The 2025 Audi MLS Cup playoffs are set to resume this weekend as the Philadelphia Union will host New York City FC in a must-win semifinal matchup at Subaru Park on Sunday night.
The win-or-go-home showdown is the team’s third match against New York City in 2025. The Cityzens picked up points in the first of the series with a 1-0 win at Citi Field back in April, but the more memorable match was the latter, when Philadelphia Union won 1-0 on their home pitch to secure the Supporters’ Shield for the second time in club history.
Head Coach Bradley Carnell and his team lifted the trophy on October 4th, and just under two months later, they’ll welcome their 1-95 rivals back to Subaru Park in hopes of another victory, this time in the postseason. As shield winners, the Union hold hosting priority through the rest of their playoff campaign – click here for tickets, or tune in with Apple TV, MLS Season Pass or FS1 to watch the semifinal action!
What’s at stake
With a win, Philadelphia Union would host either Inter Miami or FC Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference Final. They play at 5:00 pm on Sunday. The last time Philadelphia Union hosted a conference final, in 2022, they defeated New York City FC 3-1 to advance to the MLS Cup for the first time in club history.
Player preview
The team was off on Monday and Tuesday, and after their return to training on Wednesday, defender Nathan Harriel provided a preview of what his team’s upcoming brings to the table, and the excitement within the group for the chance to win another trophy.
"You know, they had to go on the road and win two games in Charlotte on the road in the playoffs, so we know they're dangerous away from home, even with the injuries. You never want that, you know," Harriel said.
"But we still understand that they're a very dangerous team. They have a lot of quality on the ball. The game at home for the Supporters' Shield game was really edgy, really fighty, like all the other times we've played them in playoffs or in big game situations. So it'll be a good fight, good test. But being at home will be extremely helpful with our fans."
Availability report
While NYC is a very familiar opponent, Head Coach Pascal Jansen’s lineup will be different from what Philly has seen from them so far in 2025. Two players who started in the early October meeting, namely midfielder Andres Perea and forward Alonso Martinez, have each suffered injuries since the start of the playoffs, and they won’t be part of the visitors’ matchday group. Martinez, the team’s top goal scorer, accounted for two of their four playoff goals so far – he suffered a knee injury while representing Costa Rica in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Midfielder Aidan O’Neill, who came on in the 46th minute in Philadelphia and New York City’s latest meetup, is also out. He is ineligible for the game due to yellow card accumulation.
Philadelphia, oppositely, will likely be at full strength, with the exception of Quinn Sullivan who’s recovering from an ACL tear sustained in September.
First round recap
Come Sunday, it will have been more than three weeks since the team’s last competitive match, most recently emerging from the first round with back-to-back wins against Chicago Fire. Philly opened the playoffs with a shootout win at home, then secured a semifinal berth on the road with a dominant 3-0 shutout on the road featuring a brace from Tai Baribo and a goal from Bruno Damiani. Since then, Philly’s players have stayed fresh, either participating in training in Chester, which featured an intrasquad match with jerseys, stadium sound on speakers, and referees on, or competing with their national teams. Danley Jean Jacques is one of two players who were competing in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers – he returns to Philly having earned a spot in the tournament with Haiti for the first time in more than 50 years.
As for the visitors, New York City will have been off from MLS play for closer to two weeks after their series against Charlotte FC went to three matches. New York won the first 1-0 by way of a Martinez goal, they dropped the second in penalties, then clinched the series with a 3-1 win with a combined effort from Martinez and Nicolas Fernandez. After advancing, eight of their first teamers joined their respective National Teams for international duty, including Martinez, whose injury came against Danley’s Haiti.
