Jim Curtin is confident the Philadelphia Union have put themselves in a good position, but admits they need to stop dropping points ahead of their trip to Orlando City.
The Union had recorded back-to-back wins in MLS before last weekend, when they let a lead slip to draw 1-1 with Atlanta United.
It leaves them ninth in the Eastern Conference, one of three teams on 37 points, as they push for a place in the playoffs.
Despite the tight table, Curtin is optimistic that their solid work to this point will be enough to help them qualify.
"We're at a point in the year that every team in and around that red line are very desperate," he said.
"It's going to go down to the last day for sure, and we've put ourselves in a situation where we're still in control of our own destiny, but our margin for error is small.
"Not taking the extra two points against Atlanta makes it a little more challenging, no doubts about that."
Meanwhile, Orlando clinched their playoff place last time out with a 3-1 win over FC Dallas.
Sitting fourth in the table, Oscar Pareja was proud of how his team turned around a poor start to the campaign but is still pushing them to finish the regular season strongly.
"We're so excited, and we have a lot of gratitude with the club and with the fans that have supported us this year," Pareja said. "One more time we qualify for the playoffs.
"It's great for a group of players that have a big heart and a big love for the club too, and a lot of passion for what they do. So, I'm very happy.
"We still have a journey to navigate. The boys are in a good mentality."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Orlando City – Facundo Torres
With a goal on Saturday, Facundo Torres has contributed to at least one goal in five straight regular season matches, equalling the longest streak of his career.
The Orlando City club record for consecutive games with a goal contribution is six, done three times before, including by Martin Ojeda earlier this season.
Philadelphia Union – Nathan Harriel
The Union drew, 1-1, with Atlanta United on Saturday despite taking a 1-0 lead, with Harriel scoring their lone goal.
Philadelphia have now dropped 24 points from winning positions this season, the second-most in MLS in 2024 (St. Louis City – 25) and most in a single season in club history, and Harriel will want to help his fellow defenders ensure it does not happen again.
MATCH PREDICTION: ORLANDO CITY WIN
Orlando defeated the Union 3-2 at Subaru Park on May 11. The Lions have never defeated Philadelphia twice in a single season before.
Indeed, Orlando are unbeaten in nine straight home matches (W6 D3) in all competitions, including keeping clean sheets in each of the last four. This is the first time they kept clean sheets in four straight home matches in all competitions in club history.
Meanwhile, the Union have won two of their last three regular-season away matches (L1), including a 5-1 victory at New York City FC on September 18. Philadelphia had won only one of their previous eight road league matches prior to this run.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Orlando City – 45.9%
Draw – 26.7%
Philadelphia Union – 27.4%
Barcelona 5-0 Young Boys: Lewandowski brace leads Blaugrana to five-star win
Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Barcelona thrashed Young Boys 5-0 on Tuesday, bouncing back from their opening Champions League defeat at Monaco.
Hansi Flick's team were beaten 2-1 by Monaco in their first game in the competition's new-look league phase, but there were no surprises when Young Boys visited Montjuic on matchday two.
Lewandowski gave the hosts the lead in the eighth minute by tapping in a low Raphinha cross, following good combination play between the Brazilian and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.
After the hosts squandered some decent chances, a quickfire double from Raphinha and Inigo Martinez gave Barca a 3-0 lead, the Brazilian netting a rebound in the 34th minute and Martinez scoring with a towering header less than three minutes later.
Lewandowski got his second and Barca's fourth shortly after half-time, nodding a Martinez corner home from inside the six-yard box, then Young Boys defender Mohamed Camara bundled the ball into his own net while trying to clear Alejandro Balde's cross late on.
Data Debrief: Lewandowski level with Messi
As well as helping Barca to a crucial victory following their matchday one defeat, Lewandowski's double saw him draw level with Lionel Messi as the most ruthless finishers in Champions League history.
He now averages 0.79 goals per 90 minutes in the competition, a figure only matched by Blaugrana great Messi among all players to play a minimum of 50 matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo (0.77 goals per 90), Ruud van Nistelrooy (0.77) and Karim Benzema (0.59) trail Lewandowski and Messi for that metric.
The Poland star has also now scored 51 Champions League goals after turning 30 years old, becoming just the second player to accomplish that feat after Ronaldo (68).
Slovan Bratislava 0-4 Manchester City: Guardiola's men up and running in Champions League
Manchester City got their Champions League campaign up and running with a 4-0 rout of Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday, with Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland and James McAtee scoring.
The Premier League champions set up camp in Slovan's half and laid siege to their goal for the duration of the contest at the Stadion Tehelne Pole.
They only needed eight minutes to make the breakthrough as Gundogan scored his first goal since returning to the club after a single season at Barcelona, with his shot deflecting in off Kyriakos Savvidis.
Foden then doubled City's lead with his first goal of the season in the 15th minute, latching onto a pass from Jeremy Doku and curling a strike into the bottom corner.
Haaland killed the game as a contest just before the hour mark, sprinting onto Rico Lewis's pass then stepping around goalkeeper Dominik Takac before slotting into the empty net for his 42nd goal in Europe's premier club competition.
Foden then added an assist to his earlier goal in the 74th minute, teeing up youngster McAtee for his first ever City goal with a dinked pass.
City, winners of the 2022-23 Champions League, opened this season's campaign with a 0-0 draw with Inter and now sit fourth in the standings. Slovan, meanwhile, are 35th after also losing 5-1 to Celtic on matchday one.
Data Debrief: City equal United record
City's victory saw them stretch their unbeaten run in the Champions League to 25 matches, with a penalty shoot-out defeat to Real Madrid last season the only blot on their record since the start of the 2022-23 campaign.
It is the joint-longest streak in the competition's history, alongside Manchester United's run between September 2007 and May 2009, which included them lifting the trophy in 2007-08.
City have won 17 and drawn eight of their matches in that run, plundering 64 goals to just 38 by United on their streak.
They will have the chance to overhaul their neighbours outright on matchday three, when they host Sparta Prague.
Borussia Dortmund 7-1 Celtic: Adeyemi scores first-half hat-trick in rout
Karim Adeyemi scored a first-half hat-trick as Borussia Dortmund hammered Celtic 7-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday, scoring their first five goals in the opening 42 minutes.
The 80,000-strong crowd started the celebrations early at the Westfalenstadion, with Emre Can scoring from the spot in the seventh minute after Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel upended Jamie Gittens and was booked.
Celtic momentarily hushed the deafening Yellow Wall two minutes later when Daizen Maeda bundled in a cross from Arne Engels but Adeyemi restored the lead with a shot deflected in off Auston Trusty in the 11th minute.
The Germany winger extended the hosts' lead just before the half-hour mark when he lashed a shot into the top corner past a diving Schmeichel, then won a 39th-minute penalty for Serhou Guirassy to tuck away before completing his hat-trick three minutes later.
Guirassy grabbed his second goal of the night midway through the second half for last season’s Champions League runners-up.
BVB substitute Felix Nmecha then completed the rout with 11 minutes left, with Celtic having Schmeichel to thank for keeping the sobering scoreline to seven.
It is two straight wins for Dortmund to start this season’s competition, while Celtic have been brought emphatically back down to earth after putting five goals past Slovan Bratislava on Matchday One.
Data Debrief: Adeyemi matches Gomez feat
Gittens was Dortmund’s star man in their opening win against Club Brugge, but it was Adeyemi who came to the fore here, becoming only the second German player to score three goals in the first half of a Champions League match.
The only other such player to achieve the feat was Mario Gomez for Bayern Munich in 2011 against Napoli.
Guirassy, meanwhile, has joined Gittens and Adeyemi in making a fine start to the tournament, racing on to three goals with his double.
Dortmund were rewarded for their attackers' accurate finishing, getting 13 of their 16 attempts on target and vastly outperforming their xG total of 2.91.
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