FC Cincinnati Host Philadelphia Union in Leagues Cup Round of 16

August 12, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release

Matches with Philadelphia Union are always intense for FC Cincinnati. No one said they have to be or encouraged them to be by some animus. But when these two teams meet, everyone knows there’s a competitive spirit and desire to win that takes the matches to another level.

Preseason, regular season, postseason and cup competition, the familiarity of the two sides breeds a natural rivalry, and now, with shared experiences in knockout stage matches, there is a growing history of moments with high tensions and high stakes.

“For me, even when I arrived here, no one told me specifically ‘oh Cincinnati and Philly is intense.’ I saw it myself. So when you know these games, immediately you know it feels different. You see both teams want to win,” Obinna Nwobodo said Monday ahead of the match. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a friendly game in Clearwater or a Playoff game, everyone wants to win. So we try to protect ourselves in terms of keeping our winning streak against them.”

FC Cincinnati and Philadelphia Union have met in knockout matches in each of the last three seasons, and Philly will face FC Cincinnati in the MLS Cup semi-finals in 2022 and 2023. The two clubs are intrinsically tied by the personnel attached to them. Still, as time goes on, those connections become secondary to the performances seen on the field.

“(We) always look at the recent games and form and personnel to try to guide how you prepare,” Pat Noonan said of the matchup with Philadelphia Union. “This would’ve been a different conversation if we were matched up against each other a month or two ago because of how many missing pieces that were on both sides. So I think both teams come into it as close to full strength as possible.”

Since Chris Albright joined FC Cincinnati and brought then-Union assistant coach Noonan to Cincy as Head Coach, the Orange and Blue have been 4-1-2 against Philly and undefeated at TQL Stadium.

“We have some pieces now available that weren’t in the last month or two. It sets up for a good matchup but hopefully, the preparation over the last couple days is enough to understand what the game is gonna look like and who can make plays,” Noonan added on the matchup. “I know that sounds pretty simple, but a lot of times when you are familiar with it, it’s tough to break teams down. They defend really well. I think we’ve been better defensively. Both have different ways of knowing how to create and cause…