SOCCER

How many times have Philadelphia Union won the MLS Cup?

LAFC and Philadelphia Union go head-to-head in Saturday’s MLS Cup final as the season reaches its conclusion.

Oct 30, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA;  Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Andre Blake (18) reacts after defeating New York City FC for the conference finals for the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Vincent CarchiettaUSA TODAY Sports

It’s taken a while for the Philadelphia Union to savour their first taste of success in MLS. Founded in 2008, they debuted as the league’s 16th team in 2010 but it took a whole decade before they saw the fruits of their efforts. The first trophy arrived at the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic - in August 2020, the Union picked up the Supporters’ Shield for being the team with the best record in MLS, ending a whittled-down regular season program on 47 points in the Eastern Conference.

First MLS Cup final

They topped the Eastern Conference regular season standings for a second time this year then went on to eliminate Cincinnati and New York City FC in the play-offs, as they made their way to their first ever MLS Cup final.

The MLS Cup has eluded them so far although they have come close a couple of times. They were just pipped to last year’s Cup final after losing 2-1 to NYCFC in the Conference finals - the furthest they had reached until this year.

So for Jim Curtin’s side, a brand new experience awaits when they will step out into the Banc of California stadium on Saturday. But they won’t be alone. Their opponents, LAFC are also MLS Cup novices and will be starring in their first final too.

So a new name is guaranteed to be engraved onto the trophy this weekend. As far as the betting odds are concerned, the bookies have LAFC at +100 and the Union at +225 but this is football, it’s a final, a one-off game in which anything can happen…

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