Philadelphia Union advance to Eastern Conference finals
CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Leon Flach scored his first goal of the season on Thursday night in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and the top-seeded Philadelphia Union beat fifth-seeded Cincinnati 1-0.
Philadelphia, which is unbeaten at Subaru Park this year (13-0-5), will face the winner of Sunday's New York City FC-Montreal match in the conference finals.
Flach scored in the 59th minute. Mikael Uhre beat two defenders to a loose ball in front of the net and sent it to the penalty spot for Flach's one-touch finish.
Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake recorded his 16th clean sheet of the season. Blake made five saves, including a diving stop of Brandon Vazquez's breakaway shot in the 83rd.
Cincinnati, coming off a win over the New York Red Bulls, was seeking to become the third expansion team in MLS history to advance in its first two postseason rounds.