Saturday, November 7, 2026
54 ° Mostly Clear
54 ° Mostly Clear
It's MLS Decision Day! The Philadelphia Union know they are playoff-bound, but they don't know where they will finish or who they will face in the 2026 MLS Cup playoffs. Philly's final regular-season match vs. Toronto FC will make it clear.
The Union plays their last regular-season match at Subaru Park today, and they're hoping to get one more match on the banks of the Delaware River in the playoffs. With a resurgent second half of the season, Philly controls their own destiny in that regard; however, they will have to break a late-season skid to do so.
Philadelphia has not won a game in its last four. Injuries to Cavan Sullivan and Milan Iloski, plus stiff playoff competition, have contributed to that. Now they play Toronto, a team out of playoff contention. Will we see the Union take the needed points off of TFC to secure a higher playoff seed?
Back in April, these two teams met in Toronto and played a thrilling 3-3 game. Philadelphia's Nate Harriel scored what he thought was the winner in the 89th minute, only for Toronto's goalkeeper Luka Gavran to equalize in the sixth minute of extra time. Luckily for Philly, Gavran is out for today's match. The Union are the favored team at home and have a whole lot to play for in this season finale.
Today's match against Toronto FC will determine where the Union finish in the seeding for the 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs. Philly put in the work over the summer and fall to secure a playoff spot; now, if they want to do more than enter the postseason field, they will want to finish as high as possible. The Union can finish in either sixth, seventh, or eighth in the East. Here are the seeding scenarios:
The Union control their own destiny and know a win will clinch a top-six finish on 50 points. Considering Philadelphia were in dead last in MLS after the first half of the season, this seems like a pretty damn good turnaround. Unfortunately, they couldn't reach an even higher spot with their recent skid.
Philadelphia know a win clinches the highest possible finish. They'll be hoping to end their current winless skid, as that could drop them to seventh or even a wildcard spot in eighth.
The outcome of this final regular season match will also determine who the Union will play in the 2026 playoffs. After what feels like a long period of speculation, things are becoming more and more clear about who Philly will face in the playoffs; those teams are either:
If the Union finishes sixth or seventh in the East, they will play a three-game series in the first round of the playoffs against either Miami or New England. This would ensure at least one home playoff match at Subaru Park, but it would be against either a two- or three-seed. The other option is falling to the play-in wildcard round and hosting Orlando in a winner-take-all game for the right to play in a three-game series with Supporters' Shield winners Nashville SC.
The 2026 Union have the talent to go on a playoff run, but no matter where they finish, they will have to do so as a low-seeded underdog. What is it they say about underdogs in this city again? It's time for Philly to become hungry dogs, and we all know they run faster!
Nashville SC could set the points record with a win or a draw vs. FC Cincinnati today!
Six Western Conference teams are battling for the final three playoff spots! LA Galaxy, Portland Timbers, and Colorado Rapids enter the final day of the MLS season in playoff positions. Seattle Sounders, Real Salt Lake, and Minnesota United are all still mathematically alive to make the playoffs. You can find the ludicrous clinching scenarios on MLS Soccer's website, since there are too many what-ifs to type out here.
Five teams across both Conferences are fighting for home-field advantage in the opening round of the playoffs! In the East, Chicago and Charlotte will hope to take the final place. Chicago will keep the four-seed with a win or a draw vs. Columbus, and Charlotte with a draw or a loss at Miami. Out West, two of San Jose, St. Louis, and Houston will have home-field advantage. MLS's topsy-turvy nature makes almost every game meaningful on the final day of the season. Tune in on Apple TV at 4 pm for the Eastern Conference games and 6 pm for the Western Conference matchups!
