Jack Elliott and the Chicago Fire did themselves and the Philadelphia Union a massive favor last night with a 5-3 win over Inter Miami in Fort Lauderdale. In addition to ending the Fire’s postseason drought it sets up a shield-clinching scenario for the Union on Saturday. Beat NYC and the Union are regular season league champions for the second time. Hope you have tickets!

In the email today:

1. ⛨ One Win Away

Five years after a nearly empty stadium watched the Philadelphia Union lift their first major piece of hardware, an expected sellout crowd will have a chance to see the team repeat the feat with a win over NYCFC on Saturday.

Thanks to the Chicago Fire’s 5-3 win over Inter Miaimi last night, the Union are now in line to win the Supporters’ Shield with a win either on Saturday at home or at Charlotte on October 18.

Unlike the 2020 shield when the Union benefited from an abbreviated 23-game schedule playing against a reduced number of teams in empty stadiums, the 2025 season doesn’t carry any caveats or asterisks. Save for a blip of a 7-0 loss in Vancouver, the Union are fully deserving of the place they are in now and their fanbase is on the cusp of what would be their biggest celebration to date.

Beating third place NYCFC, of course, won’t be easy and they’ll come in with a spoiler mindset even with the conference and shield just out of reach. The Pigeons are coming off a big road win at Red Bull and beat both Columbus and Charlotte in September.

The match is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start.

2. 🏟️ Gotham FC and Washington Spirit face off at Subaru Park

By Greg Oldfield

Women’s professional soccer returns to Chester when rivals Gotham FC and Washington Spirit face off tonight 7 p.m. EST at Subaru Park.

The two long-time NWSL rivals will play for the 43 rd time in club history, and the first in the Women’s Concacaf Champions Cup, which
began its inaugural season last year.

The clubs continue the tradition of playing in Philadelphia. Last year, the teams met in the NWSL-Liga MX Summer Cup. Gotham won that game 1-0. In 2021, the teams met at Subaru Park in Carli Lloyd’s final season, hosting a sendoff for the UWNT legend from Delran, NJ.

Gotham, the 2024-25 Concacaf Champions Cup winners, leads group B with a 3-0 record after posting previous wins over Monterrey (2-1), Allianza (2-0), and Vancouver Rise Academy (4-1). A win clinches first place in the group, and a draw ensures the club’s qualification for the semifinals to be held next spring. Gotham has a 7-0-2 overall record in the competition.

Washington currently sits in second place in Group B with wins over Allianza (7-0) and Vancouver (4-0). Williamstown, NJ’s Brittany Ratcliffe scored the third goal in the victory over Allianza. The Spirit striker and lone Philly-area player to feature in this game appeared in 25 games this season, adding 3 goals.

The winner of the Concacaf Champions Cup qualifies for the 2027 FIFA Champions Cup and the inaugural 2028 FIFA Women’s Club World Cup. Gotham and Washington last played each other April 26 th at Audi Field. Esther González scored a brace and rookie Sarah Schupansky scored her first career goal in a 3-0 Gotham win. The New York club (11-7-4, 40 points) currently holds a six-point edge over Washington (9-7-6, 36 points) in the NWSL standings, trailing KC Current (18-2-2, 56 points), who lead the Supporters’ Shield race with four games remaining.

3. 🇺🇸 Social Post of the Day: End This

4. 🔗 Link Roundup

• Jim Curtin is no longer in the running to be New England Revolution’s next head coach. Good.

• The Philadelphia Union have a new app available.

• Frankie Westfield had a goal and an assist in the U.S. Under-20 team’s 9-1 rout of Oceania island nation New Caledonia to open their U-17 World Cup campaign on Monday night.

• Catch up with the former Union players overseas in Owen Boyle’s latest DOOPing Overseas.

• Penn Fusion star Ellie Kocher is on the 21-player U.S. roster for the upcoming U-17 World Cup.

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