The fundamental question is simple enough.

How have the Philadelphia Union managed to be the most consistently competitive team in MLS – and win the 2025 Supporters’ Shield – with one of the lowest wage bills in the league, all while producing a steady stream of homegrown talents, several of whom fetched seven-figure transfer fees?

Philly’s sturdy, workmanlike culture has powered them to the top of MLS, and ensured that the road to this year’s MLS Cup presented by Audi runs through Subaru Park, where they’ll welcome New York City FC in Sunday’s Eastern Conference Semifinal (7:45 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV ).

But how?

Majority owner Jay Sugarman is likely to start his answer by happily reeling off some statistical categories in which his club rank at or near the bottom of

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