FC Cincinnati 2 got back in the win column Sunday night, defeating Philadelphia Union II, 2-1, at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium. The Orange and Blue pick up their third win of the season and snap a five-match winless run with the victory.
Three points against Union II takes the Orange and Blue (3-4-3) up one spot in the Eastern Conference table to ninth while Philadelphia (3-6-3) remain eighth, as results stand.
Bret Halsey scored his first goal for FC Cincinnati 2 in the 42nd minute to put the Orange and Blue ahead, 1-0, just before halftime. Jesus Castellano assisted on the goal for his second of the season.
Castellano played a long ball wide out to Halsey, who was breaking into Philadelphia’s defensive third. Halsey continued his attacking run, driving into the Union II box before beating Anthony Sorenson and goalkeeper Holden Trent with a low drive to the far post.
Ben Stitz nearly doubled the lead in first half stoppage time, getting in behind the Philadelphia defense and forcing a save out of Trent. Stitz attempted two of Cincinnati’s seven first half shots, tied with Salim Adams for a team high. Union II matched the Orange and Blue with seven shots in the opening forty-five minutes of action.
Philadelphia were reduced to 10-men just three minutes into the second half as Hugo Le Guennec picked up his second yellow of the match, bringing down Morgan Marshall as the defender looked to push past the Union II defense.
FC Cincinnati 2 took advantage of Philadelphia’s misfortune, doubling their lead in the 59th minute. Gerardo Valenzuela scored his second of the MLS NEXT Pro campaign with a well-placed strike near the top of the box. Marshall assisted on the goal for his fourth of the year and now shares a team lead in that department.
Luciano Sanchez would pull one back for Union II in the 74th minute but the Orange and Blue were able to see out the final fifteen minutes of play to earn a 2-1 victory.
FC Cincinnati 2 have a quick turnaround as they prepare for a trip to the Sunshine State this Thursday, June 8 as they take on Inter Miami CF II at DRV PNK Stadium with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET.
FC CINCINNATI 2 GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati 2 vs Philadelphia Union II
Date: June 4, 2023
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season
Venue: Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium
Kickoff: 6:03 p.m. ET
Weather: 82 degrees, clear
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-F
CIN: 1-1-2
PHI: 0-1-1
CIN – B. Halsey (J. Castellano) 42’, G. Valenzuela (M. Marshall) 59’
PHI – L. Sanchez (C. Olney) 74’
LINEUPS
CIN: E. Louro, I. Foster, J. Akpunonu, K. Thomas (D. Garcia, 69’), B. Halsey, S. Adams, M. Pinto (M. Dreas, 46’) M. Marshall, G. Valenzuela, J. Castellano (R. Mills, 61’), B. Stitz (H. Conteh, 90+3)
Substitutes not used: H. Morse, D. Turcios, O. Noverr, N. McHenry
Head Coach: Tyrone Marshall
PHI: H. Trent, J. Castillo, G. Portella, H. Le Guennec, A. Sorenson (D. Krueger, 60’), C. Olney, A. Perez (M. Villero, 60’), F. Westfield, D. Vazquez (B. Diallo, 67’), P. Nelson (L. Sanchez, 60’), S. Stojanovich (J. Riasco, 61’)
Substitutes not used: B. Thompson, P. Alvarez, N. Nkanji
Head Coach: Marlon LeBlanc
STATS SUMMARY: CIN/PHI
Shots: 15 / 13
Shots on Goal: 7 / 3
Saves: 2 / 5
Corner Kicks: 4 / 4
Fouls: 9 / 13
Offside: 0 / 2
Possession: 60.1 / 39.9
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
PHI – H. Le Guennec (Yellow card) 23’
PHI – H. Le Guennec (Red card) 48’
PHI – D. Vazquez (Yellow card) 55’
CIN – I. Foster (Yellow card) 81’
OFFICIALS
Referee: Calin Radosav
Ast. Referees: Jacob Little, Eric del Rosario
Fourth Official: Austin Saini
