Union clinch their second Supporters’ Shield thanks to three key veterans

Fans arrived at Subaru Park on Saturday ready to be hurt.

There was so much to gain, and so much to lose. A win would earn the Union the Supporters’ Shield, and anything else would send the race to its last day, with all its fears of an epic collapse.

The tension in the air was ferocious. But the Union cut through it with two moments for the history books, and at the end of the night, the Supporters’ Shield was theirs again.

The first came when Mikael Uhre scored in the 40th minute, the only goal of the 1-0 win over New York City FC. The second was when Andre Blake and Alejandro Bedoya lifted the team’s second major trophy together, amid an explosion of confetti and fireworks.

The fans rose to the moment too, most notably in the 88th minute, when Danley Jean Jacques shot over the bar and New York’s Maximo Carrizo had a goal rightly called off at the other end seconds later.

The crowd roared from then on to the finish, a noise that will live long into collective memories.

» READ MORE: The Union clinch the Supporters’ Shield, topping New York City FC ,1-0, on Mikael Uhre’s goal

At last, it was time to party. Principal owner Jay Sugarman gave a valedictory speech, and sporting director Ernst Tanner added a rallying cry: “Good things are happening again in Philadelphia!”

Bradley Carnell spoke next, with his last words cut off by an ice bucket shower. And then, finally, it was trophy time, with each player getting to lift it. Quinn Sullivan’s moment was especially emotional as he stood on a torn ACL, and he passed the Shield to his brother, Cavan, for the first title of his professional career.

From there, it was on to the locker room, with champagne and cigars all over — and ginger ale for the many Union players under 21.

As the celebrations unfurled, three players stood out for how important the moment was for them, and their roles on a team that can once again be called a winner.

» READ MORE: The Union had extra motivation with a trophy at stake: to win it for Quinn Sullivan

When the Union won their first Supporters’ Shield in 2020, the trophy didn’t arrive in time because it got stuck in a shipping delay. Longtime captain Bedoya famously had to lift a hastily made replica instead, built from a Captain America prop.

This time, he got to lift the real thing.

“It feels great,” Bedoya said. “I know how much heavier this one is than the fake ‘Captain America’ one, so I was ready to lift the heavier version of it.”

Bedoya repeatedly saluted his teammates and the team effort that won this game. He also admitted how much the moment meant to him personally.

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“I’m very happy with this,” he said. “It’s a culmination of everybody’s effort and dedication, commitment to what the Union is all about. But I’m ready, I want to feel what it’s like to lift the MLS Cup. That’s the one I want to really feel.”

The 38-year-old midfielder knows he’s running out of time for that. He isn’t a regular starter anymore, and on Saturday, Bedoya and fellow veteran Olivier Mbaizo subbed on in the 80th minute as all-hands-on-deck defensive closers.

“It’s not so much about X’s and O’s,” Bedoya said. “Bradley always harps on, the tactics might change, the system might change, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the principles that he put forward. It’s all about the pressing, shifting, taking the last step, going hard, and that’s all I try to do — bring that energy to the field with Mbaizo at that point of the game, just to make sure we keep the shutout and hold on to the lead.”

And he said again that he doesn’t want to be done just yet.

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“I really want MLS Cup so bad,” he said. “And then, you know, I can [expletive] ride off into the sunset.”

Sometimes, Blake seems in a bad mood even when he’s winning. On Saturday, he let himself truly rejoice.

It gets lost to history that Blake didn’t play the night the Union won the Shield in 2020, because of a hand injury. Coincidentally, the goalkeeper at the other end of the field in this game was the one who was in net back then: Matt Freese.

In the final seconds Saturday, Freese came all the way across the field to be an extra man on a New York corner kick. As Blake went up for the ball, Freese was the closest of any opposing player. Blake got there first, and made a firm catch. That proved to be the last play of the game, and it was fitting that Blake made it.

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Blake has pushed his own team over the years, aiming not just at his locker room but at the owners’ checkbook. The Union still don’t spend on stars, but the club’s longest-tenured player now has a second trophy on his mantel — one that will help define his legacy as one of the great goalkeepers in MLS history.

“It’s just hard work paying off — there’s no better feeling,” he said. “I always say I prefer team trophies, team accolades over individual accolades. And just being able to celebrate this moment with the team, words can’t describe how I feel right now.”

In fact, Blake has many reasons to celebrate. He and his wife just welcomed their latest child, and on Monday, he’ll head to Jamaica’s national team for two big World Cup qualifiers: at Curaçao on Friday and home vs. Bermuda next Tuesday.

If the Reggae Boyz win both, they’ll take a huge step toward reaching their first men’s World Cup since 1998 — and at last, the first of Blake’s career.

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“Things are going my way right now, and I’m just grateful,” he said. “I’m living in the moment, and when it’s your time, it’s your time.”

There have no doubt been prettier goals among Uhre’s 43 all-time for the Union. But few have been more significant, and not just because it won the club a trophy.

Uhre is out of contract after this year, and it won’t be a surprise if he’s gone. Had he not automatically triggered his option year on performance last season, he’d have departed last winter. This year, his fourth with the Union, is on track to go down as his first without double-digit scoring — and Carnell has clearly put him below Tai Baribo and Bruno Damiani on the depth chart.

On Saturday, Carnell trusted Uhre with a start, a surprise given the striker’s knee issue that made him questionable on the injury report. And this time, Uhre paid it back, not just with the goal but with two tackles and four duels won from seven contested. After a 58-minute shift, he was subbed off to a standing ovation.

» READ MORE: Mikael Uhre played a big role in the Union's statement win at D.C. United a week ago

“That obviously also means a lot, showing him that I’m ready whenever I’m called upon,” he said.

His contract status came up, and he didn’t mind talking about it.

“You want to leave a good impression, no matter if you end up staying or you end up going,” Uhre said. “So obviously it was huge to score the goal, and the guys brought it home, and then obviously to lift the shield, that was an amazing feeling.”

As MLS now stops for the FIFA window, the Union have two weeks until their next game, the regular-season finale at Charlotte.

It won’t mean anything for the visitors beyond being a chance to reestablish rhythm going into the playoffs. And with Uhre, Indiana Vassilev, and Jeremy Rafanello all banged up, there will be ample time to rest tired legs before the first round of the MLS playoffs kicks off Oct. 24-26.

“That’s obviously also important, and I feel like also the weather change now is a factor that’s going to help us,” Uhre said. “Obviously, celebrate this, but then rest a little bit and then get back on it. Because it’s a physical, demanding style [that the Union play], so you’ve also got to stay on top of your routines.”

It’s a luxury that the Union have fully earned.

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