Philadelphia Union vs. New York City FC 10/30/22 - Major League Soccer Picks & Predictions

The Philadelphia Union hosts New York City FC on Sunday in the MLS Eastern Conference Cup playoffs final. This is the second consecutive year that Philadelphia and New York City have played in the Eastern Conference Final with last year New York City FC winning 2-1 and going on to win the MLS Cup. Philadelphia is riding a 10-match winning streak at home with its most recent a 1-0 victory over Cincinnati in the conference semifinals. 

Philadelphia's victory over Cincinnati was the fourth time the Union have  advanced in postseason play but only the first time they advanced without needing to go to extra time or penalties. This season Philadelphia has been led by Daniel Gazdag with a team-high 19 goals, while Julian Carranza is second in goals scored with 14 and Mikkel Uhre is a close third with 12.

New York City FC has won five consecutive matches and during the conference final, which includes its most recent 3-1 win in the conference semifinals versus CF Montreal. The five consecutive victories is tied for the longest in club history, which equals a mark set in 2019. New York City FC is unbeaten in five consecutive playoff matches on the road with two wins and three draws after defeating Montreal last Sunday.

Maxi Moralez scored New York City FC’s first goal of the match versus Montreal last Sunday. Moralez has scored four postseason goals for New York City FC to set a new club record and also holds the club record for playoff assists with six. Dating back to 2018, Moralez has been involved in 10 of the last 19 goals that New York City FC has scored in the postseason.