Game Thread: Philadelphia Union 2 FC Cincinnati 0 full time

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Fafa’s goal

87’ Alashe with a shot from distance and Coronel does well to get his fingertips on it and push it away.

81’ Mattocks replaced by Ledesma. Tough night for the Jamaican international who had plenty of chances but wasn’t able to finish any of them.

76’ Alashe into the game for Cincinnati. He’s a former Reading United player. Manneh also in.

Kacper’s goal

70’ Fafa finally with his first goal of the season to make it 2-0. Ilsinho with a pretty setup and Fafa with a great chip.

67’ Ilsinho in for Brenden Aaronson. Curtin has one sub left.

64’ GOAL Union. Kacper with his second goal in his second start. Mbaizo sets up with a cross from outside the box.

60’ Monteiro with a shot from distance on frame that Richey is able to get to. He blocks the rebound from Fafa, but the flag was up so it wouldn’t have counted. Richey has six saves on the night.

54’ Picault puts the ball in the back of the net off a rebound from Richey but the flag is up. Still scoreless, but the Union are putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the Cincinnati back five.

48’ Aaronson is taken out outside the box and the free kick into the box from Haris leads to a ton of chances and eventually the ball falls to Kacper who rips a wicked shot from distance that Richey has to stop with an acrobatic save.

46’ Mattocks with another chance early but his attempt from a tight angle is stopped by Coronel

Richey’s save on Kacper

40’ Freese isn’t going to make it through this one. He leaves holding his left side and in comes Carlos Miguel Coronel.

36’ Fafa with a huge opportunity in front of goal after a mistake from Waston, but Richey gets a foot on it to keep it out and Aaronson is taken out on the rebound. No penalty called.

34’ The Union with six shots already in the match. Kacper has three, Fafa one and Trusty with a rare shot on goal. Only one, the save on Kacper’s header, has been on goal.

30’ Richey with a strong punch on a ball played in toward Kacper and he knocks the big striker over in the process but there’s nothing there.

29’ Darren Mattocks with a golden opportunity in the box on a counter after a foul on Monteiro was somehow not called. Elliott with the block. Trusty blocked Mattocks earlier on a shot in the box.

Kacper with the two best chances of the night so far

23’ Haris starts a breakaway and passes up a chance to hit a right-footed ball to an open Kacper and it leads to a cross from Fafa to nowhere.

20’ Kacper with two cracks at goal, the first one is block and his header off the cross from Fafa is saved off the line by Richey.

10’ Matt Freese with a solid save on a late dive to stop a Nick Hagglund off a corner kick. Freese didn’t see the shot until late so it’s a good reaction save for him to keep it out. He does seem like he may have hurt himself on the landing though.

1’ First half is underway on a lovely evening in Chester

Starting Lineups

Curtin only makes one change from last week’s starting XI in Vancouver, inserting Fafa Picault into the lineup for David Accam, who goes to the bench. Ilsinho and Santos both return to the 18 to give Curtin more attacking options off the bench (he had only Picault in Vancouver).

Philadelphia Union: Matthew Freese, Ray Gaddis, Auston Trusty, Jack Elliott, Olivier Mbaizo, Alejandro Bedoya, Haris Medunjanin, Brenden Aaronson, Jamiro Monteiro, Fafa Picault, Kacper Przbylko

Subs: Carlos Miguel Coronel, Fabinho, Aurelien Collin, Warren Creavalle, Ilsinho, David Accam, Sergio Santos

Kendall Waston, who missed the first meeting between the two teams is back in the starting XI for Cincinnati, but Kenny Saief is not.

FC Cincinnati: Spencer Richey, Mathieu Deplagne, Kendall Waston, Nick Hagglund, Alvas Powell, Caleb Stanko, Leonardo Bertone, Allan Cruz, Roland Lamah, Eric Alexander, Darren Mattocks

Subs: Przemysław Tytoń, Forrest Lasso, Victor Ulloa, Fatai Alashe, Kekuta Manneh, Justin Hoyte, Emmanuel Ledesma

Projected Lineups

Philadelphia Union: Matthew Freese, Matt Real, Auston Trusty, Jack Elliott, Ray Gaddis, Alejandro Bedoya, Haris Medunjanin, Brenden Aaronson, Jamiro Monteiro, David Accam, Kacper Przbylko

FC Cincinnati: Przemysław Tytoń, Mathieu Deplagne, Kendall Waston, Nick Hagglund, Alvas Powell, Victor Ulloa, Leonardo Bertone, Allan Cruz, Roland Lamah, Kenny Saief, Darren Mattocks

How to watch

Where: Talen Energy Stadium, Chester, Pa.
When: 7:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, May 1, 2019
TV: PHL17
Streaming: ESPN+ (blackout restrictions apply)*

*Brotherly Game has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Brotherly Game and SB Nation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our guiding principles.

Injuries/Suspensions

Philadelphia Union
Out: Andre Blake (GK) - right adductor strain
Out: Mark McKenzie (D) - appendectomy recovery
Questionable: Marco Fabian (M) - left ankle sprain
Questionable: Anthony Fontana (M) - left ankle sprain
Questionable: Ilsinho (M) - left hamstring tendinitis
Suspended: Kai Wagner (D)

FC Cincinnati
Out: Jimmy McLaughlin (M) - right ACL surgery
Questionable: Fanendo Adi (F) - left ankle injury
Questionable: Corben Bone (M) - left shoulder injury
Questionable: Greg Garza (D) - right calf injury
Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: Kendall Waston (D), Leonardo Bertone (M)

Officials

Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr.
Assistant Referee 1: Nick Uranga
Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt
Fourth Official: Rubiel Vazquez
Video Assistant Referee: Alan Kelly