Everyone in both the City of Philadelphia and the United States knows what is happening with the Philadelphia Phillies and Eagles. The Phils are currently locked in a World Series battle with the Houston Astros for the top prize in all of baseball, while the Birds are off to a 7-0 start, and the only undefeated team left in the National Football League (NFL).
The Phillies and Eagles are certainly the teams in town garnering the most attention, and rightfully so, but the other three professional sports franchises in the City of Brotherly Love are all in action as well. The Union in Major League Soccer (MLS), Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL) and 76ers in the National Basketball Association (NBA) are all playing meaningful games, so it is worth taking a look at what each franchise is currently doing in the shadows of the Phils and Birds.
Union (MLS): In what is perhaps the most significant under-the-radar sports story currently happening in the Quaker City, the Philadelphia Union are in the middle of a playoff run that has seen them win their first conference championship in the franchise’s 13 seasons of play. They knocked off FC Cincinnati 1-0 in their Conference Semifinal matchup and dispatched New York City FC (NYCFC) 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Final. In the latter game, the Union trailed NYCFC 1-0 until the 65th minute before firing off three goals in 11 minutes, each goal sending the Sons of Ben into a crazier frenzy than the last. The Union will play Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) in the MLS Cup Final on Nov. 5 in the City of Angels.
Flyers (NHL): The Flyers are off to a better start than most expected from the team that finished second from bottom in the Eastern Conference last season. As of Oct. 31 the Flyers are 5-2-1 and third in the Metropolitan Division. The Broad Street Bullies have benefitted from stellar goaltending from Carter Hart, who has a .938 save percentage and just a 2.31 goals against average. He has bailed out what has been a stagnant offense so far. The unit is 24th in the NHL in goals per game at 3. There is still a long way to go, but thanks to quality goaltending and defense, the Flyers are playing above expectations so far.
76ers (NBA): The 76ers are currently the most underwhelming Philadelphia sports team. At the end of October, the Sixers are 3-4 and ninth in the Eastern Conference. Offensively, the Sixers are scoring 109.3 points per game, sitting at 24th in the NBA. Star center Joel Embiid leads the way for the Sixers scoring wise, averaging 27.2 points per game, while guards Tyrese Maxey and James Harden are averaging 22.6 and 21.6, respectively. On defense, the Sixers are playing well. They have a defensive rating of 112.9 up from their defensive rating of 110.2 last season. Like the Flyers, the Sixers have plenty of time to iron things out, but they are going to need to improve offensively moving forward.
