Philadelphia Union rout Toronto FC 4-1 as Cavan Sullivan scores twice and VAR wipes out two more goals

The final score reads 4-1 for Philadelphia Union over Toronto FC, but the match could have opened with a very different number. In the 10th minute, Quinn Sullivan poked the ball home and the goal was celebrated for a moment, until VAR ruled it out. That wasn't the only review of the night: right at the start of the second half, another goal, this one from Frankie Westfield, was also wiped off the board after a replay check. Union didn't need either of those to put the game away at Subaru Park in MLS action.

The real opener came in the 27th minute, when Cavan Sullivan finished with his left foot from close range after a setup from Indiana Vassilev, making it 1-0. Thirteen minutes later, Quinn Sullivan himself doubled the lead from the penalty spot, curling a shot into the top corner after Richard Chukwu fouled an opponent inside the box. The teams went into the break at 2-0, though not without a scare: the second VAR overturn came right at the start of the second half.

Toronto FC answered quickly. In the 51st minute, Josh Sargent headed home from close range off a Djordje Mihailovic corner kick delivery, making it 2-1 just before the hour mark. But the visitors' hopes didn't last long: six minutes after the restart, Cavan Sullivan netted his second goal of the night with a low shot from the middle of the box, set up by Quinn Sullivan on a quick counterattack, to make it 3-1. The scoring wrapped up in the 72nd minute with another penalty, this time conceded by Matheus Pereira against Quinn Sullivan, which Bruno Damiani converted with his left foot to seal the 4-1 final.

A gap that showed up in the numbers

Philadelphia Union's dominance wasn't only on the scoreboard. Despite holding less of the ball, the home side was far more incisive in the opposing box.

Toronto controlled more of the ball but struggled to turn that possession into real danger, managing just a single shot on target all match. According to our expected goals estimate based on the shots taken in the game, Philadelphia Union generated 4.60 xG compared to just 0.66 xG for Toronto, a gap that reflects just how one sided the home side's offensive control was, even setting aside the two VAR overturns and the two penalty goals that padded the final score.

Before kickoff, our model gave Philadelphia Union a 61% chance of winning, against 17% for Toronto and 22% for a draw, with expected goals of 2.2 for the home side and 1.1 for the visitors. The result ended up even more lopsided than projected: Union not only won but comfortably exceeded that goals forecast, riding a night where nearly everything went right except for the two goals VAR wiped off the board.

What the result means

With this result, Philadelphia Union moves to 50 points in the Eastern Conference, while Toronto FC sits at 39, an 11 point gap between the two sides in the standings. For Union, the night will be remembered for Cavan Sullivan's brace and the two converted penalties, but also for the two VAR reviews that, had they counted, would have made the rout even bigger. For Toronto, Josh Sargent's goal put a bit of gloss on a road trip in which the team generated very little with the ball and conceded a clear gap on the final scoreboard.