Sullivan brothers score as Philadelphia Union beat Toronto FC

Philadelphia Union Clinch Sixth Place in Eastern Conference After 4-1 Rout Over Toronto FC

What looked like a straightforward regular-season finale on paper turned into a turbulent afternoon of erased goals, family milestones, and playoff positioning in Chester, Pennsylvania. Entering Saturday’s match with their postseason ticket already punched, the Philadelphia Union needed to solidify their playoff seeding against an eliminated Toronto FC squad hunting for their first road victory in this fixture since March 2019. Instead of coasting, the Union put the ball in the net six times on Saturday, with four of them officially counting to seal a 4-1 victory.

The win vaults Philadelphia (14-12-8, 50 points) into sixth place in the Eastern Conference, setting up a first-round, best-of-three series against the third-seeded New England Revolution after the November international window. For interim head coach Ryan Richter, the result is the latest chapter in a mid-season turnaround. Since Richter took over during the World Cup break, the Union have earned 43 of a possible 57 points while outscoring their opponents 48-22.

The Sullivan Brothers Write MLS History Against Toronto FC

Saturday’s fixture belonged squarely to the Sullivan family. Cavan Sullivan scored twice and Quinn Sullivan added a goal and two assists, marking the first time the brother duo scored in the same professional match for the club. In doing so, they became just the third brother combination in MLS history to each score for the same club in the same match, joining Gonzalo and Federico Higuaín and Diego and Yimmi Chará.

The afternoon was nearly dizzying for anyone trying to track the scoreboard. The Union actually found the back of the net six times in a first half filled with whistles and VAR checks. Quinn Sullivan had an opening goal in the 11th minute chalked off, and a late first-half strike by Frankie Westfield was similarly erased after referee Tim Ford ruled that Quinn Sullivan was in an offside position and in the sightline of Toronto goalkeeper William Yarbrough.

Despite the officiating chaos, the scores that did count dictated the match. Cavan Sullivan opened the official scoring in the 28th minute. Quinn Sullivan initiated the sequence with a cross in front of goal that Indiana Vassilev settled, pulling Yarbrough out of his area and leaving Cavan with a close-range finish into an empty net. Quinn Sullivan then calmly converted a penalty kick in the 41st minute to double the lead to 2-0.

Toronto, rotating much of its squad after being eliminated from playoff contention the previous week, found a brief lifeline in first-half stoppage time. Josh Sargent swooped in unmarked during the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time to thump home a header from a corner kick delivered by Djordje Mihailovic, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

Quinn Sullivan Sets up Cavan Sullivan for Record Goal

The second half brought fewer whistles and clearer separation for the home side. In the 58th minute, Quinn Sullivan led a 2-on-1 breakaway following a flick header from Bruno Damiani, finding a trailing Cavan Sullivan for a clinical one-touch finish. The strike marked Cavan’s ninth goal of the season and extended his record for most goal contributions by a teenager in a single MLS regular season to 23, surpassing Diego Fagúndez’s mark of 20 set in 2013.

The teenager has enjoyed a whirlwind autumn. Just last month, Cavan Sullivan became the youngest scorer in United States men’s national team history when he found the net against Mexico. Bruno Damiani capped the scoring in the 73rd minute by converting another penalty kick after Quinn Sullivan was fouled in the box by Jonathan Osorio.

Despite the offensive fireworks, the Union absorbed a minor defensive worry. Goalkeeper Andre Blake exited at halftime due to an undisclosed injury. Richter told reporters after the match that Blake felt something in his groin, though the interim coach added that it did not appear to be overly serious.

Bedoya’s Final Regular-Season Appearance

The afternoon also marked the final regular-season appearance for Alejandro Bedoya, who earlier in the week announced he is retiring after his 11th season with the Union. Richter brought Bedoya on late as a substitute, giving the veteran midfielder a curtain call in front of the home supporters before turning attention toward the postseason.

With Toronto (9-13-12) heading into the offseason, Philadelphia turns its focus eastward and northward. The sixth-seeded Union will prepare to battle the third-seeded New England Revolution in the opening round of the MLS Cup playoffs.