It’s official. Whether the Philadelphia Union or New York City FC win the eastern conference final, they will travel to Los Angeles to take on LAFC. LAFC defeated Austin FC 3-0 in the western conference final this afternoon. Now it’s time to play the waiting game until tonight to see if Philly can advance to play in LA for a chance at hoisting MLS Cup.
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LAFC Punch their ticket to MLS Cup 2022
The 1-seed from the west has come on strong from the jump in their MLS Cup Playoffs run. They survived a tight game against a team with their number, LA Galaxy, and swiftly defeated Austin en route to MLS Cup 2022.
The Philadelphia Union is hoping for a similar run. They played a tight affair against FC Cincinnati, and now tonight they hope to beat down NYCFC in front of a ruckus home crowd. If that should happen, MLS Cup will feature something seldom seen, two number 1-seeds.
Could it be two 1-seeds in the MLS Cup Final?
LAFC and Philly have been the two best teams in MLS this season. They both finished the season on 67 points to top the league, but the tie-breaker for the best team in the regular season went to LAFC who had two more wins than the Union. The Supporters’ Shield went to LA, and now MLS Cup will also be played at Banc of California Stadium.
Philly played at LAFC already in 2022. It was back on May 7th and it was one for the ages. Philly took the lead early on through a Gazdag goal, but LAFC fought back. With about 25 minutes left Philadelphia took the lead yet again through Carranza, but LAFC found a late goal to end the game at 2-0.
Should Philly get to MLS Cup Final it will be a memorable affair at a place where Philly has played good games and had some memorable moments. LA is where we found out Glesnes had a rocket, and that El Brujo would bleed for the badge. Let’s hope this Union team is able to go to LAFC and find a way to beat the odds and lift MLS Cup.
Union vs NYCFC tonight at 8:25 pm ET
Philly still needs to play their eastern conference final and win it to go to Los Angeles. The match tonight against NYCFC will be a tough one, but it’s one that Philly will be up for! It’s been 329 days since Philadelphia played NYCFC for a chance to go to MLS Cup. Now they get a second crack at it, and they are at full strength, and their opponent isn’t.
The tables have turned from last year to this year, as Philly is, for the most part, 100% healthy, while NYCFC could be without at least three key starters. We’ll need to wait for the starting lineups to come out to see if NYCFC is without those players. Whether NYCFC is without those players or not, Philadelphia will come out flying ready to earn their spot in the 2022 MLS Cup Final to take on LAFC.
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Mandatory Credit: Philadelphia Union, Andrew Zwarych