With Minnesota United and the Portland Timbers becoming the final teams to secure their places in the MLS is Back Tournament semifinals, it's worth looking at what lifting a trophy in Orlando would mean for the four clubs involved.
For starters, for the Loons, the Philadelphia Union and Orlando City, it would be a first piece of major silverware.
Here's a team-by-team look at the historical context:
Minnesota United
- Joined MLS: 2017 (39W-49L-19D, regular season)
- Titles/Championships: --
- Playoffs: 1 appearance in 3 seasons
- Closest they've come: Minnesota reached their first major final during their 2019 run in the U.S. Open Cup, where they lost 2-1 to Atlanta United. Former Loon Darwin Quintero was the tournament's leading scorer with six goals, but on the road in the final, an own goal from Chase Gasper followed by a 16th-minute strike from Pity Martinez put manager Adrian Heath's in an insurmountable deficit.
Orlando City
- Joined MLS: 2015 (50W-78L-47D, regular season)
- Titles/Championships: --
- Playoffs: 0 appearances in 5 seasons
- Closest they've come: The Lions were another casualty on Atlanta United's march to their second major trophy in the 2019 U.S. Open Cup. Despite hosting the semifinal, Orlando were 2-0 losers to Atlanta in the semifinals, on goals from Eric Remedi and Emerson Hyndman.
Philadelphia Union
- Joined MLS: 2010 (116W-136L-89D, regular season)
- Titles/Championships: --
- Playoffs: 4 appearances in 10 seasons
- Closest they've come: The Union have thrice finished runners-up in the U.S. Open Cup, most recently in 2018, when they lost the final 3-0 on the road to the Houston Dynamo, when Mauro Manotas scored a brace and Austin Trusty added a late own goal.
Portland Timbers
- Joined MLS: 2011 (119W-104L-88D)
- Titles/Championships: 2015 MLS Cup
- Playoffs: 5 appearances in 9 seasons
- How they won their trophy: The Timbers enjoyed one of the most exhilarating playoff runs in recent memories that culminated with an MLS Cup trophy in 2015. It started with the epic "double post" penalty kick shootout win against Sporting Kansas City and it finished with an expertly played road win in Columbus against a surging Crew SC team that had the home crowd behind it.
