FC Cincinnati ended their 2024 Leagues Cup run Tuesday night at TQL Stadium, falling to Philadelphia Union 4-2 in what will likely go down as another long remembered matchup between these two familiar foes.
With six goals scored in the match, all in the second half, FC Cincinnati erased a two goal deficit late but conceded shortly thereafter to fall in the Round of 16. Pavel Bucha and DeAndre Yedlin scored for The Orange and Blue to bring the game to 2-2 but the magic ran out in the final ten minutes as Philadelphia responded with two of their own.
It was almost a disastrous start for FC Cincinnati though as in the fourth minute Philadelphia Union appeared to take the lead. Mikael Uhre was sprung forward on a looping pass over the backline that led the Philly forward all alone in the box. Uhre put the shot in but after a lengthy VAR check the goal was called back as Uhre was ruled offside, bringing the score back to nil-nil.
What followed after that called-off goal was a back and forth battle with each side pushing each other to the brink, but neither side getting the breakthrough necessary to get themselves on the board in the first half. A collective 2.1 xG was tallied between the clubs, with each having miraculous opportunities, but after 45 minutes the score remained at zero.
In that half, DeAndre Yedlin both cleared a ball off his own line – doing his best Roman Celentano impression and squaring up a shot on goal with his chest to stop a score – and also just missed on a shot that rolled across the line and wide. Yuya Kubo had a shot bank off the post after a dazzling bit of passing from Sergio Santos and Pavel Bucha won the opportunity, and Philly Union goalkeeper Andre Blake tallied an additional two save along with four more shots being blocked.
After the halftime break, FC Cincinnati brought on its greatest weapon to turn the tide. Luciano Acosta, who again started as a reserve as he works his way back to full fitness, came on at halftime as the lone change.
Unfortunately though it was Philly who again struck early in the half, taking a lead at the 51 minute on a shot from Uhre (whose goal was called off earlier). Ten minutes later, Philadelphia again struck, this time on the break, as Tai Baribo uncorked a shot from distance that curled perfectly past a diving Celentano to double the lead.
While not a healthy habit, FC Cincinnati had been in this situation before and responded in kind with a winning spirit. In the 66 minute Pavel Bucha put FC Cincinnati back into the game with a shot from an angle that went through not only the goalie, but a forest of legs before it tucked itself neatly into the side netting for his second goal of the tournament.
In the 81 minute it seemed like FC Cincinnati had clinched on the momentum and taken back the game. When Luciano Acosta feathered a pass across the box from just a step off the goal line, DeAndre Yedlin was there to tap in the tying goal and bring life to the home fans. The goal was Yedlin’s first in an FC Cincinnati uniform and was the first assist of the tournament for Acosta.
But in the immediate aftermath of that emotional high came a devastating low. Philadelphia immediately hit back on the restart and gave themselves a lead again in the 82 minute. Four minutes later The Union struck again to restore the two goal lead they had lost.
Despite a flurry of corner kicks and effort from FC Cincinnati in the final moments of the match, another last minute miracle could not be reached and FCC ended their Leagues Cup run in the Round of 16.
FC Cincinnati will be back in action next when they travel to play Supporters’ Shield-leading Inter Miami CF at Chase Stadium on August 24 in MLS league play. They will return to TQL Stadium next when they face CF Montréal on August 31.
