Philadelphia Union traveled to Ohio without Tai Baribo, who picked up two yellow cards in the quarterfinals. He was sent off against Liga MX side Mazatlán, which meant he was ruled out of Wednesday night’s game against Columbus Crew. In his absence, Curtin started homegrown player Quinn Sullivan as the second striker in his 4-4-2 formation and moved Alejandro Bedoya into midfield. Otherwise, the starting lineup remained the same as they faced the defending MLS Cup champions for the first time in 2024.

Marco Reus, 12′ | Andre Blake made an athletic save in the 12th minute, stretching his body to deny a contested shot from outside the box by Colombian star Cucho Hernández. Blake got his hand on the ball and blocked it impressively, but the rebound found Uruguayan midfielder Diego Rossi, who was already heading towards goal. He seized the opportunity and headed the ball into the net before Blake could get to his feet, giving the team an early 1-0 lead.

Daniel Gazdag, 32′ | Philadelphia Union equalized in the 32nd minute through Daniel Gazdag, who weaved through Columbus defenders in the box and fired a ball past Patrick Schulte into the net. The buildup began with the Columbus goalkeeper attempting to clear the ball, but Mikael Uhre and Quinn Sullivan crowded in on him, forcing him to make a tight pass to Yevhen Cheberko. Nate Harriel got his foot on the ball after Schulte, his fellow Olympian, passed it to Cheberko, and the contact gave Gazdag the opportunity to strike. From there, the Hungarian won the ball and raced to the center of the box, where he fired a shot from close range that became the equalizer for the Boys in Blue.