Unbeaten in their last three matches, second-place FC Cincinnati host eighth-place Philadelphia Union on Saturday night at Nippert Stadium.
For Cincinnati, the match is an opportunity to build on the club’s recent form. Last week, the Orange and Blue beat the New England Revolution 2-0. Before that, they pummeled one MLS Cup finalist and drew the other.
Their seven points through four matches puts them a win away from the best start for any first-year MLS club in league history. Obviously, that means things are going well.
But, perhaps things can get better.
Beginning Saturday, Cincinnati plays three of their next four matches at Nippert Stadium. If the home opener was any indication of FCC’s potential homefield advantage, this next spell of the season could see the team continue its early success.
“Homefield advantage in the MLS is a big deal and especially after the experience at Nippert Stadium here the first time,” midfielder Victor Ulloa said. “Man, if we have that crowd backing us up, we have to get three points at home.”
As for Philadelphia, the Union arrive in Cincinnati following their first win this year and are loaded with talent.
Forward David Accam scored a brace and added an assist in a 3-0 win against Columbus Crew SC. Midfielder Marco Fabián is back after a two-game suspension and will play against Cincinnati. He’s a regular with the Mexico National Team and became a proven player in Liga MX and the Bundesliga.
Players Coming Back
The biggest storyline approaching Saturday night is how Head Coach Alan Koch picks his starting lineup and bench options.
Against New England, five players were away on international duty: Kendall Waston (Costa Rica), Allan Cruz (Costa Rica), Alvas Powell (Jamaica), Darren Mattocks (Jamaica) and Frankie Amaya (U.S. Under-20s).
All five could play a part against the Union, but that could be at the expense of their replacements who helped FC Cincinnati to the first MLS road win in club history.
“I think we face different challenges every single week,” Koch said. “Last week, the challenge was how do we fill voids with the players that we had. We spoke about it all last week as an opportunity for players to step up and showcase themselves. I think the guys actually did that. Now, it’s about collecting the group together.”
Match Info
FC Cincinnati vs. Philadelphia Union
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Nippert Stadium
Weather Forecast: Rain, 50F
TV: WSTR Star64
Local Video Stream: FloSports
Out of Market Video Stream: ESPN+
Local Radio: WDJO (99.5 FM | 107.9 FM | 1480 AM)
Audio Stream: TuneIn App, fccincinnati.com
Player to Watch and his Health Carousel Player Resume:
Opponent’s Player to Watch: Forward David Accam
Accam had his first multi-goal match since 2017 last Saturday in a 3-0 home win against Columbus Crew SC. He scored twice and added an assist.
The Ghanaian is 28 years old and has 104 MLS regular-season appearances between stints in Philadelphia (2018-present) and the Chicago Fire (2015-2017). He didn’t play in Cincinnati’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup upset of Chicago in 2017.
Club Connections
- Corben Bone played with the Union in 2014, and made two appearances.
- Jimmy McLaughlin was Philadelphia’s second-ever Homegrown Player and made three appearances
for the Union between 2012-2015.
- Strength and Conditioning Coach Austin Berry played six matches with Philly in 2014. The former center back produced one assist.
