FC Cincinnati (12-10-11, 46 pts.) hosted Philadelphia Union (13-8-12, 47 pts.) on Saturday afternoon with a clear oppurtunity. Win and you’re in. As is often the case, both in life and sport, this feat would be easier said than done.
Across the pitch stood a Philadelphia side that had lost only once since the World Cup break coming into Saturday’s tilt. They’re also the side that doled out perhaps FCC’s worst defeat of the season hitherto.
However, the recent run of good form, and a continuation of a mentality that has been built on an internal confidence in their abilities, found the Orange and Blue as the victors on the day.
Now playoff bound for the fifth consecutive season, Pat Noonan described the moment. “It’s special. I would love it to be special with us being the top team in the league, but that’s not the reality. The reality is we’ve clinched for five straight years, and that was the goal from the beginning.”
The Starting XI for FC Cincinnati was missing key playmaker Evander. The Brazilian continued to battle through an illness that began before the midweek matchup in Miami. Additionally, the list of unavailable players grew, with David Doudera being out along with Tyrell Malacia, Miles Robinson, and Julian Malatini. These challenges saw Pavel Bucha slot into Evander’s spot with the wings flanked by Bryan Ramirez and Kenji Mboma-Dem. Sami Gidi moved into the midfield as Kyle Smith returned to the backline.
The visitors were without key pieces as well, missing key forward Milan Iloski (19 goals, 2 assists), who continues to battle a hamstring injury. Further, the Union were without midfield stalwart Danley Jean Jacques due to suspension.
First Half:
The absence of key offensive pieces for both sides became evident as the opening 45 minutes progressed. Neither side would record a shot on target until the 18th minute, when Frankie Westfield sent an effort goal-bound that did little to challenge Roman Celentano. That effort would be followed up with the best chance of the opening frame. Coming from a corner conceded by Bryan Ramirez, the service from Kai Wagner found a soaring Nathan Harriel near the back post, yet a reactive Celentano was able to deny the Union an opener.
The best chance for the Orange and Blue wouldn’t come until the 40th minute, when Ramirez played to Gidi near the top of the box. The effort was one that would have surely one-upped his lead-taker from Wednesday. However, the curler went just wide right.
The half would come to a close shortly after, with no additional time being added.
Second Half:
The need for an offensive spark was addressed, as Evander entered the match to begin the second half.
Despite the addition of the offensive dynamo, the defense had the first big moment of the frame. A corner conceded by Kyle Smith nearly saw a Bruno Damiani header open the scoring, yet it went just high off the post.
The defense on the day managed to shut out a offense that scored six goals in their last four matches. Noonan was satisfied to see the defense turn out a second clean sheet in three matches. “We had to defend the box in the best possible way to have a chance of winning this game because we didn’t live in their half of the field for a majority of the game, so that’s what we needed, and that’s what the guys did.”
The defense stepping up early in the second half gave the offense the breathing room needed to kindle a dangerous undercurrent of energy that would result in a definitive moment in the 70th minute. The score was set up by a vital bit of work on the near side, as Ender Echenique pressed in versus Kai Wagner. Despite losing possession momentarily, the offense switched their avenue of attack, culminating in an Evander shot that proved too much for a diving Andre Blake to handle in front of goal. Waiting in the wings, and wasting no time, second-half sub Ayoub Jabbari pounced for the tap-in score. It was his fifth score of the season over all competitions, and first since his memorable goal a minute after coming on in San Jose back in August.
The remainder of the match saw the defense step up, weathering a storm of Philadelphia chances. A particular moment taking place in the 87th minute, when Nick Hagglund put his pumpkin directly in the path of a howitzer from Nathan Harriel. After crashing to the turf, he shortly popped back up.
When asked about the moment, Celentano noted that Nick was made of stronger stuff. “He popped up so quickly saying that he remembered his wife and kids were in the crowd and didn’t want to scare them.” Hagglund would finish the match with no issues.
Postgame:
On the afternoon, the Orange and Blue once again put together an impressive performance, ending a four game stretch that resulted in 10 of 12 possible points. This season has certainly been one steeped in adversity and numerous challenges stacking in a way that would break most groups. Yet despite it all, this group has never once stopped believing in themselves.
Noonan spoke on that internal confidence. “Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. We need to figure things out, and guys have put their heads down and worked in a really good way to get us to this point. It’s not the end of it.”
Even with their berth clenched, there remains one more regular season match. The Decision Day finale comes next Saturday when Nashville come to TQL. For a pleasant change, FCC will have more than a few days to prepare for that fixture, rest that will hopefully allow them to transition into the playoffs with their newfound momentum intact.
Quick Recap:
FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati vs Philadelphia Union
Date: October 31, 2026
Competition: MLS Regular Season
Venue: TQL Stadium | Cincinnati, Ohio
Attendance: 24,013
Kickoff: 2:10 p.m. ET
Weather: 65 degrees, clear
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-FT
CIN: 0-1-1
PHI: 0-0-0
CIN – Ayoub Jabbari 70’ (unassisted)
PHI – None
LINEUPS
CIN: Roman Celentano, Bryan Ramirez, Teenage Hadebe (Alvas Powell 80’), Nick Hagglund (C), Kyle Smith, Kenji Mboma Dem (Ender Echenique 64’), Samuel Gidi (Evander 46’), Obinna Nwobodo, Pavel Bucha, Tom Barlow (Ayoub Jabbari 64’), Kévin Denkey (Tah Brian Anunga 88’)
Substitutes not used: Evan Louro, Gerardo Valenzuela, Andrei Chirila, José Martínez
Head Coach: Pat Noonan
PHI: Andre Blake (C), Kai Wagner, Nathan Harriel, Niel Pierre, Francis Westfield, Ben Bender (Jesús Bueno 60’), Jovan Lukic (Malik Jakupovic 90’), Indiana Vassilev (Agustín Anello 74’), Quinn Sullivan, Bruno Damiani, Ezekiel Alladoh (Cavan Sullivan 60’)
Substitutes not used: Andrew Rick, Jeremy Rafanello, Jordan Griffin, Finn Sundstrom, Geiner Martínez
Interim Head Coach: Ryan Richter
STATS SUMMARY: CIN/PHI
Shots: 7 / 15
Shots on Goal: 3 / 4
Saves: 6 / 2
Corner Kicks: 3 / 12
Fouls: 11 / 4
Offside: 0 / 2
Possession: 56.9 / 43.1
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
None
Stat Report:
- Saturday’s victory snapped a three-match skid versus Philadelphia. The Orange and Blue’s last victory versus the Union came in October of 2024.
- All five of Ayoub Jabbari’s goals this season have come as a substitute, putting him one shy of the club record for goals as a substitute.
- Nick Hagglund captained the Orange and Blue for the sixth time, his first time with the armband since August 7th, 2025, versus Chivas Guadalajara in Leagues Cup play.
Next Match:
Major League Soccer: vs. Nashville SC, 4pm, Saturday November 7th, AppleTV+
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