For years, the Philadelphia Union have been one of the most feared home teams in Major League Soccer. During Leagues Cup 2023, some Liga MX sides are discovering exactly why.
Four days after dispatching Club Tijuana, 3-1, the Union earned a second-straight lopsided victory against Mexican opposition at Subaru Park, laying a 5-1 smackdown on Querétaro. Wednesday night’s blowout also crowned them East 1 winners, guaranteeing home-field advantage in the Round of 32.
Philly head coach Jim Curtin is proud of his players' performances so far at the tournament, where the Union have outscored their rivals 8-2, to the delight of their fans.
“We’ve been defending the home field really well. We’re a strong team here, as our record will show over the last, you know, 40-50 games or whatever it might be,” Curtin said.
“… We’re one of the top seeds in this tournament, which we’ve earned from last season,” he added, referencing his club reaching the 2022 MLS Cup final and barely missing out on that year's Supporters’ Shield – with both trophies eventually going to LAFC.
On Wednesday night, it was a familiar face from their last few seasons of dominance – Dániel Gazdag – leading the charge. The Hungarian Designated Player netted a hat trick (including two goals from the penalty spot) to vault over Lionel Messi, among others, as the tournament's leading goalscorer. Homegrowns Nathan Harriel and Jack McGlynn also got on the scoreboard to put the finishing touches on the result.
Now, Philadelphia await their Round-of-32 opponent, the second-best team from East 2, which includes MLS sides D.C. United (who are also qualified for the knockout stages) and CF Montréal, as well as Liga MX’s Pumas UNAM.
“We’re gonna push and go as far as we can in this competition,” Curtin insisted.
Whoever the Union end up facing, the two-time Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year believes his players will continue to make the most of their home-field advantage.
"I’ll just say it’s a lot harder than these guys have made it look against really good Liga MX sides," Curtain said.
