Just two weeks ago, the Union suffered its worst loss in club history, a 7-0 loss to Vancouver. Now, the Union has control of its own destiny. Win on Saturday against NYCFC, and they hoist their second Supporters’ Shield in the club’s history.
3 Points Does the Job
With 2 games left in the MLS season, the Union just need to gather 3 points from the final two games. The Union got all the help the club could have asked for over the weekend. Vancouver, Cincinnati, and San Diego all dropped points. Finally, tonight Inter Miami suffered a 5-3 defeat to Chicago, meaning their games in hand now do not affect the Union.
The easiest path to the shield is to win this coming Saturday. It will be yet another classic match between NYCFC and the Union, with a trophy on the line for the Union. In 2021, all Union fans remember a COVID-stricken Union losing the Eastern Conference Final to New York. In 2022, the Union would get its revenge and head to the MLS Cup. Now, the Union can force its I-95 rival to watch them lift another trophy.
Should New York successfully stunt the Union’s hopes of celebrating a Shield win in their final home match, the Union will have a final chance to snag three points on the road in Charlotte. However, the simplest path is just winning at home, something the Union have had no issue doing this season.
This would be the Union’s second Supporters’ Shield in club history. The first came in 2020, in a COVID-shortened season. An asterisk is on this shield as the league only played in regional bubbles. There was even a committee that almost voted not to award a Supporters’ Shield at all.
Should the Union see out just 3 points in the final two games, there will be no asterisk on this shield. Coming off a season where they let go of Jim Curtin and countless fan favorite players, no Union fan expected a successful 2025 MLS campaign. Let alone one that saw the Union atop all of MLS.
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