Philadelphia Union clinched Major League Soccer’s Supporters’ Shield on Saturday after a 1-0 victory over New York City FC saw it clinch the best record of the regular season.
Danish striker Mikael Uhre scored the game’s only goal to spark wild celebrations in front of Philadelphia’s raucous Subaru Park home crowd.
Uhre’s 40th-minute strike after a sweeping counter-attack was all that separated the two teams in a tense duel which saw New York City threaten to snatch a late equaliser.
The victory means Philadelphia will enter the postseason as the top seed after assuring itself of the league’s best record with one game to spare in the Eastern Conference.
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The result also marked a stunning achievement for Union’s South African coach, Bradley Carnell, who only took over as Philadelphia coach in January.
“It’s sweet, this has been building since match day one,” Carnell said afterwards.
“These guys invested in the very beginning, and they get rewarded today. You just have to tip your hat to everybody here at the club. It starts with the organisation, and goes all the way down, everyone pulling in the same direction. Just a fun, fun season,” he added.
The result marks a swift transformation for Philadelphia, which failed to reach the MLS Cup playoffs last season.
“This is a winning team and it just needed to be refounded — the foundations just needed to be filed off and polished,” Carnell added.
Published on Oct 05, 2025