Philadelphia Union are headed to Ohio for a Leagues Cup Round of 16 matchup against Eastern Conference foe FC Cincinnati. Don't miss the Round of 16 action with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV starting at 7:30PM!
They’ve already visited former Union assistant turned manager Pat Noonan and his team once in 2024 during MLS play, but on this occasion, it’s win or go home, and they’ll enter the match with newfound momentum and a deep traveling crew.
"We'll go there as the underdog, and we'll go there and be brave. We know it's going to take a really good performance in their building to to survive and advance, but it's become a great rivalry," Head Coach Jim Curtin said in his pregame press conference. "We tend to bring the best out of each other. I agree with that, and I expect another great game here in Leagues Cup."
Favorably for Philadelphia, Head Coach Jim Curtin confirmed in his pregame press conference that the entire contingent of regular contributors is good to go for the trip, despite some knocks picked up in their 2-0 win against Montreal on Friday.
The last time Philadelphia Union visited TQL Stadium, it was a gritty and physical battle that featured three equalizers from the Boys in Blue and a breakout two-goal performance from Tai Baribo. It finished in an dissapointing 4-3 loss, but with the team at full tilt and Andre Blake back in net, early summer scorelines aren’t indicative of what’s to come.
“Cincinnati is a tough opponent. We've had some really good battles with them in the past couple years,” Homegrown midfielder Quinn Sullivan said after training on Sunday. “Our last result was a difficult one to take in Cincinnati and heading back there, we know it's gonna take a lot. They're a really good team, second in the East right now. We know the talent they have, but we're in a good run of form, so we got to continue to push with the momentum we have, fight and get a result.”
On the other side of the pitch, FC Cincinnati advanced to the Round of 16 after a penalty kick shootout victory over Liga MX side Santos Laguna on Friday night. The Orange and Blue had to overcome an early deficit as a bad pass in the back presented the Mexican side the opportunity to scores its first goal of the tournament and they did in the fifth minute. The deficit didn't last long for FC Cincinnati as Luca Orellano scored six minutes later to knot the contest at one apiece. They continued to push to avoid the pressure-packed PKs with 20 attempted shots leadig to six saves from the Santos keeper but ended up going to PKs where they prevailed by a 6-5 margin.
