The final leg of the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Semifinals takes place on Tuesday night in Los Angeles as the Union battle LAFC tied at 1-1 after the opening leg. Kick off is set for 10 p.m. ET with the match broadcast nationally on FS1 and TUDN.
Philly's path to the semifinals has showcased their depth and ability to shine when the pressure is on. In the Round of 16, the Union began their tournament with a scoreless draw which set up a must win contest against Alianza F.C. With road goals carrying extra weight, the Union defense had to been perfect and were with back-to-back shutouts. Damion Lowe broke the scoring open just before the halftime whistle and Andres Perea added a pair of goals in the second half to send the Boys in Blue through via a 4-0 aggregate.
The challenge got even tougher with a Quarterfinal matchup against Liga MX side Atlas F.C. who rallied back from an astounding first leg deficit to advance. The two leg series was a physical one and tested the Union's abilities both physically and mentally. At Subaru Park the Union kept the shutout and Daniel Gazdag converted from the penalty spot in the 89th minute to send Philly to Guadalajara with the one-goal lead. In Mexico, Atlas grabbed an early lead to tie things up but the Union continued to show heart with Julian Carranza netting a brace to secure another berth in the CCL Semifinals for the second time in club history.
With the attention paid to North America's biggest tournament, the Union have had mixed results in league play with a 3-4-2 record. After opening the season with a resounding 4-1 victory against the Columbus Crew in late February, the league's top offense from 2022 is taking some time to click into gear with cool temperatures and rotating lineups making chemistry difficult to find.
However the Boys in Blue are coming into the semifinal after a resounding 4-2 victory against Toronto FC over the weekend where Mikeal Uhre netted his first MLS hat trick to collect MLS Player of the Matchday honors for the first time in his career.
The Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Semifinals conclude on Wednesday night with kick off set for 10PM ET with coverage on FS1 and TUDN.
