Catch the Union on Saturday evening as they face off against familiar faces on the FC Cincinnati sideline only on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
One of the kindest things you can say about a coach is that they prepare well, and last season Pat Noonan prepared well for Philadelphia Union. In the regular season, Cincinnati drew 1-1 in Philly, knocked three past the Union in a victory at home, and fell 1-0 in a rowdy Subaru Park playoff matchup. FCC did a very strong job neutralizing Philly’s direct style of play and forced Jim Curtin’s side to work for everything they got. And in the end, the Union were so good that they got just enough – from Leon Flach! – in the playoffs.Â
Cincy is a rising power in the Eastern Conference, and they draw motivation from seeing the Union on the conference throne. With their own talented trio up top and an eyebrow-raising talent at defensive midfield, Noonan’s men are aiming to pair stronger team defense with the club’s electric attack.Â
This season, Cincy and Philly have similar Expected Goals Against, meaning that when you look at the volume of shots they give up and the quality of those shots, you’d expect each team to have about 6.5 goals against. Philly has conceded seven this season, while FCC has only given up four. Meanwhile, each club has scored eight goals but the Union have an xG over 8.5 while the Queen City crew are sitting at a shade over eight.Â
Both teams hover between 8-11 in the club rankings with these expected goals numbers, indicating they’ve played about as well as each other so far this year. But at home, Noonan’s side has been almost impossible to score against. Is this because their defense is that good in front of the friendly crowd? Perhaps not – despite conceding only one in three matches, Cincinnati has a 2.88 xG Against at home, suggesting they’ve been a bit lucky defensively. However, the Union attack has been unnervingly absent away from home this year, generating less than one Expected Goal per game.Â
With Jim Curtin’s men staring down a difficult Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal Leg 2 matchup midweek on April 12, turning around that offensive slump may not be the top priority. If the Union need to rotate and preserve attacking firepower for their trip to Guadalajara, Curtin will need to make the hard decisions about how that plays out.Â
One particularly notable positive from the club’s win over Atlas in the first leg of their CCL quarterfinal was the presence and physicality Mikael Uhre brought to the match as a substitute. The Designated Player is a fearsome presence with a head of steam, but he hasn’t mixed it up as much as he’s capable of this year. Uhre can scare a defense in so many ways given his speed, size, and his ability to combine with Julian Carranza’s movement and Daniel Gazdag’s alert transition passing. A dominant performance from the Dane in Cincinnati could be the spark that helps the Union click into top gear.Â
For Cincy, a big question is whether Noonan gives Sergio Santos an opportunity to start against his former side. Santos has two goals, which is as many as Brandon Vazquez and Brenner have contributed together. But long-term, Vazquez and Brenner remain one of the most talented duos in the league, and Noonan needs them on the same page with Lucho Acosta, who remains a superb distributor. Cincy also need Obinna Nwobodo to be on top of his game because Ale Bedoya’s overlapping runs will seek to pull the FCC holding midfielder out of the center so Gazdag has space to draw center backs in and thread his strikers through.Â
The Union and FC Cincinnati kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on April 8 in Cincinnati. The match is streaming live on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
