The First round of the MLS Cup Playoffs is reaching its conclusion. With teams like Inter Miami CF, Philadelphia Union and New York City FC all with the possibility of defining their series with a win. But a lot can happen in 90 minutes, so there were bound to be surprises in some of these games. 

Charlotte forces game 3

The story from the Big Apple ended with a bitter result for New York City FC. They had the opportunity to close out the series at home, but things didn’t go as planned. Charlotte FC held off Alonso Martinez and neutralized the passing flow in midfield to keep the game level. New York City did its part in containing Wilfred Zaha in his return from suspension. Tayvon Gray and Thiago Martins had a solid display against the striker. 

With both teams locked in defense mode, the match had to be decided from the penalty spot. New York City had the advantage of having the goalkeeper of the moment on its side. While Freese did make a save in the shootout, Julian Fernandez missed his penalty and gave Charlotte a chance for redemption. Unfortunately Agustin Ojeda also went on to miss his chance and the match was decided by Charlotte’s Nathan Byrne. The series will now return to North Carolina for a decisive Game 3. 

Philadelphia Union continues going strong 

The Eastern Conference champions went on the road for game 2 of their series against Chicago Fire. Despite taking the match to a penalty shootout to decide game 1, spirits were high on both sides. Chicago Fire had a solid display at home for the wildcard game and managed to make a comeback against the best team in the conference. The chance for a game 3 was in their hands, but Philadelphia was set on correcting the mistakes made and sealing the series on the road.

While in this sport every game tells a different story, nobody expected things to unfold as they did. Philadelphia was determined to seal the series, but they didn’t expect Chicago to make it any easier either. However, it only took Philadelphia 7 minutes and a mistake by Chicago’s goalkeeper Jeffrey Gal for the visitors to take the lead. Tai Baribo would double the lead within 15 minutes, leaving Chicago Fire against the wall. Philadelphia would seal the game after yet another bad clearance from Jeffrey Gal. 

The story would have been different if Chicago Fire would have capitalized their opportunity in the second half, had Brian Gutierrez score his penalty shot against Andre Blake. It only took Philadelphia 35 minutes to seal their place in the conference semifinals. They now await the winner between Charlotte FC and New York City FC. 

Nashville SC holds off Inter Miami CF 

Perhaps the rivalry of the season at this point. Both Inter Miami and Nashville have an ongoing battle that started on Decision Day. If you count that game, they have now faced each other a total of 3 times in less than a month. I’m not afraid to say that the Eastern Conference champion could come out of this series. Nevertheless, Nashville was looking to put up a fight against Miami in this series. Despite coming from a defeat, they were confident that a good result was possible on home soil.

The game did not disappoint. Nashville would open the score from the penalty spot 9 minutes into the game. While the play was controversial due to the way it was interpreted, Sam Surridge delivered for Nashville. Inter Miami answered back with Luis Suarez, but he couldn’t find the target to tie the game. The matchup, while physical, came down to yet another goalkeeper showdown. 

Rocco Rios Novo was key to keeping Inter Miami in the game. His interventions against Muktarand and Patrick Yazbek made up for the penalty call, but the match had a lot of back and forth from start to finish. Joe Willis did his part as well to give Nashville the win; his save in a one-on-one against Luis Suarez was a game-defining moment. It took 90 minutes for Inter Miami to find the back of the net; ironically, it had to be none other than Messi who would put Miami on the scoreboard. In the end, however, it was Nashville who came out victorious with Josh Bauer as the hero for the night.

All or nothing

Given the results, only Philadelphia Union got the Job done and is in route to be one of the contenders for the MLS CUP. New York City FC has a difficult task ahead of them, but anything is possible when you’re in the Playoffs. Charlotte FC started the season strong but have lost a bit of momentum in recent weeks. However, they can pull off a comeback with a win in their series. In terms of Nashville and Inter Miami CF? It will come down to the team that completes a perfect game. 

It’s all or nothing for those involved in a third game, but how will Philadelphia Union arrive at the semifinal round with a long break in between?