December 1, 2023 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – FC Cincinnati News Release
The MLS Cup finals will be played in Ohio for just the fourth time in league history, but whether it’s played in southern or middle Ohio is what is on the line Saturday night at TQL Stadium.
The rematch between rival clubs will not only serve as the deciding third game the two teams played against each other this season, as both clubs finished higher in the Supporters’ Shield standings than the Western Conference Finals clubs, a win earns you the right to host the MLS Cup.
The all-Ohio rivalry will receive another historic chapter as the clubs will meet in a knockout stage match for the first time since FC Cincinnati joined MLS in 2019, marking another milestone in one of MLS’s fiercest rivalries.
“There’s some nice storylines attached to this but I think both teams have been strong all year and deserve to be in this position to compete in the conference finals,” FCC head coach Pat Noonan said Thursday. “I know our group is looking forward to it. Of course, on top of the conference finals, you’re talking about a rivalry game, which is unique at this stage.
“We’re embracing that. I know the atmosphere in (TQL Stadium) is going to be electric and hopefully our performance can send a strong fanbase home happy.”
The match will be the second at TQL Stadium this season after FC Cincinnati took down Columbus 3-2 on May 20, thanks to a brace from 2023 MLS MVP Luciano Acosta and a 67th minute winner from Junior Moreno.
Columbus brings their signature firepower to the showdown, having led the league in scoring with 67 goals, but in a battle of star number 10s, Noonan feels a winning team will be the one that finds ways to integrate the entire team.
“We’ll look for ways to get (Acosta) on the ball to help create for us, but it can’t just be about forcing plays into Lucho,” Noonan said. “We have other guys; we have other weapons. We need to have an understanding of the right moments to get him on the ball, and then the right moments to have confidence in the entirety of our group to make plays.
FC CINCINNATI vs. Philadelphia Union – Saturday, November 25, 2023 – 8 p.m. ET – TQL Stadium
HOW TO WATCH
Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Apple TV Talent (English): Jake Zivin (PXP) & Taylor Twellman (Analysis)
Apple TV Talent (Spanish): Sammy Sadovnik (PXP) & Diego Valeri (Analysis)
Radio: 700WLW
Radio Talent: Tom Gelehrter (play-by-play), Kevin McCloskey (analyst)
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