PBP: 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Final: Union vs. NYCFC, December 5, 2021

Guys, it's bad for the Union pic.twitter.com/ffO9R9Z7YD

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) December 4, 2021

Jesus.

 

Trying to overcome the shock by remaining blindly optimistic while also being pissed about the wide spread despite the team’s anti-Covid systems.

Apparently 17 players at training today, including one I’ve never seen (maybe a young backup keeper?). This could be either a crazy, exhilarating win or a beat down loss.

 

******** me, I just can’t believe this.

 

The kids are being called up.

⚡Ready to rep Philly⚡

Greg Ranjitsingh, Brandan Craig, and Anton Sorenson have been added to our roster ahead of tomorrow's match.

📝👉https://t.co/txVnSrmLri pic.twitter.com/493ZxDEmgI

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) December 4, 2021

 

Absurd.

 

No shame in this loss. Frustration, yes, but no shame.

 

MLS got their preferred final matchup with NYC vs. Portland. I'm curious minimum number of players the Union would need to have available for the league to have postponed the match. And I'm also curious if that number would have been the same for NYC if they had multiple players out with covid...

 

Really proud of them, tbh.

 

Pleased with how they performed given the circumstances.

But, how Philly is that to happen like it did? Not even a "that's so Union" kind of way. It's just straight up Philly to have a catastrophic setback going into the biggest game of the franchise's history. It never happens in reverse in this town.

 

I keep hearing Philly people say this, but y'all have won the Super Bowl and World Series just since I married my wife and moved here. And the Super Bowl win was a borderline miracle. From the perspective of an "outsider," I really just don't get it. At all. Especially being from WV. We haven't won anything in the major college sports. Ever. Literally ever. I'd volunteer to have a testicle removed for WVU to win a natty in basketball or football. And there are kindergarteners in Philly that remember when the Eagles won a ring. Y'all win stuff. C'mon, now.

 

The triumphs you cite feel like miracles to us because the heart-breaks are far, far more common. I won't walk back what I said. Ask anyone who has lived a while being a Philly fan.

 

I’m so tired of watching opposing teams lift trophies in our stadium.

 

Where is the outrage?! It’s embarrassing to be a fan of this league. No serious sports league plays a game of this magnitude when one team is missing half their roster. It’s absurd. The Union were cheated and their season was stolen today.

 

Proud of our boys today. This will always be a "what if" game. But they were still up. They played well. They had their shot.

 

Why the hell is there a conference tournament trophy to begin with?

 

This community is different than other sports. Especially on this board. We've been through alot and seen a lot. And with these past two years I'm glad we've gotten to see this union team to give us hope. It's been a bright spot.

 

Gutsy performance today. Fans should be proud of the game the boys played today. The future is bright as well. A lot of young talent on this team.

 

I agree. Last year, when I realized that they were doing the stage and the arch and the confetti and the trophy-hoisting after the conference finals, I was put off by it. They should save that stuff for the real final. Does the World Cup do that after the semifinals?

 

Proud of the team, it still absolutely sucks. This will always be a "what if?" because we'll always be asking ourselves what if we hadn't lost pretty much our entire starting defense before the game?

However, one thing the team DESPERATELY needs in the offseason is a DP Forward that can put the ball in the net consistently. You have a top 3 defense, a GK whose career trajectory will more than likely have him ending up in the Hall of fame, but your offense has these periods where the forwards disappear. Imagine where the Union would be if they had someone like a Josef Martinez on their roster.

 

Same reason the other sports have them I suppose.

 

Proud of the guys. They played with energy and heart and gave us hope to the very end.

We've come a long way since the 2014 US Open Cup loss to Seattle when we brought Danny Cruz off the bench while Seattle brought on Obafemi Martins for the win.

The crowd looked and sounded great on TV! Good job guys

See ya next year

 

Last 2 seasons have really been the payoff for all the years of dirge under Hackworth, early Curtin, Sakiewicz, Stewart... top 2 in the East and a good playoff run this year. We'll always wonder what might have been with this game, but going to Portland for a final is going to be tough no matter what. Agree that we need some shake up in the forwards to take us to the next level. Confident that Tanner and Jim can get us there.

 

I agree, but that costs money. It's a glaring issue when it comes to the playoffs. What they have has gotten them this close, but it is now very obvious to everyone watching that what is preventing them from breaking through to the top is a player who will finish consistently. How much does this ownership group value winning? They've had a taste, but only that. Will they be motivated to spend a little more on a very important deficiency that might actually get them over the hump?