All wins are big during the MLS season, but Wednesday night’s 3-0 victory over Toronto FC carried extra weight. Yes, it was close to a must win, which may have drawn laughter from those who argue that nearly every team makes the playoffs, which is true and tends to water down singular results.
But the Union had only won once in their prior seven games heading into Toronto, and the lone win came against a DC United team that had been near the bottom of the table for most of the season. The previous performances created some causes for concern: un-insprired draws against Chicago, Red Bulls, and Inter Miami where the Union had to claw back from early goals and single-goal road losses to Nashville and Orlando City where the Union never appeared to get going.