New York City FC were 25 minutes away from glory.
After a disjointed and tense first half, NYCFC opened the scoring in the 57th minute when a charging Maxi Moralez took his chances from outside of the top of the box and buried his shot past MLS Goalkeeper of the Year André Blake.
It was an improbable goal that shifted the tide in a game that Philadelphia Union were widely expected to win. Unfortunately for NYCFC, that change in momentum lasted just eight minutes. A focused Philadelphia scored on a quick restart that caught NYCFC napping, then scored again two minutes later when a rattled Sean Johnson was exposed by his defense.