In the 57th minute of the Eastern Conference Final, Maxi Moralez finished off a crafty breakdown of the Philadelphia Union defense to give New York City FC a 1-0 lead. While Moralez and his New York City FC teammates celebrated in front of the Union supporters, the diminished but audible cheers from the away fans filled the crisp air that had just sunk.
Up until that point, the Union had controlled the game, giving the visitors nothing forward by pressing high in their defensive end and crowding the midfield whenever a playmaker touched the ball.