Philly Leader

Philadelphia Union’s pursuit of a spot in the Leagues Cup Final fell short in Ohio, losing to Columbus Crew 3-1. Columbus Crew took an early lead on Wednesday night, and despite a first-half equalizer from Daniel Gazdag, the defending MLS Cup Champions responded with two unanswered goals to secure the victory.

Philadelphia Union still has an opportunity to finish its Leagues Cup run positively as they return to Subaru Park for the Third-Place Match on Sunday, August 25th. While no trophy will be at stake, the winner will secure a berth in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup tournament. The Union will host this match against whichever team loses in Wednesday's other Leagues Cup Semifinal. Official kick-off is at 4:30 pm and tickets are currently available for purchase.

Philadelphia Union traveled to Ohio without Tai Baribo, who received two yellow cards in the quarterfinals and was sent off against Liga MX side Mazatlán, making him ineligible for Wednesday night's game against Columbus Crew. In his absence, Curtin started Homegrown Quinn Sullivan as a second striker in their 4-4-2 formation and added Alejandro Bedoya into the midfield. Otherwise, the starting lineup remained unchanged as they faced the defending MLS Cup Champions for the first time in 2024.

The match unfolded with Diego Rossi scoring early for Columbus Crew in the 12th minute after Andre Blake made an athletic save but could not stop Rossi's rebound header. Philadelphia Union tied it up in the 32nd minute through Daniel Gazdag, who capitalized on a defensive error by pressing toward Patrick Schulte and taking advantage of Nate Harriel's touch to score past Schulte.

Columbus regained their lead just before halftime when Rossi secured his brace by finishing a pass from Christian Ramírez. The hosts extended their lead early in the second half when Steven Moreira found Cucho Hernández for a header chance that Hernández followed through on after Blake initially stopped his shot.