On Sunday afternoon at Subaru Park, the Philadelphia Union reclaimed an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs berth by defeating Orlando City SC 3-1 in an impressive Eastern Conference performance. Despite the loss, the Lions maintain their top-four position, but they are at risk of falling farther down the table, having lost three games in a row.

In the first half, the Union were largely the superior team, and in the 37th minute, they were rewarded for a sustained stream of pressure, albeit with a fair dose of conflict. During a set-piece, Kacper Przybylko looked to foul Orlando defender Rodrigo Schlegel, and the assistant referee raised his flag - but the advantage was played as Orlando regained possession. The Lions promptly handed the ball over to a potent Union counter-press, which the home team exploited. Corey Burke found Kai Wagner on the run, and his shot took a nasty deflection off of Schlegel, leaving goalkeeper Pedro Gallese alone. The 1-0 goal was upheld after a long Video Review.

In the second half, Orlando came back strong. Mauricio Pereira picked out a wide-open Ruan on the back post after a period of sustained pressure. The wingback showed superb goal-scoring skill by looping a header off the post and into the net from a tight angle. However, the equalizer only lasted four minutes. The ball ultimately found Przybylko for an easy finish from close range after a succession of failed tackles in and around the penalty area. It was his first goal in ten appearances for the Union.

Przybylko scored a second goal late in the game to seal the victory. Sergio Santos was brought down in the area by Orlando defender Antonio Carlos, earning the visitors a red card and a penalty kick against them. Philadelphia squeezed past D.C. United to claim the Eastern Conference's final playoff position on Sunday, a much-needed rebound. Orlando, however, has dropped three consecutive games and appears to be far from their early-season form. In this game, they were missing Nani and Andres Perea due to red card bans, but they never quite got into second gear.

[Photography by ICONIC photographer Trey Madara]