The 2025 Major League Soccer postseason is here, and Philadelphia Union will begin their playoff campaign hosting the opening match of their best-of-three first round series against Chicago Fire at Subaru Park on Sunday evening at 5:30pm.
With the Supporters’ Shield and top seed secured, the playoffs run through Philly, meaning all but one of the team’s potential games will be played at Subaru Park. It begins with Chicago’s October 26th visit to Philly – click here for tickets or tune in to watch the action on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, FS1, or Fox Deportes.
Team mindset
2025 was one of Philadelphia Union’s most successful regular seasons to date, and with a club-record 20 wins, just 35 goals allowed, and the best overall record across the league, the team has created major momentum heading into the postseason.
Under the leadership of Head Coach Bradley Carnell and Sporting Director Ernst Tanner, the Union added another trophy this year, and although they’ve already achieved and celebrated some of the goals they set at the start of the season, their focus has shifted toward the Cup, and the same goes for their players.
“We celebrated and we enjoyed the great accomplishment as a team, but we're all very focused now,” Milan Iloski said following Tuesday’s training session, explaining the group's shifted mindset.
“I think it feels like [winning the Shield] was long enough ago where we're ready for the next challenge, so we're ready to go and just excited to get started.”
Come Sunday, it will have been more three weeks since Philadelphia Union played a game of consequence. On Decision Day, they fell 2-0 to Charlotte FC, but the result had no impact on their final regular season positioning. Carnell sent out a full-strength group that night, and per Bruno Damiani, who played all 90 in the match, the loss added fuel to their already-competitive collective mindset heading into the postseason.
“We are very competitive group. Even during trainings in the week, we are still being very competitive,” Damiani said.
“The game against Charlotte, even losing, you can see the reaction in the second half that we commit a lot and we work very hard. We couldn't get the result, and that doesn't matter at this point, but even losing, I think, is something that you can take a positive part from. Now, we are mad. We are angry. We are training hard. The mindset is never a problem in this group.”
Along with their competitive spirit, there’s another type of energy within the group, as only nine players on the first team’s roster have played in an MLS playoff match before. For the rest, the postseason is a new and exciting challenge, and one that could brings the possibility of the winning a second trophy in a year’s time.
“What am I most excited for in the playoffs? The energy. Energy from the city, energy from the fans. Just getting in that stadium, that playoff experience. I got a little bit last year in MLS NEXT Pro, and that was only half of the stadium, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what the whole stadium can do,” Homegrown Frankie Westfield said.
The 19-year-old outside back from Philly’s sentiment is similar to that shared by 21-year-old centerback Olwethu Makhanya; the pair broke onto the MLS scene simultaneously, helping Philly become the league’s best defense after spending the lions’ share of 2024 with the Union’s second team.
“It's gonna be my first time playing in the playoffs, so I'm just excited to give it my all and see if we can go all the way,” Makhanya said.
“The guys have been talking a lot about all the pressure we're going to have in the playoffs, especially now that we’ve finished top in the league. A lot of teams are going to be hunting us. So, the older guys have been telling me to just not fall under the pressure and enjoy it."
Minding the matchup
Chicago travels to Philly just three days after an intense win-or-go-home Eastern Conference Wildcard battle against Orlando City. Head Coach Gregg Berhalter led his team to a 3-1 win highlighted by a brace Hugo Cuypers and a goal from hometown hero Brian Gutierrez.
Their season started off slow, but they picked up some serious steam towards the end, nearly bypassing the wildcard match completely. Even when a 2-2 Decision Day draw with New England plus though results across the league caused a seeding shift out of their favor, they still secured a Round One spot, winning in the postseason for the first time since 2009.
A familiar face will play against Philadelphia for a third time this season, as former Union centerback Jack Elliott makes his second trip to Subaru Park since departing the club in the 2024 offseason. Often wearing the captain’s armband, he’s been a force on their defense, but the major players to watch on the visiting team are on the other side of the field as the trio of Gutierrez, Cuypers,anf Philip Zinckernagel have combined for an impressive 41 of the team’s 68 goals. Fire scored the second most in the East throughout the regular season, but none came against the Union, who won 1-0 and 4-0 in the pair's regular season series.
Press conference takeaways
On Matchday -2, Carnell met with the media after the team's training session, previewing the First Round series to come.
"We're excited to go at it. think the guys have been driving from January to make sure that they get themselves into this spot. Now, we're in the spot. Let's go out and enjoy it," Carnell said.
It's been more than two months since Philadelphia Union last faced Chicago Fire, and while they won that match 4-0 at home, Berhalter and his team have rolled out tactical changes that have brought about success since then. When asked what he and his staff can apply from their last meeting for the opening match of this series, Carnell said this:
"They've changed formations. They've changed a lot of different things that have matched up to the opponent. But what they don't change is the quality in their group, and their front three are excellent soccer players," Carnell said.
"Last week it was Zaha and company, and this week it's going to be Zinckernagel, Bamba and Cuypers, and nothing's changed throughout the whole season. That's the beauty and the parity of the league that every team has two Designated Players, or whatever it is, and they all have the quality to expose you in transition. We're going to have to keep that at a minimum, and they plug up a lot of good spaces, so we have to make sure that we're fluid, quick, and make sure we have a good attacking balance against the ball and vice versa as well."
It all goes down on Sunday night at Subaru Park, tune in with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, FS1, or Fox Deportes to watch the action.
