NEW YORK — Huntsville City FC wasn’t the first choice of Philadelphia Union II for their MLS NEXT Pro semifinal.
In fact, Philadelphia had no choice who they would play.
In the league’s Pick-Your-Opponent format, matchups for the Conference Semifinals were determined by the highest remaining seed in each conference selecting and hosting an opponent from the two lowest seeded teams.
So, Eastern Conference No. 1 New York Red Bulls II selected No. 6 Chicago Fire FC II, leaving the Boys in Blue for Union II.
The two teams will tangle Saturday at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa., just outside of Philadelphia and the home of the MLS Union. Kickoff is 6 p.m. ET.
In Philadelphia, the showdown features the league’s third-highest scoring offense in Union II (64 goals) against Huntsville City FC and its stifling defense that allowed the fewest goals this season (32 goals). However, Union II boasts the second-best defensive record in the 2025 season, trailing Huntsville by just two goals (34 goals conceded).
The teams met just once in this season – a 2-2 stalemate in March at The Joe – with HCFC winning the post-match penalty shootout 4-3.
In last week’s quarterfinals, Huntsville City FC played spoiler for No. 4 Chattanooga FC as Christian Koffi assisted on a goal and scored another in their 2-0 victory.
The Conference Finals (weekend of Oct. 31) and MLS NEXT Pro Cup (weekend of Nov. 7) will follow a traditional bracket style, after the first two rounds’ matchups were determined by the league’s Pick-Your-Opponent format.
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