FC Cincinnati II, now one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference of MLS NEXT Pro, goes away to face Philadelphia Union II at Subaru Park tomorrow night.
Philadelphia has long been admired for its developmental system, and it seems like Cincinnati has been developing something similar. Now, both of their reserve teams are some of the best in the league.
THE OPPOSITION
The Union II have been very good this season. Their record is 7-3-1 and they currently sit atop the Eastern Conference. This isn’t surprising, as they’ve been historically one of the top reserve teams in the country.
The last time they faced FCC2, they were beaten by Dado Valenzuela’s hat-trick. But since that loss, they’ve won their last four matches, conceding three and scoring 13 in that span. They will be bringing their best squad.
THE ORANGE & BLUE
FCC2 lost to Inter Miami CF II in its last match. Still, they had a majority of possession and more shots, and only lost due to a late goal in stoppage time. The domination of that match is indicative of their season, which has been a pleasant surprise.
They’ve impressed in the transfer market. They’ve made international signings like Guilherme Santos and Gael Gilbert, solid league additions like Moises Tablante and Nico Benalcazar and college signings like Peter Mangione and Amir Daley. All of these players have been, or likely will be, key players for the team.
They have played very well recently. Prior to the loss, they were on a five-game winning streak. In that span, they conceded just four goals and scored 14. It propelled them near the top of the table.
An in-form Philadelphia side will be a worthy challenge for this up-and-coming team.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
One player has stood out for Philadelphia lately: Christopher Olney Jr. In the four matches since they played Cincinnati, he has two goals and four assists. He is doing this all from central midfield as well.
Brian Schaefer is a lesser-known player who is going to decide this game for Cincinnati. He has led the defense since being signed from the SuperDraft, and he’ll have to do the same against a very high-scoring Philadelphia side.
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