The Philadelphia Union snapped a four-game winless run on Saturday, picking up a 4-1 win over Toronto FC to close out the MLS regular season at Subaru Park in Chester, P.A.
Cavan Sullivan, the Union’s (14-12-8, 50 points) 17-year-old superstar, scored twice in the victory and drew a penalty kick, which his older brother Quinn Sullivan finished.
With two goals, Cavan Sullivan ended the regular season with nine goals and 14 assists, extending his record for the most goal contributions in a single MLS season by a teenager.
With three points secured, the Union also avoided the MLS Wild Card matchup and clinched sixth place in the Eastern Conference, booking themselves a first-round best-of-three series against the No. 3-seed New England Revolution.
The younger Sullivan oCavan Sullivan opened the scoring in the 28th minute, finishing a pass from Indiana Vassilev, who dished a ball to Cavan Sullivan to slot it into a gaping net.
Before halftime, the Union doubled their lead in the 41st minute after Toronto FC (9-13-12, 39 points) defender Richard Chukwu took down Cavan Sullivan in the penalty area, leading Quinn Sullivan to score from the penalty spot.
While the Union continued to push forward at the end of the opening frame, Toronto FC were able to claw a goal back when Josh Sargent headed home a corner kick from Djordje Mihailovic in the 45+7th minute.
The Union regained their two-goal lead early in the second half through another Sullivan link-up, as Quinn Sullivan sliced a ball on a counter-attacking run to Cavan Sullivan, who finished on his first touch for the brace in the 58th minute.
They extended their lead to 4-1 in the 73rd minute through Bruno Damiani’s penalty, his 13th goal of the season.
Union goalkeeper Andre Blake left the match at halftime and was replaced by Andrew Rick, with no immediate injury update available. Set to retire after the regular season, club legend Alejandro Bedoya came on for a farewell appearance in the 90+6 minute.
Toronto FC ended their season with two straight losses after last week’s 3-1 defeat against Atlanta United, missing the MLS Cup Playoffs for the sixth straight season.
Both teams will send players on international duty, with the Union’s Cavan Sullivan and 6-foot-7 center back Neil Pierre set to represent the U.S. men’s national team against Haiti in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals, before returning to the Union for the postseason.
–Field Level Media
