The Philadelphia Union lost 2-1 in the season finale on Saturday night to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Thus ends a six-year postseason streak that included a Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup final appearance. Postgame at Subaru Park, left back Kai Wagner said what fans and media have been saying all year long:

There’s truth to a lot of what Wagner is talking about. It starts with ownership and the front office for not bolstering a squad that was clearly on the downslope of an amazing multi-year run. They added Tai Baribo, but he sat on the bench for too long before they discovered that the guy should be a everyday starter. They sold Jose Martinez and his replacement, Danley Jean-Jacques joined more than halfway through the campaign. They added 14 year old Cavan Sullivan, which served as more of a public relations move than anything meaningful on the field, at least in 2024. The Sam Adeniran trade and Markus Anderson signing amounted to nothing. The homegrowns did reasonably well, Quinn Sullivan and Jack McGlynn leading that group, but this particular class is a level below the Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie group. Andre Blake was injured in the spring, the aging center halves took a step backward, and they dug themselves a hole that they couldn’t climb out of through the summer and into the fall. Outside of a short run to the Leagues Cup semifinal, they looked like a team that just didn’t have enough juice.

With 37 points, the Union finished this season 12th place in the East. The 1.09 points per game number is tied for third-worst in franchise history. They actually had a +7 goal differential, which is the product of one-goal losses, but unfortunately +GD doesn’t get you into the playoffs. They finished with eight home losses in a stadium that used to be a fortress.

Philadelphia Union over the last eight seasons:

  • 2024: 12th place, 37 points, 1.09 PPG, 9 wins, 15 losses, 10 draws, +7 goal differential
  • 2023: 4th place, 55 points, 1.62 PPG, 15 wins, 9 losses, 10 draws, +16 goal differential
  • 2022: 1st place, 67 points, 1.97 PPG, 19 wins, 5 losses, 10 draws, +46 goal differential (lost Supporters’ Shield on tiebreaker)
  • 2021: 2nd place, 54 points, 1.59 PPG, 22 wins, 5 losses, 7 draws, +13 goal differential
  • 2020: 1st place, 47 points, 2.04 PPG, 14 wins, 4 losses, 5 draws, +24 goal differential (won Shield)
  • 2019: 3rd place, 55 points, 1.62 PPG, 16 wins, 11 losses, 7 draws, +8 goal differential
  • 2018: 6th place, 50 points, 1.47 PPG, 15 wins, 14 losses, 5 draws, -1 goal differential
  • 2017: 8th place, 42 points, 1.24 PPG, 11 wins, 14 losses, 9 draws, +3 goal differential

Huge offseason coming up. Obviously. We’ll find out if ownership and the front office are serious about being competitors, or if they were happy with that incredible moneyball run and just content to see their investment grow.