a 1-1 regulation finish in front of a packed Subaru Park crowd, then fell short in penalties 5-3.
Despite the finish, they made it to the group stage, then faced Montréal for a third time this year. Just like Charlotte, after a draw and loss in regular season play, Philadelphia Union came out on top in Leagues Cup, defeating the Canadian side 2-0 by way of a Tai Baribo brace.
One could argue that Philadelphia Union's most momentous match of the tournament was their intense 4-2 win against Eastern Conference foe FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium. Another Baribo brace supplemented by goals from Mikael Uhre and Quinn Sullivan boosted the Boys in Blue above the team that beat them a month prior and in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The rivalry renewed, and Philadelphia survived and advanced to the quarterfinals, hosting Liga MX’s Mazatlán at Subaru Park.
Against Mazatlán, Tai Baribo picked up two first half yellow cards, forcing the team to play with 10 players for the entire second half. With leadership and determination aplenty, they overcame the adversity to finish with a 1-1 scoreline.
After that, Andre Blake was the star, displaying his dominance with a stellar save to start the shootout. Right after, José Martinez perfectly placed his shot from the spot, sending Subaru Park into a roar of excitement. Philadelphia Union pulled ahead, scoring four penalties to Mazatlán’s three thanks to another save from Blake and a game-winner from Jesus Bueno.
Philadelphia Union's trophy pursuit came to a close on Wednesday when they traveled to Ohio to take on defending MLS Cup Champions Columbus Crew on the road. The hosts claimed an early lead, and even with an impressive equalizing goal from Daniel Gazdag, Crew claimed the win, moving onto the Leagues Cup Final where they’ll take on LAFC.
Now, Philadelphia Union have one Leagues Cup match left. For a second straight year, Head Coach Jim Curtin's squad will compete in the Third-Place Match, this time facing Colorado Rapids for the first time in more than a year. They'll host the Western Conference side at Subaru Park on Sunday evening at 4:30PM -- to watch the two teams fight for a spot in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup tournament, tune in with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV or click here for tickets!
