FC Cincinnati defeated Philadelphia Union, 4-3, in another second-half shootout Wednesday night at TQL Stadium. Luciano ‘Lucho’ Acosta’s goal 10 minutes into second-half stoppage time gave the Orange and Blue a dramatic late win.
FC Cincinnati improved to 12-3-3 (39 points), picking up their second straight win after the international break to remain in second place in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia Union dropped to 4-6-8 (20 points), 10th in the Eastern Conference.
AS IT HAPPENED
CIN: Kevin Kelsy, GOAL – 29’ (1-0) – The Orange and Blue opened the scoring off a beautiful passing exchange between Yuya Kubo and Luciano Acosta right outside the box. Acosta received from Kubo and sent a lofted pass in towards the head of Kelsy, who softly tapped it past a diving Oliver Semmle for the Union.
PHI: Tai Baribo, GOAL – 43’ (1-1) – Olivier Mbaizo received a long pass down the right side of the field and sent a cross in front of the net. Mikael Uhre sent a header towards Baribo, and he sent a strike into the back of the net for the equalizer just before halftime.
CIN: Luciano Acosta, PENALTY KICK GOAL – 49’ (2-1) – Less than five minutes into the second half, Cincinnati would strike again as Yuya Kubo was fouled inside the box. Lucho stepped up for the penalty kick and converted to the right.
PHI: Jesus Bueno, GOAL – 55’ (2-2) – Philadelphia wasted little time with their first goal of the second half. Kai Wagner sent a corner kick into the left side of the box, where Bueno was able to direct it into the net to even up the score.
CIN: Luca Orellano, GOAL – 60’ (3-2) – After a defensive stand by the backline, Orellano took matters into his own hands and took a 60-yard shot from near the midfield line, placing a shot just over the outstretched hands of Oliver Semmle.
PHI: Tai Baribo, GOAL – 90’+1 (3-3) – The Union pressed the box leading up to extra time, as Kai Wagner controlled a pass into the box. Inside the box, Wagner found Baribo for his second assist of the night to even up the match for a third time for Philadelphia.
CIN: Luciano Acosta, GOAL – 90’+10 (4-3) – In the final minute of play, the Cincinnati offense gave one last push into the box. Yamil Asad found Lucho running across the top of the box where he changed direction and shot across the goal for the game winner.
The Orange and Blue return to TQL Stadium Saturday, June 22 against the New England Revolution. Tickets are available at FCCincinnati.com/Tickets or by calling (513) 977-5425 (KICK). The home match will air on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Fans can also listen to the match on ESPN 1530 in Cincinnati and iHeart.
GAME NOTES
-Cincinnati have won four-straight home matches against Philadelphia Union and are 4-1-2 under Pat Noonan against his former club.
-Kevin Kelsy scored his fourth goal of the season, while Yuya Kubo recorded his first assist of the year.
-Acosta’s 92nd assist of his career now places him solely in ninth place all-time in MLS history in assists ... He is seven behind eighth place and Sacha Kljestan (99).
-FC Cincinnati have scored 10 goals this season between the 46th and 60th minute marks (Tonight: Acosta 49’, Orellano 60’)
-Acosta’s second goal at 90’+10 was the latest goal scored by FC Cincinnati in regulation, all time.
-Acosta’s game-winning goal was his sixth of the season and 11th game-winning contribution this season, most in MLS.
-Wednesday marked Acosta’s ninth career game of three-plus goal contributions.
-Wednesday marked Acosta’s fourth career regular season of two-plus goals, his first this season.
-FCC moved to 10-1 in the 2024 MLS campaign when scoring first and 7-1-3 when tied at half.
-At full time, Acosta leads the league in assists this season (14), one ahead of Lionel Messi.
-FC Cincinnati are 12-3-5 in 20 matches on a Wednesday under Pat Noonan.
FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati vs Philadelphia Union
Date: June 19, 2024
Competition: MLS Regular Season
Venue: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 24,795
Kickoff: 7:55 p.m. ET
Weather: 86 degrees, cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-FT
CIN: 1-3-4
PHI: 1-2-3
CIN – Kevin Kelsy (Acosta, Kubo) 29’, Luciano Acosta 49’ (PK), Luca Orellano 60’ (Bucha), Luciano Acosta (Asad) 90’+10
PHI – Tai Baribo (Uhre, Mbaizo) 43’, Jesus Bueno (Wagner) 55’, Tai Baribo (Wagner, Rafanello) 90’+1
LINEUPS
CIN: Roman Celentano, Luca Orellano (Brett Halsey 86’), Ian Murphy, Kipp Keller (Alvas Powell 62’), Nick Hagglund (Yamil Asad 74’), DeAndre Yedlin, Pavel Bucha, Luciano Acosta (C), Obinna Nwobodo, Yuya Kubo (Gerardo Valenzuela 73’), Kevin Kelsy (Sergio Santos 86’)
Substitutes not used: Alec Kann, Aaron Boupendza, Malik Pinto, London Aghedo
Head Coach: Pat Noonan
PHI: Oliver Semmle, Olivier Mbaizo (Chris Donovan 83’), Jakob Glesnes (C), Jack Elliot, Nathan Harriel, Kai Wagner, Leon Flach, Jesus Bueno (Jeremy Rafanello 71’), Jack McGlynn, Tai Baribo (Markus Anderson 90’+4), Mikael Uhre (Quinn Sullivan 71’)
Substitutes not used: Andrew Rick, Sanders Ngabo, Olwethu Makhanya, David Vazquez, Christopher Olney Jr
Head Coach: James Curtin
STATS SUMMARY: CIN/PHI
Shots: 16 / 12
Shots on Goal: 5 / 5
Saves: 2 / 1
Corner Kicks: 2 / 4
Fouls: 9 / 7
Offside: 5 / 2
Possession: 54.9 / 45.1
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CIN – Kipp Keller (Yellow Card) 6’
PHI – Kai Wagner (Yellow Card) 12’
PHI – Jack Elliot (Yellow Card) 12’
PHI – Jack McGlynn (Yellow Card) 81’
OFFICIALS
Referee: Jair Marrufo
Ast. Referees: Logan Brown, Jose Da Silva
Fourth Official: Eric Tattersall
VAR: Jorge Gonzalez
AVAR: Craig Lowry
FC Cincinnati’s full 2024 schedule can be viewed HERE. FC Cincinnati matches air live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, the unprecedented subscription service which features every MLS Regular Season, MLS Cup Playoff and Leagues Cup match.
Single Match Tickets can be purchased now at FCCincinnati.com/Tickets or by calling (513) 977-5425 (KICK). For more information about Group Tickets and Premium hospitality options, including suites and all-inclusive experiences, call (513) 763-1025.
Stay up-to-date and connected with FC Cincinnati! Select your schedule of choice to receive the latest match details, events and other relevant messages directly to your digital calendar. For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati. Additionally, fans are encouraged to download the team’s official mobile app on iOS or Android for instant access to mobile tickets, team content and match notifications.
