The Philadelphia Union thrashed DC United on a rainy night in the nation's capital. After scoring six goals and keeping a clean sheet, Philly will end the weekend as the Supporters' Shield leaders with two games left to play.
They control their destiny. If they beat New York City at home next weekend and beat Charlotte FC on a road Decision Day clash on October 18th, the Union will hoist the trophy given to the best team throughout the regular season and qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup for 2026. That's not a bad way to head into the MLS Cup Playoffs, where they would be the top overall seed to boot.
The Birds are perfect to start their NFL season, and the Phillies are poised for a Red October run, but don't overlook this Union team! Take a look back at how they got the huge win at lowly DC and how they could hoist a trophy next weekend with one game still to play!
Union scores a touchdown in DC
Philadelphia went down to DC, a place where they have dominated over the last four years. Philly hasn't lost in DC since 2021, winning three (including last night), drawing one, scoring 17 goals, and conceding just three. Coming into the game, the Union knew there would be room in the channels to exploit, which is how they scored their first two goals. Uhre was in behind the defense and squared to Damiani for the opener, and the two switched places for the second goal. Philly was up 2-0 by the 34th minute, and got a third before halftime when Indian Vassilev lashed home a rebound from a Milan Iloski shot.
They came out and continued to dominate in the final third of the second half, scoring three more goals in just 13 minutes as Iloski, Vassilev, and Uhre made it 6-0 with 28 minutes still to play. While the Union was able to score at will in this one, DC was not impotent. They produced more shots than Philly, 18-14, and had an expected goals average of 1.49. If a few shots that hit the post and crossbar had gone in, this could have been a completely different match.
Luckily, Philly secured the win and a shutout in a game that will go a long way toward solidifying their status as the best team in MLS. However, while doing so, they may have been bitten by the injury bug. Quinn Sullivan had to leave the game early; Indiana Vasilev came off with an apparent injury in the second half, and Kai Wagner seemed to be playing through a knock. There's been no word yet on whether these will be serious injuries, but the Union and their fans will be hoping there will be no long-term effects from this match on the injury side.
A 6-0 win against a "rival" on a night where other teams in the Supporters' Shield race drew or lost gives the Union a huge advantage; they have one hand on the Shield now with two games remaining, but could win it as soon as next weekend?
Scenarios for Philadelphia to secure Supporters' Shield by Oct. 4th
The Union knows that if they can beat New York City and Charlotte in their final two games, it will mean they win the Supporters' Shield, but do they actually have a chance to win the trophy next weekend? The answer to that question is yes, but there are a few things that will need to go their way in order to do so.
After crunching the numbers, it looks like the Union can win the Supporters' Shield next Saturday if the following things happen: Cincinnati and Orlando draw tonight; Miami draws/loses at home vs Chicago on Tuesday, or draws/loses to New England on Saturday, October 4th; Philadlephia get the win over NYCFC in their home regualr season finale on October 4th. This is all based on the maximum points that each team can accrue; here's a look at that math and the scenarios.
This may be far-fetched, and the Union will definitely only focus on their own games, but if the stars align and all of this comes to pass, Philadelphia will be crowned Supporters' Shield champions next Saturday. All Union fans can do now is watch, and there's plenty of footy to watch over the next week that will determine how and if the Union can do the unthinkable and win the Supporters' Shield in 2025.
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