CHICAGO (AP) — Ty Balibo scored two early goals and the Philadelphia Union defeated the Chicago Fire 3-0 on Saturday, clinching a best-of-three first-round series in the MLS Cup playoffs.
Philadelphia, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, will host either No. 4 seed Charlotte or No. 5 seed New York City in a one-game conference semifinal.
Balibo took the lead in the sixth minute, beating goalkeeper Jeff Gall, who started in place of the injured Chris Brady, on the 18-yard edge of the box and rolling his next touch into a wide-open net. Then, in the 16th inning, Kai Wagner jumped out and Wagner scored a header in front of the goal to make it 2-0.
Bruno Damiani gave Union a 3-0 lead in the 35th minute. Milan Iroski blocked a failed clearance from Gall, making his eighth appearance and seventh start in 2025, and Damiani fired a first-touch shot from the center of the area.
Andre Blake made two saves for Union.
Gall didn’t stop shooting.
Philadelphia won the regular season matchup against the Fire 5-0 on aggregate to remain in the league. win game 1 They defeated Chicago for the fourth straight time in a penalty shootout (4-2).
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