CHESTER — Given their histories, even more than the looming specter of Lionel Messi, it had to be New York City FC. Such is the cosmic dance the Philadelphia Union and their neighbors to the north are locked into in the playoffs.
For the fourth time Sunday, the teams met in the MLS Cup playoffs. For the fourth time, Maxi Moralez scored. And for the third time, New York City advanced, Moralez’s goal the difference in a 1-0 victory in the Eastern Conference semifinal.
It’s just the second time all season the top-seeded, Supporters’ Shield-winning Union have been shut out at home. The Union had their chances: 18 in total, five of them on the cage of former Homegrown Matt Freese. But none found the way through, as their second trophy is paired with a second early playoff exit.
New York City has been a frequent inflictor of pain. The Union have lost to them twice in the postseason, including the 2021 Eastern Conference final when 10 Union players were ruled out with COVID-19 positives. The Union got revenge by beating City in the 2022 Eastern Conference final.
Moralez scored in all four of them, and his latest sends the Cityzens on to the Eastern Conference final at Messi’s Inter Miami, which drubbed Cincinnati, 4-0, in the other semifinal Sunday.
It was a slow burn in the second half for the Union, chasing from Moralez’s 28th-minute goal on. Freese stood stock still and kicked away an effort by sub Frankie Westfield in the 75th, arriving at the back post to meet Milan Iloski service.
Danley Jean Jacques whiffed on a header in the 74th on the head of the 6. Westfield fired over in the 87th off a great ball from Kai Wagner. Freese dove to keep out a fluttering Iloski drive that might’ve been bending wide anyway.
Both teams had chances in the first half. New York City put its away.
Agustin Ojeda found space down the right flank in the 28th and squared a ball to forward Nicolas Fernandez, who had pulled off the backline. Fernandez slipped a ball through to the run of Moralez originating from deep, and the 38-year-old buried a shot past a sliding Andre Blake.
NYCFC led the first chance go begging, when Moralez caught Jakob Glesnes in possession. His feed to Fernandez led to the striker pinging a low shot off the crossbar.
The Union could’ve led in the 20th minute on a potent shot from the edge of the box by Bruno Damiani. Freese fumbled it behind him, but crawled to reel it in before Tai Baribo could get a foot to it.
Baribo flashed a shot wide in the 42nd, his redirection of a hard and low Jean Jacques cross trickling across the face of Freese’s crease and past the far post. Freese kept his hand low in the 45th to paddle away a shot by Glesnes after a Wagner long throw fell to him inside the six-yard box and the defender poked it goalward.
Blake was forced off in the 56th minute, when he scrambled to dive and keep out a rolled effort from Fernandez from his side of the hallway line.
Andrew Rick entered and denied a chance by Moralez to clinch it, but that only prolonged the Union’s agony.
Source: Berkshire mont
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