Union Edge Fire in Dramatic Playoff Shootout

The Philadelphia Union opened their Eastern Conference Round One playoff series with a dramatic 2-2 (4-2 penalty shootout) win over the Chicago Fire on Sunday night at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania.

The match remained tight and cautious for over an hour before erupting in the final 20 minutes. The Union appeared to be cruising to victory after Indiana Vassilev scored in the 70th minute, followed by Milan Iloski’s strike five minutes later that put Philadelphia ahead 2-0.

However, the Fire refused to fade quietly. In the 84th minute, Jonathan Bamba pounced on a rebound from an Andre Blake save to pull one back. Then, deep into stoppage time, Jack Elliott unleashed a powerful right-footed shot from distance that found the bottom corner, leveling the score at 2-2 and forcing penalties.

In the shootout, Jesus Bueno converted the decisive kick for Philadelphia after Brian Gutierrez and Hugo Cuypers had scored for Chicago. The Fire’s Joel Waterman struck the crossbar in the fourth round, setting up Bueno’s winner. Blake made four saves in total, including one in the shootout.

The win gives first-year Union coach Bradley Carnell a measure of redemption after his previous team, St. Louis City, suffered a first-round sweep two seasons ago despite finishing atop the Western Conference.

“You cannot forget about all that happened during the year; the good things, the things that we’re not satisfied with … but at the end of the day, today is a new journey, a new stage. It’s a game that defines everything,” Carnell said, reflecting on the team’s resilience.

With the victory, Philadelphia can close out the best-of-three series with a win next Saturday in Chicago. The Union has now beaten the Fire three times this season, outscoring them 7-2 in those meetings, and extended their home unbeaten streak to 20 matches across all competitions. Chicago last won in Philadelphia in 2013.

The Fire entered the match fresh off their first postseason win since 2009, a 3-1 triumph over Orlando City, but faced a major setback before kickoff when star forward Philip Zinckernagel — who led the team with 15 goals and 15 assists — was ruled out due to an abdominal strain sustained in warmups. Without their top playmaker, Chicago struggled to generate consistent offense against a Union defense that allowed the fewest goals (35) in MLS this season.

The night ended on a sour note for the visitors when midfielder Sergio Oregel was shown a red card in stoppage time after an altercation with Kai Wagner, ruling him out for Game 2.

Philadelphia, winners of the Supporters’ Shield for the league’s best regular-season record, are chasing their first MLS Cup title. With Sunday’s gritty win, they’ve taken a crucial first step — one that reaffirmed their dominance at home and their readiness for another deep postseason run.