Union earn first trip to MLS championship game with 3-1 win over NYCFC

With one of the greatest comebacks in team history, the Union earned a trip to their first MLS Cup final with a 3-1 toppling of reigning champion New York City FC before 19,770 raucous fans Sunday night at Subaru Park.

After New York’s Maxi Moralez gave the visitors the lead in the 57th minute, the Union mounted a stunning comeback with goals from Julián Carranza in the 65th minute, Dániel Gazdag in the 67th and Cory Burke in the 76th.

Now the Union will head to Los Angeles for the title game, Saturday at powerhouse Los Angeles FC (4 p.m., Fox29 and UniMás).

As frustrated as Union fans may have been by New York’s goal, it couldn’t be denied that it was a thing of beauty. Six players moved the ball down the field in six passes and 16 seconds, starting with goalkeeper Sean Johnson and ending with Moralez’s pinpoint low shot.

But that was just the start of things getting wild.

In the 65th minute, New York manager Nick Cushing subbed out star winger Gabriel Pereira for defensive midfielder Keaton Parks, a move that changed the formation from a 3-4-3 to a 5-3-2.

Twelve seconds after Parks took the field, the change blew up in Cushing’s face.

While New York was resettling itself, Jakob Glesnes took a free kick from near midfield that rolled all the way to Carranza in the 18-yard box. Carranza latched on to the ball in stride, and slotted a first-time shot to Johnson’s far post to tie the game.

» READ MORE: Julián Carranza has found a home with Philly as the team hits new heights

Two minutes later, Jack McGlynn got open on the right side and floated a long cross to Carranza, who was surprisingly open. Carranza knocked the ball down for Gazdag, who had run untouched between Nicolás Acevedo and Justin Haak, and Gazdag had one of the easiest of his 23 goals this year.

Fourteen minutes after subbing for Mikael Uhre, Burke delivered the capstone on the win. He was at the center of a four-on-three break, New York’s back line was totally out of sorts, and Anton Tinnerholm’s weak attempt at a clearance went straight back to Burke. He worked his way open, and his finish was easy and powerful.

It was Burke’s eighth goal of the year, his highest total in a campaign since 2018.

The biggest cheer before kickoff came when public address announcer Kevin Casey read Alejandro Bedoya’s name in the starting lineup for the first time since Sept. 11. Bedoya gave the team a big lift, too, but by the half-hour mark he was limping and McGlynn was warming up.

It ultimately was no surprise that Bedoya was subbed out for McGlynn at halftime. Bedoya totaled 35 touches, 19-of-25 passing, four defensive recoveries, three duels won, and one interception.

» READ MORE: Alejandro Bedoya enjoyed a career renaissance this year until his hip flexor injury in September

While it was far from an even trade with the 11 players the Union missed last year, City was without two key names in forward Talles Magno – the scorer of last year’s game-winner – and centerback Maxime Chanot.

On Friday, Cushing said those two and Moralez were doubtful. Any coach would try to dodge the truth about injuries at this time of year if able, and since MLS managers can, everyone else had to wait until an hour before kickoff for the official word.

Chanot’s absence was the biggest news of the bunch, because he’s a staple of New York’s three-defender back line. Justin Haak, who subbed in for Chanot when he got hurt in Montreal last Sunday, started instead. Magno’s absence affected the bench, not the starters.

Naturally, the Union targeted Haak all night. He did well in the first half, but Carranza caught him standing still on the Union’s first goal and Gazdag dusted him on the second.

In the Western Conference final, Supporters’ Shield winners Los Angeles FC delivered an emphatic 3-0 win at home over Austin FC. Cristian Arango’s 21st goal of the year got the scoring going in the 29th minute, followed by an Austin own goal and a Kwadwo Opoku tally in the second half.

It’s the first time the Shield winners have reached the title game since 2017, and the first time star-studded LAFC has gotten there at all.

» READ MORE: Los Angeles FC routs Austin FC, 3-0, and will host MLS Cup