Soccer is a game of ultra-fine margins. A thunderous header from a footballing legend. A slip from a steady, poised MVP candidate. A pair of miraculous penalty saves from an unlikely hero. These brief moments over the course of a 120-minute battle were the only difference between Jim Curtin and the Philadelphia Union hoisting the MLS Cup trophy while singing “Campeones,” and watching their opponents do it.
It’s completely natural to watch Spanish LAFC midfielder Ilie Sánchez slot home the final penalty that nailed the 2022 Philadelphia Union’s coffin and have a feeling of despair, pain, even anger.