CHESTER, Pa.—Decision Day has arrived. After a season of many ups and downs, coaching changes, and players coming and going, Union II have one last chance to secure a playoff spot as they look to make their fifth straight appearance since MLS Next Pro launched in 2022.

It will not be easy, however, and Union II may need a little help. As it stands, Union II are in 10th place. 8th and 9th get a play-in game to determine the 8th seed, and the top seven are in for sure. The scenarios to clinch a playoff spot are as follows, per MLS Next Pro:

1. PHI win + PHI wins tiebreaker over NYC
2. PHI win + ORL 1 or fewer points
3. PHI win + NER loss
4. PHI win + CTU 1 or fewer points
5. PHI win + CTU SOW + PHI wins tiebreaker over CTU
6. PHI win + ATL loss + PHI wins tiebreaker over ATL
7. PHI SOW + HNT 2 or fewer points + CT loss
8. PHI SOW + HNT 2 or fewer points + ORL loss
9. PHI SOW + CTU loss + ORL loss

Getting all three points with a win makes things slightly simpler, but they still need some favorable outcomes elsewhere as it is very tight between 5th place through 11th—a matter of four points, in fact.

Recapping the win over Chicago

Union II have some momentum heading into their final regular season match against NYCFC II on Sunday, September 20 at 2:00 PM at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex Kinetic Field (and livestreamed on YouTube/OneFootball). They have won their last three matches, and last five out of six, and are coming off a 2-1 road win over Chicago Fire II that saw them battle back after conceding first.

“Obviously we kind of felt like it was a tale of two halves,” interim head coach Chris Harmon remarked this week. “The boys played with a lot more urgency in the second half, for at halftime, the conversations were we knew where we could hurt them, but we needed to execute. We needed to for sure bring a little bit more intensity and aggression, and I think the boys were up for it. I think you could feel that it was building.”

The Boys in Blue indeed came out fired up for the second half, and Kellan LeBlanc found the equalizer, with Theo Reed later knocking in the winning goal. “Obviously, we knew getting that first one was going to be difficult, but if we got the first one, that we had full confidence, we were gonna be able to build off that momentum and find the second.”

It has basically been win or get knocked out during this final stretch, and one important part of the run has been Kellan LeBlanc. The 18-year-old midfielder, according to Harmon, is “at full confidence now.” With four goals and four assists, and three of those goals and one assist coming in the last month, he has been key to the attack.

“He’s been somebody that we can rely on to consistently put the opponent under pressure and capitalize on his chances and give assists,” Harmon shared. “And we’ve always known that Kellan has the ability, and it’s just for him having the confidence in the execution of being able to do it in games, and yeah, he’s really stepping up at a big time right now. Really happy for him as he continues to push towards the back end of the season.”

Another key component as of late has been the emergence of Academy striker Theo Reed, who while having had limited minutes earlier in the season, has really come on strong in the latter portion. Having paired frequently with John Ruf with the U-18s under Harmon, he now has been getting to do that with Union II, and has been stepping up in a big way.

“They’re understanding their role. They’re taking responsibility for their role,” Harmon said of Reed and Ruf. “And yeah, obviously, getting a goal for Theo is great. John put himself in great positions as well. Continue to go back to the work that they do off the ball really, really pays dividends for the team. So they know that they’re gonna have chances, and we expect them to step up like they have and continue to make them count. So really pleased with their performances and to obviously get Theo on the scoresheet.”

[More on Ruf in my interview with him]

Previewing the match against NYCFC II

Now it all comes down to Sunday. The last time the two teams met, August 1, was somewhat chaotic. It ended in a shootout loss for Philadelphia after a 1-1 draw that saw them concede an own goal, then find the equalizer via Matheus De Paula, and then finish with nine men after Giovanny Sequera and Óscar Benítez were both shown second yellows late in the match, leading to their ejections. Union II ultimately fell 8-7 in the shootout. The other time they met was June 14 in Chris Harmon’s first match as interim head coach, where they lost the home match 1-0 after NYCFC II scored late in stoppage time.

Harmon, who has continually emphasized that the team needed to play connected, a message he has reiterated to the squad since he took over. Now, he is seeing that, and attributes that to the momentum they have been building:

“It was a message that I was trying to push from day one, is we’re going to be better when everybody feels like they have a role, and everybody is rowing in the right direction. And and I think right now you could just feel it in the second half of Chicago when we got that first goal. Everybody was was celebrating each other. Everybody was willing to do whatever it took to get the three points, and it’s going to continue to take that if we want to if we want to continue on with the season.

“And really happy with how the boys have have gelled and come together and continue to push. How they’ve trained day in and day out from my standpoint has been excellent. The attitude, the mentality. There’s no quitting these guys and really excited more than anything just to see them fight on the last day. We’ve been talking now the last couple weeks that every game is a play-in game, and they know that. And I don’t think there’s a a sense of pressure. I think everybody is excited, and the excitement’s growing as we get closer to Sunday.”

One important piece that has been out for several games with injury has been center back Rafael Uzcátegui, who has served as the team captain this year and anchored a strong back line.

On his progress to returning, Harmon shared on Thursday, “Yeah, Rafa trained today in full, which was great. It was his first day in training, so we’re really happy with where he’s at. He brings such a life to to the group and all of the qualities that we know. So super excited. As long as there’s no setbacks, he’ll continue to be day to day. But yeah, I would say, based on today, it was a really good sign that he was able to get through the whole training.”

Additionally, midfielder Mamoutou Berthé has been working through an injury and is considered day-to-day according to Harmon.

It is never dull when the Union and NYCFC squads face off, no matter the level as we have seen from the first team on down. The Union Academy U-18, U-16, and U-15 squads, in fact, face off on the road against their NYCFC counterparts today. Tomorrow, though, it will be an MLS Next Pro showdown with the season on the line.

Main article photo credit: Emily Wallace-Sutton