Sunday is a must-play match as Philadelphia Union has not faced Colorado Rapids in over a year. Their last meeting was in May 2023 and ended in Philly’s favor. The Union won 2-1 with goals from Kai Wagner and Julian Carranza, but both teams have undergone significant personnel changes since then.

This is the Colorado Rapids’ first year under head coach Chris Armas, who signed after they finished 14th in the Western Conference in 2023 with just five wins overall. Under his leadership, 2024 has been very different. They currently sit atop the regular season standings, fourth behind the two Los Angeles teams and Real Salt Lake. One of their biggest changes on the pitch has been at goalie; in January, the Rapids signed Coatesville, Pennsylvania-born goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who spent four seasons with Manchester City.

During their Leagues Cup campaign, Colorado Rapids defeated four Liga MX teams in a row to make it to the semifinals. After an initial 4-0 loss to Portland, they beat León on penalties in the group stage and then defeated Juárez and Toluca in decisive victories. In the quarterfinals, Rapids held Mexican giants Club América scoreless until the end of regulation time, sending the match to penalties with the MLS side winning 9-8. Despite their momentum, they suffered another 4-0 loss on Wednesday, this time to LAFC, forcing them into the third-place match.

Philadelphia Union lost to Columbus Crew on the same day, but head coach Jim Curtin fielded a team without Tai Baribo, who missed the semifinals after picking up two yellow cards against Mazatlán. Baribo has been a top scorer in the Leagues Cup so far with five goals and will be back in action on Sunday.

Philadelphia Union and Colorado Rapids will face off in a direct duel for the chance to play in the top tournament between clubs from North America, Central America and the Caribbean in 2025. It starts on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. – tickets for the game at Subaru Park are available here!