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Morales, Freese help NYCFC beat No. 1 seed Union 1-0, advance to conference finals

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Morales, Freese help NYCFC beat No. 1 seed Union 1-0, advance to conference finals | iNFOnews.ca
New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese, center left, stops a shot on goal by Philadelphia Union defender Jakob Glesnes (5) during the first half of MLS soccer's Eastern Conference semifinal, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Chester, Pa. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
Original Publication Date: November 23, 2025 7:08PM
Publication Updated: November 23, 2025 7:24PM

CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Maxi Moralez opened the scoring in the 27th minute and New York City FC beat the No. 1 seed Philadelphia Union 1-0 on Sunday night to win the Eastern Conference semifinals.

New York City’s Matt Freese had five saves. including a stop of a first-touch shot by Frankie Westfield, off an arcing entry played by Milan Iloski, from point-blank range in the 74th minute.

Philadelphia, which won the 2025 Supporters Shield, lost at Subaru Park for just the second time this season.

No. 5 seed NYCFC plays at third-seeded Miami, which beat Cincinnati 4-0 in the other conference semifinal, on Saturday. The winner advances to the MLS Cup on Dec. 6.

On the counter-attack, Moralez perfectly timed his run onto a ball played ahead by Nicolás Fernández and beat goalkeeper Andre Blake with a rolling shot from the center of the area the slipped inside the left post.

Blake had two saves, which included a diving stop of a shot by Fernández from beyond midfield in the 55th minute. Blake appeared to have injured his hamsting on the play and was replaced by Andrew Rick — finished with a save — in the 60th.

The Union outshot NYCFC 9-3 in the first half and 20-6 overall.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Morales, Freese help NYCFC beat No. 1 seed Union 1-0, advance to conference finals | iNFOnews.ca
New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese stops a shot on goal during the first half of MLS soccer’s Eastern Conference semifinal against the Philadelphia Union, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Chester, Pa. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
Morales, Freese help NYCFC beat No. 1 seed Union 1-0, advance to conference finals | iNFOnews.ca
New York City FC defender Raul Gustavo, right, leaps toward Philadelphia Union defender Nathan Harriel (26) during the first half of MLS soccer’s Eastern Conference semifinal, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Chester, Pa. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)

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