Philadelphia Union II looks to continues its record-breaking campaign as they host Crown Legacy FC in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Saturday evening at Subaru Park. Tickets can be purchased online or you can watch the action with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Saturday's matchup was chosen by Union II as the highest remaining seed in the Eastern Conferene during the MLS NEXT Pro's Pick-Your-Opponent Selection Show which saw Union II Head Coach Marlon LeBlanc and Director of Academy and Professional Development Jon Scheer announce the selection.
The Eastern Conference Playoffs run through Subaru Park as the No. 2 seed Boys in Blue took over homefield advantage for the postseason run in the East after FC Cincinnati 2 fell to Crown Legacy on Sunday. Union II on the other hand picked up its first-ever MLS NEXT Pro postseason win against New York City FC II on Sunday evening. Homegrown CJ Olney sent Subaru Park into a frenzy as he took a long pass from Neil Pierre and smashed a shot off the crossbar and into the back of the net in the 86th minute.
The youngest team in the Eastern Conference, the Boys in Blue earned its highest finish in the conference table in club history with a record 15 wins and 52 points across the regular season. Union II comes into the playoffs with the best offense in the league with 59 goals scored and the second best defense in the East. 2024 has already been a historic run for the club with Union II earning its first ever home playoff match via a comeback win against New York City FC II on September 23rd. On the individual front, Academy graduate Eddy Davis III scored 13 goals to surpass the single-season scoring record previously held by former Bethlehem Steel FC and current Marseille forward Faris Moumbagna. CJ Olney, Andrew Rick and David Vazquez have also impressed this season, each earning MLS homegrown deals with the club's first team.
Philly and Crown Legacy met just once in the regular season with the Boys in Blue grabbing an impressive 3-0 victory on the road. The two sides were scoreless at the break but Union II's offense broke through via Leandro Soria's first MLS NEXT Pro goal in the 65th minute. Captains Kyle Tucker and Frankie Westfield connected off a corner kick for the Union Academy graduate’s third of the season to double the visitor’s advantage. CJ Olney, right on the back of his time with the United States U-19 Youth National Team, continued his tremendous 2024 campaign with his fourth goal of the season with a finish in stoppage time.
Crown Legacy was one of four teams to finish the regular season with 45 points but earned the No. 8 seed over Chattanooga FC via the regulation wins tiebreaker. During their push for the playoffs Crown Legacy did catch momentum with results in seven of their final 10 matches with three games where they scored four or more goals. That momentum carried into the playoffs as they knocked off FC Cincinnati 2 with a comeback win on the road. After falling behind in the 80th minute, Crown Legacy answered with a goal from Willian Paredes three minutes later. Tyger Smalls provided the knockout punch with a goal in the 91st minute to complete the upset of the Ohio side.
