More "special moments" await: Philadelphia Union book LAFC rematch in CCL semis

When the 2023 MLS schedule was released just before Christmas, one date especially stood out: Sept. 23, when the Philadelphia Union will welcome LAFC to Subaru Park.

That initial rematch of the MLS Cup 2022 trophy LAFC epically won some five months ago in Los Angeles will arrive roughly five months earlier than expected – and occur in the Concacaf Champions League semifinals rather than in league play.

The Union guaranteed that outcome Wednesday evening, drawing Liga MX’s Atlas 2-2 in Mexico to advance 3-2 on aggregate. Meanwhile, on Tuesday night, LAFC had cruised past fellow MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps FC 6-0 on aggregate behind 3-0 victories in both legs.

With adrenaline still pumping at Estadio Jalisco, Union head coach Jim Curtin entertained the MLS battle that awaits at the end of April and early May (dates and times to be confirmed).

“We've talked about getting another shot at LAFC, a team who looks unbeatable right now,” Curtin said. “But we'll get that opportunity now. We know it will be a difficult game. They have a very deep squad and when we get together with them, it's been a lot of special moments in our league's history.”

The most memorable LAFC-Philly clash arrived on Nov. 5, 2022 at BMO Stadium as Gareth Bale’s stoppage-time header heard ‘round the world sealed a 3-3 draw, sending arguably the most thrilling game in league history to penalty kicks. From there, goalkeeper John McCarthy became a shootout hero for the hosts and midfielder Ilie Sánchez’s spot-kick sealed a Hollywood ending for the Black & Gold.

Thin margins decided that championship match, as well as last year’s Supporters’ Shield race. Both clubs finished the 2022 regular-season campaign on 67 points, but LAFC (21; Western Conference winner) had more wins than Philadelphia (19; Eastern Conference) to gain silverware. MLS first utilizes the most-wins tiebreaker, whereas most other leagues around the world use goal differential, a stat Philly were far superior in (+46 to LAFC’s +28).

Curtin again expects narrow differences to decide this blockbuster, all-MLS series between clubs with little year-over-year roster turnover.

“Every game we play against them is, I'll just say a crazy game,” said Curtin. “We've played lots of 3-3s and high-scoring games. It will be a really tough opponent. The team that is disciplined, organized defensively and doesn't concede will move on.”

Vanquishing Atlas

To reach this stage, Philadelphia carried a 1-0 leg-one quarterfinal lead down to Mexico courtesy of Dániel Gazdag’s penalty kick last week at Subaru Park. That cushion proved huge during the second leg, where striker Julián Carranza scored twice on goals that were confirmed by Video Review checks after initially being called offside. With the away-goals rule lingering, Atlas were left needing to win 4-2 and build upon first-half tallies from forwards ​​Julián Quiñones and Julio Furch.

Facing steady pressure from Atlas, Philly's defense led by Andre Blake (2022 Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year) and Jakob Glesnes (2022 MLS Defender of the Year) bent but never fully broke and rode the momentum of Carranza's brace.

“To score two goals on the road in Mexico, I can tell you as a coach I did not expect that,” Curtin said. “I thought maybe one would be nice, but to score two, my players even surprised me.”

Historically, MLS clubs have crippled under intensity similar to what Philadelphia encountered in Guadalajara. But that trend is slowly fading away, with results like Wednesday’s part of a growing rivalry between neighboring leagues that are increasingly intertwined by competitions like CCL, Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup.

Philly’s also experienced both emotional spectrums of the feud, overcoming Atlas in the 2023 CCL quarterfinals but falling to Club América in the 2021 CCL semifinals. For a club that’s long punched above its weight financially, reaching this continental stage twice in three years is no small feat.

“This is a big step for our club,” Curtin said. “The Union, this is our first-ever success in Mexico. It's not easy to beat the Liga MX team that has a great history and great players. It shows that we're moving a little bit forward. We won't get too far ahead of ourselves because we can still improve on a lot of things, but this was a big victory tonight.”

More CCL nights

The next step is surpassing LAFC and, if results go as Curtin hopes, likely meeting Liga MX’s Club León or Tigres UANL in this year’s CCL final. That two-legged series, should Philly get there, would arrive May 31 (first leg) and June 4 (second leg).

Either Philadelphia or LAFC can keep the CCL title in MLS’s court after Seattle Sounders FC, in historic fashion, ended Liga MX’s run of dominance last May when beating Pumas UNAM in a two-legged final. That booked Seattle a spot at the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup, plus the expanded 2025 version.

Philadelphia, even amid some uncharacteristic league troubles while juggling multiple competitions (10th in the East entering Matchday 8), are one step closer to possibly their biggest accomplishment.

“The Champions League is a really special competition,” said Curtin. “It's the biggest trophy on our continent and we want to push and try and go for it. Let's be honest, it's been a competition that has been completely dominated by Liga MX. We finally broke through and Seattle had a win last year, and our hope this year is that an MLS team can lift that trophy. I'd prefer it be us than LAFC.”