After their 3-1 loss to Inter Miami on Saturday night, the Philadelphia Union’s hopes of securing one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference got a bit more murky. 6 games to go, 3 points outside the playoff line, and the health of their starting goalkeeper in the balance, here’s the latest update on Union’s chances of making the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Relevant Weekend Results
Philadelphia’s best chances of getting their ticket to the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs punched is to control their own destiny – win the games in front of you and surely you’ll find yourself above the playoff line come the end of Decision Day. But that’s probably not realistic with the way Union have played this season, and they’ll have to rely on results from around the league to help them get above the playoff line. Here’s how all the teams Union are battling for the final playoff spot made out over the weekend
Atlanta United 0 – 2 Nashville SC – Good result for Union
CF Montreal 2 – 1 Charlotte FC – Bad result for Union
Toronto FC 2 – 1 Austin FC – Bad result for Union
Orlando City SC 3 – 0 New England Revolution – Good result for Union
DC United 1 – 1 NYCFC – Bad result for Union
Philly got some help from Nashville and Orlando City, keeping Atlanta and New England where they are in the standings so Union technically don’t lose or gain any ground on either of them. Toronto FC’s 2-1 win against Austin puts them 6 points above the playoff line with 29 games played, while CF Montreal’s win brings them tied with Union on points with 30 – just 3 points below the playoff line with 28 games played. New York City beating DC would have helped the Union out, but the teams split the points and DC remains in the final playoff spot with 29 games played, 1 more than Philadelphia.
Updated Standings and Upcoming Fixtures
| Standings | Games Played | Total Points | Final Games of Season |
| 1) Inter Miami (X) | 28 | 62 | @ ATL, @ NYCFC, vs CLT, @ CLB, @ TOR, vs NE |
| 2) FC Cincinnati (X) | 28 | 52 | @ MIN, @ NSH, vs LAFC, @ NYCFC, vs ORL, @ PHL |
| 3) Columbus Crew (X) | 27 | 50 | @ TOR, vs ORL, @ DC, vs MIA, vs PHL, vs NE, @ NYRB |
| 4) New York Red Bulls | 29 | 43 | vs ATL, vs NYCFC, @ TOR, @ ATL, vs CLB |
| 5) Orlando City SC | 28 | 40 | vs NE, vs CLT, @ CLB, @ DAL, vs PHL, @ CIN, vs ATL |
| 6) NYCFC | 28 | 40 | vs PHL, vs MIA, @ NYRB, vs CIN, vs NSH, @ MTL |
| 7) Charlotte FC | 28 | 38 | @ ORL, vs NE, @ MIA, vs CHI, vs MLT, @ DC |
| 8) Toronto FC | 29 | 36 | vs CLB, @ COL, @ CHI, vs NYRB, vs MIA |
| 9) DC United | 29 | 33 | @ PHL, vs CLB, @ NSH, @ NE, vs CLT |
| 10) Atlanta United | 28 | 31 | vs MIA, @ NYRB, @ PHL, vs MTL, vs NYRB, @ ORL |
| 11) Philadelphia Union | 28 | 30 | @ NYCFC, vs DC, vs ATL, @ ORL, @ CLB, vs CIN |
| 12) CF Montreal | 28 | 30 | @ NE, vs CHI, vs SJ, @ ATL, @ CLT, vs NYCFC |
| 13) Chicago Fire | 29 | 29 | @ NSH, @ MTL, vs TOR, @ CLT, vs NSH |
| 14) Nashville SC | 28 | 29 | vs CHI, vs CIN, @ NE, vs DC, @ NYCFC, @ CHI |
| 15) New England Revolution | 27 | 27 | vs MTL, @ CLT, vs NSH, @ HOU, vs DC, @ CLB |
- Chances of Union making the playoffs
Heading into Wednesday’s road clash with NYCFC, Union’s chances of making the 2024 playoffs are slimming and will most definitely require some help from around the league. According to playoffstatus.com, the Philadelphia Union’s chances of making the playoffs after this weekend’s results is just 19%.
Full Playoff probabilities here: http://www.playoffstatus.com/mls/mlspostseasonprob.html
What games are relevant to Union’s playoff push this week?
We’ve got mid-week MLS action coming our way, and multiple games on the schedule have weight in Philadelphia’s chances of making the playoffs or not. Other than Union needing 3 points up in the Bronx on Wednesday night, here’s the games to keep on eye on from around the league, and what result Union fans should be hoping for
-Atlanta United vs Inter Miami – 7:30pm
Result that helps Philly: MIA Win
-New England vs CF Montreal – 7:30pm
Result that helps Philly: NE Win or Draw
-Toronto FC vs Columbus Crew – 7:30
Result that helps Philly: CLB Win
Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports
