New York City FC walked into Subaru Park on Sunday night as the undermanned underdog and walked out with a ticket to the Eastern Conference Final. A 27th-minute strike from Maxi Moralez was enough to topple top-seeded Philadelphia Union 1–0, ending the Shield winners’ season and extending NYCFC’s improbable postseason run.

The Union dominated possession, territory, and just about every attacking metric on the board. None of it mattered. NYCFC defended with a mix of calculation and defiance, leaning heavily on the brilliance of goalkeeper Matt Freese, the former Union academy product who spent years stuck behind Andre Blake before reinventing himself in New York. Freese finished with five saves, including a wild point-blank stop on Frankie Westfield in the 74th minute that preserved the lead and ultimately the season.

For all of Philadelphia’s early pressure, it was the visitors who delivered the game’s lone moment of incision. The move started with Agustín Ojeda carving inside from the right before linking with Nicolás Fernández, who played a perfectly weighted ball into the path of Moralez. The 37-year-old midfielder timed his run cleanly, beat the offside trap born from Philadelphia’s unusually high defensive line, and slid a first-time finish inside Blake’s left post.

Moralez nearly had help doubling the lead early in the second half when Fernández spotted Blake straying off his line and launched an audacious attempt from beyond midfield. Blake retreated to claw the ball away at the last instant, but the save cost him dearly. The Jamaican international appeared to injure his hamstring and exited in the 60th minute, replaced by 19-year-old Andrew Rick.

From there, Philadelphia chased desperately. They outshot NYCFC 20–6, swung in 12 crosses, earned eight corners, and forced New York to spend long stretches in an improvised low block. But the clearer chances kept falling apart in the final moment. Tai Baribo scooped a wide-open chance past the far post. Jakob Glesnes couldn’t beat Freese with back-to-back looks before halftime. And in stoppage time, Freese tipped away a dangerous strike from Milan Iloski to seal the result.

NYCFC’s resolve was as striking as the scoreline. With injuries and suspensions thinning Pascal Jansen’s squad, the visitors leaned into an aggressive press, committed to winning first and second balls, and trusted their back line to hold a narrow shape against wave after wave of Union attacks. It wasn’t pretty. It was undeniably effective.

The win marks NYCFC’s third trip to the Eastern Conference Final since 2021. Awaiting them on Nov. 29: Inter Miami, Lionel Messi, and a chance to reach MLS Cup once again.

For Philadelphia, the night was a bitter collapse at home. For New York, it was bravery rewarded.