Philadelphia Union returns to Subaru Park for a midweek matchup against Cincinnati on Wednesday, September 9th at 7:30pm – click here for tickets or tune in to watch on Apple TV or FS1.
Unbeaten in eight
The Philadelphia Union are amidst a historic turnaround, climbing from the bottom of the Eastern Conference table to playoff positioning after going eight matches unbeaten since the team resumed Major League Soccer play on July 22nd following the World Cup break.
On Saturday, the Boys in Blue, led by interim Head Coach Ryan Richter, picked up their sixth win and second clean sheet in that span, defeating CF Montreal 2-0 at Subaru Park thanks to goals from Danley Jean Jacques and Cavan Sullivan, plus a momentum-shifting penalty save by Andre Blake against the visitors’ top scorer Prince Owusu.
The three-point outing in front of Philly faithful boosted the Union above the playoff line to 9th with 27 points, and just four days later, they’ll have the opportunity to try to move up even further, hosting FC Cincinnati on the riverfront before a pair of Western Conference away days.
Midweek matchup
As it stands, Cincinnati sits in 6th place with 31 points. Since the World Cup break, they’ve picked up three wins, two draws, and two losses in Major League Soccer play, most recently falling 4-0 to Eastern Conference-leading Nashville SC on the road. They were scheduled to face D.C United on their home pitch on Saturday, but after hours of a weather delay, the match was ultimately postponed.
Cincinnati has proved to be one of the most productive attacking teams in the league in 2026 – while they’re not presently in the top 5 of the table, they’re ties second in the league in goals scored with 49. Attacking midfielder Evander and forward Kevin Denkey have played a significant role in those statistics, combining for 24 goals this season.
“It's a good team. It's hard to win against good teams,and we have to be at a really good level ourselves to be able to compete in the game the way that we want to and the way that we believe we can,” Richter said in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
“So, it's a great opportunity for us to show against a good team in Cincinnati that we're at that level and we can compete against that level of team in MLS.”
Familiar fued
Over the years, Cincinnati has become a rival for Philly – in part to due to competitive and high-stakes matchups at both stadiums, plus the familiarity across both staffs. Their Head Coach, Pat Noonan, is a former Union assistant, and their General Manager, Chris Albright, is a Philly native, cousin to the Sullivans, and a former Union player and staffer. Richter has worked closely with both of them throughout his career as on the pitch and the touchline, and Wednesday will be his first outing against the duo at the helm of first team,
"I’m lucky to have the two of those guys as friends, and appreciate everything they did for me as a as a player and as a coach. So I look forward to seeing them on Wednesday,” Richter said.
Players to watch
- In his second season wit Cincinnati, Brazilian midfielder Evander is tied for fourth in the Major League Soccer golden boot race, scoring 13 goals so far in 2026. The Designated Player has also tallied 11 assists, or 24 total goal contributions over 1738 minutes played.
- Also in his second season with Cincinnati, 25-year-old Designated Player Kevin Denkey has 11 goals and four assists over 21 games played.
- 28-year-old Czech midfielder Pavel Bucha is in his third season with the club – but this year has been his most productive yet, outpacing his 2024 and 2025 stats with five goals and eight assists already this year.
Notes to know
- Philadelphia Union is one of two teams (St. Louis City) that have not lost a match since MLS play resumed at the end of July.
- Philadelphia Union leads the league in goals scored since the World Cup (18)
- The team is tied for a league-best goal differential since the World Cup (+9)
- After scoring his first Subaru Park MLS goal, Cavan Sullivan became the youngest player and first teenager to record a goal contribution in five consecutive games.
