Philadelphia Union

Tai Baribo scored two early goals and the Philadelphia Union beat the Chicago Fire 3-0 on Saturday to sweep the best-of-three first-round series in the MLS Cup playoffs.

Look at the MLS playoff field long enough and you can make a case that all 16 teams have what it takes to be contenders -- or that they're pretenders.

Jesus Bueno rolls home the winning penalty for Philadelphia Union in their Game 1 win over Chicago Fire in the MLS Eastern Conference Playoffs.

Jesús Bueno scored the decisive goal in a penalty shootout after the Philadelphia Union blew a two-goal lead late and the top-seeded Union beat the Chicago Fire FC on Sunday in a best-of-three first-round opener of the MLS Cup playoffs.

Now that the Wild Card games are over with, the MLS postseason moves into the best-of-three Round 1. Who will move on? ESPN makes its predictions.

The regular season is in the rearview mirror and the playoffs are upon us, so which postseason contenders are best placed for a run to MLS Cup?

After clinching the Supporters' Shield, there can be no question who's on top of ESPN's MLS Power Rankings: the Philadelphia Union.

Mikkel Uhre scores the match's lone goal as Philadelphia locks up the MLS Supporters' Shield with a 1-0 win over NYCFC.

Mikael Uhre scored in the first half and Andre Blake made it stand up as the Philadelphia Union beat New York City FC 1-0 on Saturday night to win the Eastern Conference and the Supporters' Shield for the league's best record.