Philadelphia Union secured a 3-0 victory over Chicago Fire FC, advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. The match, played in Chicago, saw Tai Baribo score twice in the opening 16 minutes, marking his first goals in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Bruno Damiani added a third goal in the 35th minute, capping off a dominant first half for Philadelphia.
Goalkeeper Andre Blake contributed to the clean sheet with a penalty save against Brian Gutiérrez in the 32nd minute. This was Blake’s only save required during the match.
With this win, Philadelphia Union moves on to host their remaining postseason games at Subaru Park after finishing the regular season with the most points and claiming the Supporters’ Shield. Their next opponent will be either Charlotte FC or New York City FC, with that match scheduled for the weekend of November 22.
Head Coach Bradley Carnell introduced changes to his lineup for this second game of their best-of-three series against Chicago Fire. Frankie Westfield started out of his usual position at right back alongside defenders Nathan Harriel, Kai Wagner, Jakob Glesnes, and Olwethu Makhanya. The midfield featured Jovan Lukic, Danley Jean Jacques, Milan Iloski, and Westfield again, while Baribo and Damiani formed the attacking pair.
Chicago made adjustments as well due to injuries; starting goalkeeper Chris Brady was absent from Saturday’s roster because of injury and Philip Zinckernagel returned after missing Game 1 warmups.
Reflecting on key moments: Baribo scored his first goal by pressuring backup keeper Jeffrey Gal into a turnover for an open-net finish within ten minutes. He followed up with another headed goal less than ten minutes later after a cross from Kai Wagner. Blake’s penalty stop kept Chicago off the scoreboard before Damiani finished off a rebound for Philadelphia’s third goal late in the half.
Tickets for Philadelphia Union’s upcoming home playoff match at Subaru Park are now available online.
