FC Cincinnati has advanced past New York Red Bulls in the first round by a score of 2-1, but now they face an even more difficult side in the second round, the Philadelphia Union. The Union have been the best side in the Eastern Conference all season long thus making it very difficult for FC Cincinnati to win. However, the club knows a thing or two about upsetting top tier MLS sides.
One of the most interesting things about Philadelphia is that not only have they scored the most goals (72), but have also conceded the least (26). The perfect combination of a great attack and amazing defense. While FC Cincinnati have had no problems with top tier defensive sides considering they score lots of goals, this is something that will be very hard to master. Not only is the Union’s defense great, they also boast goalkeeper Andre Blake who is a finalist for the Goalkeeper of the Year award and is probably the favorite to win it as he had 15 clean sheets which led the MLS. Philadelphia has had the second best defensive season in league history at only 0.76 goals conceded, but they also set a new record for the fewest goals allowed in a single MLS campaign. As for the attack, Philadelphia can do some damage as they are led by Daniel Gazdag who scored 22 goals, second in all of MLS, but they also boast Julian Carranza (14) and Mikael Uhre (13).
FC Cincinnati’s attack though is excellent as well. Luciano Acosta, Brenner, and Brandon Vazquez all combined for 46 goals and 33 assists this season, so the Union’s backline will be on their toes. Don’t be shocked if Philadelphia heavily defends those three the most including Acosta who accounted for 19 assists for the club this season. If they can stifle Acosta, then it’s going to be very difficult for FC Cincinnati to generate anything. That being said, the team has scored 20 of their 64 goals this year in the last month, which could mean that the tactics could be harder for the Union to defend.
There is some optimism here as FC Cincinnati are the only side in the conference that Philadelphia has not defeated this season as FCC took four of six points in 2022 and are the most by any Eastern Conference side against the Union. On the other hand, Philadelphia is undefeated at home this season as they have 12 victories and five draws, plus they have scored 49 of their 72 goals at their turf. So home field advantage is going to be very tough to overcome. The Union also play like they are the underdogs in every match despite how well they’ve played in 2022. Philadelphia, however, has been on fire towards the end of the season that saw them vault to the top of the conference as they won 12 of 16 including scoring 46 goals and conceding only nine. So to say they are in great form is a bit of an understatement. That being said, in those 14 games played, FC Cincinnati did defeat the Union 3-1 on August 6 at TQL Stadium. Earlier in the 2022 campaign, both sides drew 1-1 in Philadelphia on June 18. So this makes for an intriguing matchup. While the Union had a BYE and should be fully rested and healed, FC Cincinnati has played more and are in more game shape.
Prediction: This is a hard one to say, but it will be a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes and it will go to a penalty shootout where FC Cincinnati outlasts the Union 5-4. Onto the conference finals!
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