Philadelphia vs LAFC at Concacaf Champions League level

By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 14, 2023) US Soccer Players – The start of the 2023 Major League Soccer season hasn’t been kind to the Philadelphia Union. Last year the Union missed out on two domestic trophies by the thinnest of possible margins, finishing second to Los Angeles Football Club in the race for the Supporters’ Shield via a tiebreaker and losing to that same club in the MLS Cup final on penalties.

With every important player from last year coming back, the Union carried the heavy weight of expectation into 2023. Entering week 8, they’re in 10th-place with seven points from seven games. Things are different in the Concacaf Champions League.

The Union advanced past Atlas of Liga MX 3-2 on aggregate on Wednesday night after a 2-2 draw at Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara. In the first leg last week, Philadelphia downed a 10-man Atlas 1-0 on a penalty converted by Daniel Gazdag.

Considering the history of MLS clubs against Liga MX opponents in the Champions League, last week’s result felt like a missed opportunity. Despite the home field advantage from the start and the man advantage midway through, the Union carried a thin margin for error in the second-leg in Mexico.

“When you come to a stadium in Mexico, it’s always very, very difficult to be the away team,” Union head coach Jim Curtin said after the game. I felt on the sidelines we were going to get a difficult match, a very, very hard night and our players were going to experience the full Concacaf experience.

Unlike previous examples of MLS clubs living through that “full Concacaf experience” and collapsing under its weight, the Union persevered. Julian Carranza’s two goals canceled out Atlas’s output and pushed the Union through to the semifinals.

One of the stars of the night for Philadelphia was midfielder 19-year-old Jack McGlynn, a product of the Union’s vaunted academy who supplied Carranza with the key pass to set up the first goal. McGlynn’s performance under pressure reflected the strength of Philadelphia’s depth. It also served as yet another reminder that the club is adept at developing quality players ready to contribute.

So much of what makes the Union a model MLS franchise at this point in their history was on display in Jalisco.

Curtin has made it clear he and the club view the Champions League as the priority. The Union boss rotated his team in league play last weekend to make sure his first-choice players were fresh for the trip to Mexico. He acknowledged in his post-match comments on Wednesday that he rested Carranza and Michael Uhre against Cincinnati in preparation for the match against Atlas.

There are no extra points for style. The only thing that matters is surviving and advancing, words Curtin used in the emotional aftermath of Wednesday night’s game. The reward for reaching a second Champions League semifinal in three seasons is a match-up with the club that pipped them for those two domestic trophies last season: LAFC.

LAFC beat Vancouver 6-0 on aggregate in the quarterfinal, another sign that the MLS Cup winners remain the class of the league and a contender for a Champions League title. Depth has been a key to LAFC’s path in addition to the contributions of star players like Carlos Vela and Denis Bouanga. The club is a reflection of what’s possible with smart recruiting and talent that fits a well-drilled system.

It’s worth pointing out that LAFC’s path to the semifinal didn’t require winning in Mexico. That shouldn’t diminish the club’s dominant run to this stage, but it does mean LAFC hasn’t dealt with the same degree of difficulty as Philadelphia.

And so we get a rematch of last year’s transcendent MLS Cup final, this time over two legs and with a berth in the continental championship final on the line. It might feel even bigger if Philadelphia had matched LAFC’s league start and was atop the Eastern Conference. That should hardly take away from the anticipation of a clash between the two teams who put on an incredible show six months ago.

“We talked about getting another shot at LAFC, a team that looks unbeatable right now,” Curtin said Wednesday night. “We’ll get that opportunity now. I think when we get together with them it’s been a lot of special moments in our league’s history.”

Seattle’s triumph in last year’s edition of the tournament set a new bar for MLS in the Champions League. Making the tournament truly competitive, meaning not only breaking the Liga MX hold on the title but proving parity across multiple editions, puts pressure on LAFC and Philadelphia to do more than just beat the other.

A final beckons, and thanks to the Union’s win over Atlas, MLS is now assured of representation in that final. Whichever team gets there, it’s guaranteed to face a Liga MX opponent. Club Leon eased past Violette on Tuesday night 6-2 on aggregate despite losing the second leg 2-1 while Tigres knocked out Motagua 6-0 on aggregate on Thursday night.

Job done in the Champions League quarterfinals, and it’s back to the league for a Union squad that can focus on regaining its place among the top teams in MLS after reminding everyone that they still are who we thought they were.

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Jason Davis is a veteran soccer writer and is a host on Sirius XM.