LOS ANGELES — How do you come back from heartbreak like that? The Philadelphia Union fought back from 1-0 down, then 2-1 down, to draw level with LAFC in Saturday’s MLS Cup final. The visitors even scored a go-ahead goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time in the second half of extra time, only to concede in the game’s dying breaths.
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With the hosts forced to introduce backup goalkeeper John McCarthy after No. 1 Maxime Crepeau was red-carded and then carted off the pitch with a horrific-looking leg injury, it looked like it was all coming together for Philadelphia as the game headed to penalties. And then McCarthy, born in Philadelphia and a former Union keeper, went on to make two saves in the shootout to win the game’s MVP award and ensure the home crowd got to witness their team lift MLS Cup.
“It’s hard, man, right now it’s really difficult,” Philadelphia manager Jim Curtin told members of the media after Saturday’s final. “I feel terrible for the players because they put so much into the season, into the game, and they’re hurting right now and that’s natural and normal. We’ll try to have a beer or two tonight and have some kind of way to put a smile on each other’s faces, because they did accomplish something pretty amazing.”
Regardless of how this game ended, they did. Midway through this season, it looked like LAFC were going to run away with the Supporters’ Shield and, in all likelihood, MLS Cup, too.
But while the Black and Gold suffered a late-summer swoon following the signings of Gareth Bale, Giorgio Chiellini, Denis Bouanga and Cristian Tello, the Union reeled in their rivals on the West Coast. Come the campaign’s conclusion, Philadelphia finished level on points with LAFC, denied the Supporters’ Shield by a tiebreaker — Los Angeles had 21 wins to Philadelphia’s 19.
In the end, it doesn’t matter, but to give you a sense of just how good the Union were this season: They only lost five games all year; the next closest, LAFC, had nine. Their goal differential was another league best at +46; Los Angeles, with the second-best figure, was 18 goals worse off.
“I think that you can have a great season, but the season only ends perfectly for one team of the 28, and that’s LAFC this season,” Curtin said. “I think I’ve only said I’ve been proud of a group in a loss maybe two or three times in my career as a coach, and I’m still very proud of the team, we were as close as we could possibly be to our first MLS Cup.”
