The Philadelphia Union has a hand on the Supporters’ Shield after results fell in their favor over the weekend. Unfortunately, the news isn’t all good, as the club stands to lose a key piece of their 2025 success.
Quinn Sullivan is Done for the Season
During Saturday’s 6-0 rout of DC, the Union lost standout homegrown Quinn Sullivan to a torn ACL. Sullivan appeared in 28 MLS games this year, starting 24 of them. The young midfielder was integral to the Union’s attacking success in 2025. Not only was he able to stretch the field with his pace, but he also created scoring opportunities for all his teammates. Sullivan had 9 assists for the Union in MLS, second most on the team.
With only 2 games left in the MLS season, the Union does not have time to experiment with how life will look without Sullivan. Not only do they need to fill his playmaking abilities, but also his work ethic on the pitch. Sullivan would break a team down with his pace and energy for the full 90 minutes. This would open the Union’s attack for the second half of the game.
It is never a good time to receive news like this. It comes at an even worse time with the Union in the midst of the tightest Supporters Shield race in years.
The Union has one Hand on the Shield
Just a few days ago, the Supporters Shield seemed to have slipped from the Union’s grasp. However, every team chasing the Union dropped points over the weekend. Simultaneously, the Union helped themselves to yet another destruction of DC United in the nation’s capital.
The Union now has complete control of its destiny. Win the final two games, and the shield is theirs. If the Union gets just one win, Cincinnati, San Diego, and Vancouver (thanks to the Union holding the total wins tiebreaker) would be eliminated from contention. Meaning, Miami is the last team that can give Philly a true run for their money.
Miami has 4 games in 19 days to close out the regular season. The Union needs Miami to lose 1 of them to take some of the pressure off. Even then, the Union likely will only need 4 points from the final 2 games to see the Shield out.
However, the Union’s final two games won’t be easy. First, they get rivals NYCFC in their final home match. NYCFC has quietly crept up to 3rd in the Eastern Conference. Finally, the Union finish the season in Charlotte. In a stadium that has given them nightmares since Charlotte entered MLS. It was the away game in Charlotte in 2022 that cost the Union the Supporters’ Shield. It appears that the Union will have the opportunity to purge those demons in 2025.
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