MLS Eastern Conference Final Breakdown

In Major League Baseball, the Phillies took Game 1 of this year"s World Series late Friday night against the heavily-favored Houston Astros. On the gridiron, the Eagles enter Sunday afternoon"s game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers undefeated at 6-0.

The soccer pitch serves as the focus for this story, specifically the pitch at Chester, PA"s Subaru Park, the home match grounds of one of the best teams this year in Major League Soccer, the Philadelphia Union. On Sunday night, the final game before next Saturday"s MLS Cup takes place at the stadium, the MLS Eastern Conference Final.

No. 1 and No. 3 Seeds Meet in MLS Eastern Conference Final

The Philadelphia Union, who were contenders for this year"s Supporters" Shield in MLS, clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference bracket and will host Sunday night"s match (kickoff slated for 8:25 pm ET/ 5:25 pm PT on FS1 and FOX Deportes) against the No. 3 seed, defending MLS champions NYCFC.

Depending upon the result of the MLS Western Conference Final earlier on Sunday afternoon, home-field advantage could still be at stake ahead of the MLS Eastern Conference Final on Sunday night.

Potential Home-Field Advantage Clinching Scenarios For MLS Cup

This year will mark the 11th consecutive MLS Cup that"s hosted by the conference champion with the higher regular-season point total. As stated in the MLS Western Conference Final breakdown on Friday night, if LAFC defeats Austin FC in the first game of Championship Sunday (3 pm ET, noon PT, ABC), Banc of California Stadium will serve as the host for next Saturday"s MLS Cup, no matter what happens in the MLS Eastern Conference Final in primetime.

LAFC and the Philadelphia Union each finished the regular season tied on points at 67. LAFC clinched the Supporters" Shield on Oct. 2 due to the team owning a better overall record.

If Austin upsets LAFC, the scenarios are cut down to just two. Contingent upon NYCFC defeating Philadelphia, Yankee Stadium will not be able to host the Nov. 5 MLS Cup Final under any scenario, since NYCFC had the lowest regular-season point total (55) of the four conference finalists.

In that case, Q2 Stadium would host MLS Cup next Saturday afternoon. Should Austin and Philadelphia each win on Sunday in the conference finals, Subaru Park will serve as the host stadium for MLS Cup in a week.

Philadelphia Held Serve Against NYCFC in Regular Season

The MLS Eastern Conference Final is the third time that Philadelphia and NYCFC will have played one another in 2022 and the fourth time they"ve played since last December in the 2021 Eastern Conference Final. On Dec. 5, 2021, NYCFC eliminated Philadelphia 2-1 on the road to advance to the MLS Cup, which they ultimately won for the first championship in club history, despite having a number of starters out due to COVID protocol for the conference final.

Since then, the Union have been out for revenge, getting the upper hand on the champions twice over in 2022, including a 2-1 victory in the most-recent head-to-head meeting back in June at the site of Sunday"s match. That Sunday evening, the Union were pushed to the limit after NYCFC forward/striker Taty Castellanos converted an 89th-minute penalty kick to level the match at 1-1.

In the depths of second-half stoppage time, Philadelphia forward Cory Burke netted the winning tally for the Union. Castellanos will not factor into NYCFC"s plans for the MLS Eastern Conference Final as he is currently out on loan with La Liga side Girona FC.

Union"s Defense Could Tell the Tale

Heading into the MLS Eastern Conference Final on Sunday night, the homestanding Philadelphia Union have been stout on defense throughout the last 10 contests, across all competitions going 8-1-1 and allowing just six goals in that stretch The lone blemish occurred four weeks ago Saturday when expansion side Charlotte FC bested the Union 4-0 on an evening when Charlotte forward Dani Rios scored all four of his team"s goals.

Despite the blowout four weeks ago, Philadelphia has outscored the opposition 5-0 in the last two contests, including a 1-0 shutout against FC Cincinnati on Oct. 21 in the conference semifinal.

The Union"s defense has gotten them within one victory of the MLS Cup. If Philadelphia brings its lunch pail on defense in the MLS Eastern Conference Final on Sunday night, they"ll be going to the cup final next week, but NYCFC is a tough team.

NYCFC Looking To Send Philadelphia Home For the Winter Early Again

11 months ago, NYCFC entered Subaru Park and took advantage of a shorthanded Union side en route to a victory in MLS Cup. Less than a year later, the team will return to the scene of the crime to try and end Philadelphia"s season prematurely twice in as many years.

Just like the Union, NYCFC has been locked in down the stretch themselves. After dropping a 1-0 result to Charlotte in the second weekend of September, New York City hasn"t faltered since, going undefeated (6-0-0) across all competitions dating back to this year"s Campeones Cup win against Atlas of Liga MX on the night of Sept. 14 at Yankee Stadium.

NYCFC"s Defense More Stout Than Philadelphia"s

While the Philadelphia Union have played tough defense in recent weeks, NYCFC"s defense has been even tougher en route to Sunday"s conference final. Since the start of the team"s current six-game unbeaten streak in the final days of summer, NYCFC has outscored the opposition by a 14-3 margin.

New York City went into enemy territory a week ago and silenced the CF Montreal fanbase at Stade Saputo by jumping out to a 2-0 halftime lead, effectively ending the match as a contest with a 61st-minute penalty kick by forward Talles Magno to make the lead 3-0. Although Montreal scored an 85th-minute goal by midfielder Djordie Milhailovic, it was all over but the shouting and NYCFC had booked its spot in Sunday night"s game.

Both NYCFC and the Union come into the MLS Eastern Conference Final with great defensive prowess in recent weeks. The final question is whose defense comes to play on Sunday night? Tune in and find out.

Final Thoughts

Major League Soccer could not have asked for a better doubleheader on Championship Sunday, and the Eastern Conference Final is an appetizing nightcap. Goals could be scored at a premium on Sunday night, so this could be a case of whoever scores first wins.

Who do you think takes the MLS Eastern Conference Final this year? Let us know in the comments below.

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