Maxi Moralez might as well just change his name to Union-buster.

The 38-year-old New York City FC midfielder scored his sixth career goal against the Union on Sunday night. It proved to be the lone tally as NYCFC advanced to the Eastern Conference final with an upset 1-0 win over the Union. The victory came amid a slew of key injuries for NYCFC, which included leading scorer Alonso Martínez.

“Maxi, he’s been a big player for this team for so long,” Justin Haak said. “You feel like always in these moments, he finds a way to step up and to do it again and to do it again missing out main goal scorer, Alonso, for Maxi to step in to score was what got us the win. He’s been in these moments so many times already. He knows what it takes and he’s a leader that we all follow.”

NYCFC looked no worse for wear — missing not only Martínez, but also Andrés Perea and Aiden O’Neill — finishing the game with four shots on target and controlled possession 51-49 through 90 minutes in hostile territory. Moralez’s goal was his team-leading sixth career tally of the postseason.

“Massive goal today, but it’s not only about today. His leadership was there from Day 1,” NYCFC coach Pascal Jansen said of Moralez. “If you see how much commitment he’s shown throughout the season to be available and bring the level to the game that he’s done, this doesn’t surprise me. I’m very happy for him and for the team with a fantastic goal.”

Keeper Matt Freese stopped all five shots he faced for NYCFC.

The win sets the stage for NYCFC to face Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami — 4-0 winners Sunday at FC Cincinnati — for a chance to play for their second MLS Cup. And the club has reached the Eastern Conference final in three of the past five seasons.

Moralez’s goal came in the 27th minute of the match after NYCFC had come flying out of the gate. After moving the ball back into the attacking zone, Agustín Ojeda cut across the field and moved the ball over to Nicolás Fernández Mercau.

Fernández Mercau quickly moved the ball to Moralez, who was charging toward the net and he slid it past Union goalkeeper Andre Blake.

“In the final third [of the field], that’s something we work on quite a bit,” Jansen explained about the goal. “Making sure that our minds are in sync … we have certain principles in our game which were executed to perfection with the goal in perfection.”

NYCFC came close to adding a second in the 38th minute when Ojeda had a chance, but his shot near the post was stopped by Blake.

The Union, who were the best team in the regular season and made quick work of the Chicago Fire in the first round of the playoffs, didn’t go down without a fight.

Tai Baribo nearly tied the match at 1-1 when Danley Jean Jacques sent a good pass to the center of the box and Baribo was able to get a foot on it, but directed the ball just past the goal post to miss its mark.

Freese had to make a strong save in the 45th minute as well.

The NYCFC goalkeeper, who has been making a name for himself on the international stage, had to make another impressive save in the 75th minute as Frankie Westfield got off a shot at the near post that he had to stop.

“I would say he saved us in the second half,” Haak said about Freese. “It’s really how he’s been playing for us for the past two years.”

NYCFC may have been playing without two key players, but the team made sure to let them know they were there with the club in spirit in Philadelphia. When the club posed for their prematch picture on the field, they held the jerseys of Martínez and Perea.