With CF Montreal blowing down their necks, the Philadelphia Union had no choice but to beat Toronto FC to become Major League Soccer (MLS) Eastern Conference champions. The Pennsylvania team can say “mission accomplished”, which dominated Toronto FC 4-0 on Sunday at Subaru Park.
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Jim Curtin’s men thus conclude the regular season with an excellent record of 19-10-5 and a harvest of 67 points, good for second place in the MLS.
There was no question for midfielder Daniel Gazdag losing this duel against unthreatening Toronto rivals. The Hungarian ended the campaign in style by scoring a hat trick. He completed his feat only three minutes after threading the needle for the second time.
Danish striker Mikael Uhre also hit the mark for the hosts.
The Union will benefit from a lease in the first round and will then rub shoulders with the winner of the duel between FC Cincinnati and the New York Red Bulls.
The loss ends a disastrous season for Toronto FC. The acquisition of Italian internationals for huge sums will thus ultimately not save the furniture of the team of the Queen City.
FC Cincinnati fulfills its mandate
At Audi Field, FC Cincinnati managed to secure their ticket to the playoffs by easily beating DC United 5-2.
The Ohio club had a fairly clear mandate to enter the fall ball for the first time in its history: defeat the worst team in MLS.
Brazilian Brenner Souza da Silva took this challenge to heart. He shook the ropes three times between the eighth and 37th minutes to offer a cushion to his team. Luciano Acosta and Brandon Vazquez also participated in the offensive feast.
The American capital club replied through Kristian Fletcher and Ravel Morrison, but never came within two goals of FC Cincinnati.
Facundo Torres plays the heroes
At Exploria Stadium, Orlando City SC defeated the Columbus Crew 2-1 to claim the last available spot in the East playoff portrait.
The stakes were colossal. The Florida club absolutely had to get the better of the Crew to beat it at the finish line.
The suspense stretched until the 84th minute. Defender Milos Degenek was then shown a yellow card in the penalty area after touching the ball with his hand. A few moments later, from the point of “penalty”, the Uruguayan Facundo Torres raised the crowd gathered in Orlando.
The Crew, who only needed a draw, were in excellent shape to continue their journey. American midfielder Derrick Etienne also opened the scoring in the 38th minute for the visitors, but a reply from Junior Urso complicated things for the Columbus club.
Orlando City SC will face CF Montreal at Stade Saputo in the first round of the playoffs.