Union goalkeeper Andre Blake rings Sixers’ bell ahead of first win

Sixers star Tyrese Maxey attended a Union game in late August, banging the pregame drum ahead of an emphatic win by the soccer team. Dániel Gazdag, the Union’s leading scorer, even paid tribute to the city’s basketball brothers with a jump shot celebration after he notched the opening goal.

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It was the Union’s turn, then, to return the favor. Andre Blake, the team’s goalkeeper, did the honors ahead of the 76ers game against the Indiana Pacers. It proved a good omen, as the Sixers won for the first time this season.

Other Union players in attendance courtside at the Sixers game were forwards Julián Carranza, Mikael Uhre, and backup goalkeeper Matt Freese.

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Maxey’s moment on the Union drum became part of the playoff hype video narrated by former Villanova basketball coach Jay Wright. Jim Curtin, the Union manager, is a Villanova alum. The Queen Village resident played college soccer for the Wildcats.

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The Union are part of a run of Philadelphia sporting excellence that includes the Eagles and the Phillies. The team has advanced in the playoffs to the Eastern Conference final against New York City F.C. The game is a rematch of last year’s conference final. Six Union starters, including Blake, were unable to play in that 2021 final due to COVID-19 protocols.

The Eastern Conference final against NYCFC will be played Sunday at 8 p.m. at Subaru Park.

The winner of the match advances to the MLS Cup final. If the Union advance, the game will be played in Philadelphia or Los Angeles, depending on which MLS club advances out of the Western Conference final.