FC Cincinnati triumph 1-0 over the Philadelphia Union with a lone goal from Yerson Mosquera at TQL Stadium to reach the Eastern Conference final.
Both sides kicked off strong, giving way for an extremely competitive first half. Goalkeepers Roman Celentano and Andre Blake fended off several shots from the opposing strikers, each holding on to the clean sheet before the halftime whistle.
The second 45 saw Pat Noonan’s side take control of the match a bit more, retaining 56 percent possession. But the lack of dominance from the Union only forced Julian Carranza and Alejandro Bedoya to take risks when on the ball.
Uhre and Carranza led the visiting side to 16 overall shots, but a lack of definition on each attempt inspired Celentano to make the saves all too easily. As full time approached and extra time hovered, Cincinnati began to push forward persistently.
Finally, a free-kick attempt in the 94th minute saw the ball reach Ian Murphy inside the box, who redirected the shot to Mosquera for the attempt. The centerback hastily set himself up for a right-footed shot into the back of the net and past Blake for the game-winning goal.
Despite calls for an offside ruling, the goal stood to send FC Cincinnati to the Conference final. The team now faces the Columbus Crew, who beat Orlando City 2-0 earlier in the night.
GK: Roman Celentano- 8/10 – Clean sheet, can’t ask for more against the Philadelphia Union at this stage in the playoffs.
RB: Alvas Powell – 7/10 – Decent defending.
CB: Raymon Gaddis- 7.5/10 – A very well played match at the back. Did great to hold off Carranza and keep the backline strong.
CB: Yerson Mosquera – 10/10 – Broke the deadlock to lead the team into the Eastern Conference final.
CB: Ian Murphy – 7/10 – Made the right side difficult to play through.
LB: Álvaro Barreal – 7/10 – Did much more defensive work, limiting his offensive chances. Not his best performance of the postseason.
CM: Yuya Kubo – 6/10 – Went unnoticed for the majority of the match.
CAM: Luciano Acosta – 6.5/10 – Muted in the first half by the Union, only slowly finding his way forward in the late stages of the game.
CM: Júnior Moreno – 6/10 – A weakness in the midfield, couldn’t quite catch up to the game’s rhythm.
ST: Brandon Vazquez – 7/10 – Not the offensive leader Cincinnati needed him to be. A few inconsistent chances.
ST: Aaron Boupendza – 7/10 – Tested Andre Blake early on in the game, but energy decreased significantly as the game progressed. Inconsistent overall.
Substitutes
ST: Dominique Badji (’88 for Boupendza) – N/A
CM: Marco Angulo (’98 for Kubo) – N/A
Manager
Pat Noonan – 8/10 – Strong starting 11, using figures like Brandon Vazquez to his advantage. Made one necessary substitution but otherwise didn’t need to change much to earn the win.
GK: Andre Blake – 7/10 – Managed several saves before falling victim to the last of the match. Not much to do there.
RB: Olivier Mbaizo – 6/10 – Inconsistent, allowing players to go through the right.
CB: Damion Lowe – 6/10 – Another weakness in the backline, needed to be stronger and more attentive to Cincinnati.
CB: Jack Elliott – 6/10 – A decent first half, before falling in quality in the second 45. Also extremely lose defending in the last chance of the game that inspired the goal.
LB: Nathan Harriel – 8/10 – A well-balanced game, great on defense and offense. Had a couple necessary saves to make the left difficult to play through, while testing Celentano up front.
CM: Alejandro Bedoya – 7/10 – Didn’t live up to his potential. Lacked creativity.
CM: José Martínez – 7/10 – A decent match, creating offensive opportunities before being subbed off due to injury in the 83rd minute.
CM: Jack McGlynn– 7/10 – Still has much to improve, but definitely showcased his potential when pushing forward.
CAM: Dániel Gazdag -7/10 – Inspired a few chances when taking risks but often played with a defeated mindset. Lost possession 13 times.
ST: Julián Carranza – 8/10 – One of the most creative and daring players on the field for the Union. Took risks whenever possible to generate opportunities,
ST: Mikael Uhre – 6/10 – Not the quality this team is used to seeing from him. Missed a few chances.
Substitutes
CM: Jesus Bueno (’79 for Martinez) – N/A
CM: Chris Donovan (’98 for McGlynn) – N/A
ST: Quinn Sullivan (’98 for Uhre) – N/A
Manager
Jim Curtin – 7/10 – Not as ambitious as he’s been in the past with substitutions. But at the end of the day did what he could with the team he has.
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