Decision Day has officially arrived in MLS. The Eastern Conference faces off in the afternoon and the Western Conference clashes at night to determine which teams will make the 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs. For Toronto FC, this matchday doesn’t mean much. They’ve already been eliminated from postseason contention. For Philadelphia Union, the result on Saturday could determine their fate in the first round. A win would secure the six seed, while a loss could potentially put them in the play-in game.
Match Details
What: MLS Decision Day
Where: Subaru Park, Chester, Pennsylvania
When: Saturday November 7, 4:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM PT
Watch: Apple TV
Union Need Result To Secure Spot
The second half of the season was going almost perfectly for Philadelphia Union. A 15 match MLS unbeaten run propelled them from bottom of the league all the way up to a comfortable playoff spot. However, things have soured a bit lately. Philadelphia haven’t won in their last four games and are now in danger of dropping back into the play-in game. If the Union were to lose to Toronto, they could fall into eighth place. Wins from FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew would move them ahead of the Union. It isn’t the likeliest of scenarios, but that would be a disaster for Philadelphia.
The Wild Card matches will be played on November 19. That is just two days after the final games of the upcoming international break. If the Union were to play in that round, they’d be missing a whole host of players. Starting goalkeeper Andre Blake will be with Jamaica. His backup Andrew Rick and right back Frankie Westfield are with the U.S. U23 team. Neil Pierre and Cavan Sullivan are facing off against Danley Jean Jacques as the USMNT take on Haiti. Bruno Damiani just received his first ever Uruguay call up. Even homegrown striker Malik Jakupovic will be at the U17 World Cup. Philadelphia would be forced into playing six backups in the biggest game of their season. Therefore, this Decision Day match against Toronto is a must-win.
To officially clinch their spot in the first round, the Union will rely on the return of Cavan Sullivan. The 17 year old’s breakout has been one of the biggest stories of the season. His seven goals and 14 assists have been a catalyst for Philadelphia’s turnaround. He picked up a knock to his ankle three weeks ago and was forced to miss two games as a result. With Sullivan out, the Union’s unbeaten streak was snapped. The youngster made a cameo off the bench last weekend against FC Cincinnati and is expected to start against Toronto. Having their key playmaker back in the lineup will be a gamechanger for Philadelphia, who only scored one goal in their last three matches.
Toronto Playing For Nothing But Pride
Saturday will see yet another disappointing season end for Toronto FC. This is their sixth straight year of missing the postseason, the second longest drought in MLS. They did manage to pick up more points in 2026 than any of those other years, but that isn’t much of a consolation prize. All Toronto have to play for on Decision Day is their own pride and the opportunity to play spoiler against Philadelphia.
Toronto were officially eliminated from postseason contention last weekend after their 3-1 defeat to Atlanta United. They had actually been playing pretty well before that match, only losing one of their previous five games. TFC’s demise came around the midseason mark when they went 12 league matches without a win from the middle of April all the way through July. Manager Robin Fraser has now missed the playoffs in back to back seasons in his second stint as head coach of the club.
One bright spot in an underwhelming year for Toronto has been Dániel Sallói. The Hungarian joined from Sporting Kansas City in the winter and has taken well to life north of the border. Sallói leads the team in assists with 10 and is tied for the team-high in goals with nine alongside Josh Sargent. Unlike Sargent, Sallói was a bargain of a signing. He was traded for up to $1 million in General Allocation Money, a rare shrewd piece of business from Toronto. If he scores against the Union on Saturday, Sallói will become the first Toronto FC player to score 10 goals and provide 10 assists in a single season for the club since Alejandro Pozuelo in 2019.
Match Prediction
This pick is relatively straightforward. Philadelphia Union need a result, while Toronto FC don’t have anything to play for. Although the Union will likely be missing star striker Milan Iloski, the return of Cavan Sullivan to the starting lineup should provide enough of a boost to get them over the line.
Prediction: Philadelphia Union 2-1 Toronto FC
Braden Hines is a writer and data analyst with a passion for U.S. Soccer. Runs American Ultras Talk on YouTube and X. Works for Carolina Ascent FC and Syracuse Men’s Soccer.
