It's a battle for the top spot in the Eastern Conference as Philadelphia Union II takes on FC Cincinnati 2 on Friday afternoon at Subaru Park. Tickets for the contest are still available and fans can catch the action on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Union II is looking to bounce back like they have all season as they find themselves in the midst of their first two-game losing streak of 2024. Both matches that ended in setbacks came via late goals conceded by the youthful side with New York City FC II scoring twice in the final four minutes while Columbus Crew 2 scored a late penalty kick winner. During their last match in Ohio, Eddy Davis III continued to find the back of the net as he delivered his 11th goal of the campaign to push his scoring streak to three straight. Overall the Union Academy graduate has scored in five of the last six matches and has accounted for six goals.
With the first team participating in Leagues Cup, the roster for Head Coach Marlon LeBlanc has trended even younger with regular starters like David Vazquez, who is with the U.S. Under-20 Men's Youth National Team for the 2024 Concacaf Men's U-20 Championship in Mexico, and Frankie Westfield, CJ Olney and Andrew Rick appearing on the Union’s Leagues Cup matchday roster last time out. With the game taking place before the first team's East 4 finale against Liga MX side Cruz Azul, many questions remain as to who will be available. Despite the lack of young veterans, Academy players like Gavin Wetzel have stepped up into a larger role with the defender scoring his first MLS NEXT Pro goal in stoppage time against Crew 2.
Friday's match is the third and final regular season meeting between Union II and FC Cincinnati 2 with the Ohio side having taken wins in both previous contests. Both games saw Cincinnati nab two-goal wins with a 3-1 victory on April 28 behind a hat trick from Gerardo Valenzuela. The two squads then faced off at Subaru Park in early June where it was Kenji Mboma Dem scoring twice in the second half to put the Orange and Blue on the cusp of a regular season sweep.
Like Union II, FC Cincinnati 2 has picked up 38 overall points so far in 2024 but they currently hold the No. 1 position in the Eastern Conference table based on wins in regulation. After suffering a lopsided loss to their rivals Crew 2, Cincinnati bounced back with a resounding 5-0 triumph over Chicago Fire II. During the contest, five different players scored for FC Cincinnati 2 with homegrown Stefan Chirila scoring his sixth goal of the year.
