Philadelphia beats NYCFC to remind everyone of its contender status

While New York City FC fought off an MLS Cup hangover and set its sights on an ultimately futile CONCACAF Champions League run, the Philadelphia Union established themselves as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference and a Supporters’ Shield rival for LAFC. In the past two months, though, everything had changed. NYCFC grabbed the aspirin and a cup of coffee to rocket up the standings, while Philly won just one in its past ten.

The Bronx Blues visited Philadelphia on Sunday for a meeting of two of the conference’s best, and Jim Curtin’s team leapt out to a sixth-minute lead that it would manage for the following 82 minutes. Then Valentin Castellanos equalized in the 89th, and the Union looked destined for a draw, only for Cory Burke to dig deep, score a 96th-minute winner and deliver the club just their second win since April 10.

For the first time all season, there’s the hint of a bout at the top of one of the conferences.

With Week 16 in the books, Kyle Bonagura and Danny Guerra look at the results, break down where all 28 teams stand after a wild weekend of action and bring you the latest edition of the MLS Power Rankings.

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Previous ranking: 1

Next MLS match: June 29 vs. FC Dallas, 10:30 p.m. ET

The Black and Gold have been the best team to this point, so, of course, they went out and bolstered the squad with Gareth Bale and Giorgio Chiellini, both of whom could be eligible to play against the Galaxy on July 8 (10 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN). It likely won’t stop there, either, as GM John Thorrington indicated it’s likely the club will fill its vacant Designated Player spot, too. — Bonagura

Previous ranking: 3

Next MLS match: July 3 at Minnesota United FC, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+

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