Philadelphia Union and FC Cincinnati bring the 2024 MLS regular season campaign to an end when they go head to head at the Subaru Park on Saturday.
While the Orange and Blue have secured a playoff spot, the stakes are high for the home side, who sit 11th in the Eastern Conference standings, three points below ninth-placed Montreal in the coveted play-in spot.
Match preview
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Philadelphia Union dropped three previous points in their late bid for post-season football as they fell to a 3-2 defeat against Columbus Crew in their final outing before the international break on October 6.
Cucho Hernandez and Mohamed Farsi scored either side of Nathan Harriel's 25th-minute equaliser to hand the Crew a first-half lead and after Hernandez added his second of the game in the 76th minute, Jack McGlynn scored moments later to halve the deficit.
Prior to that, Philadelphia Union saw their three-game unbeaten run come to an end on October 3, when they were beaten 2-1 by Orlando City at the Inter & Co Stadium courtesy of second-half goals from Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire.
While Jim Curtin's men would have hoped for a strong end to the campaign, they now picked up one point from the last nine available, a run which has put their hopes of a sixth straight playoff appearance under threat.
The Union are now at last chance saloon as they head into the season finale 11th in the Eastern Conference table with 37 points, three points behind ninth-placed CF Montreal in the coveted play-in qualifying spot.
Philadelphia Union are the only side in the bottom half of the table with a positive goal difference, meaning that victory this weekend and favourable results in the other fixtures could see them finish inside the top-nine places.
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On the other hand, Cincinnati failed to arrest their poor late-season form as they fell to a 3-1 defeat against Orlando City when the two sides squared off at the TQL Stadium just before the break.
After falling behind to Ramiro Enrique's 10th-minute opener, Luciano Acosta struck just before half time to pull the hosts back into the game. Ivan Angulo put Cincinnati ahead with a 66th-minute effort before Enrique netted his second of the game to make sure of the result.
Cincinnati have now lost each of their last three matches, falling to Los Angeles FC, New York City and Orlando City while conceding eight goals and scoring four since a thrilling 2-2 draw against Nashville SC at Geodis Park on September 22.
Pat Noonan's men head into the season finale without a win in nine of their most recent 11 MLS matches — losing seven and picking up two draws — a run which has derailed their push for the Eastern Conference title.
While it has been a mediocre end to the campaign for Orange and Blue, they are guaranteed a third-placed finish in the Eastern Conference standings as they sit four points above fourth-placed Orlando City heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
Team News
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Philadelphia Union remain without the services of 21-year-old full-back Isaiah LeFlore, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines as he recovers from a knee injury.
Barring any late fitness issues, LeFlore should be the only guaranteed absentee for the season finale and we expect Curtin to name a similar side that started against Columbus Crew before the break.
Harriel netted his second goal in three games with his strike against the Crew and the 23-year-old should form the back four with Jakob Glesnes, Jack Elliott and Kai Wagner, while Daniel Gazdag, Tai Baribo and Mikael Uhre should lead the attack once again.
As for Cincinnati, they remain without several key players down the spine of the team as Alec Kann (hip), Nick Hagglund (leg) and Isaiah Foster (knee) all continue their spells on the sidelines.
Nigerian defender Chidozie Awazien has missed each of the last since picking up a leg injury against Los Angeles FC on September 29 and the 27-year-old is out of contention for the Orange and Blue.
First-choice defender Matthew Miazga has been ruled out since coming off with a knee injury against San Jose Earthquakes in June while Sergio Santos will also sit out this weekend's clash due to the concussion protocol.
Philadelphia Union possible starting lineup:
Blake; Harriel, Glesnes, Elliott, Wagner; Jacques, Sullivan, Flach; Gazdag, Baribo, Uhre
FC Cincinnati possible starting lineup:
Celentano; Powell, Robinson, Hadebe; Yedlin, Nwobodo, Bucha, Asad; Acosta, Kelsy, Gioacchini
We say: Philadelphia Union 2-1 FC Cincinnati
It is now or never for Philadelphia Union in their push for post-season football as they needed maximum points to keep their slim playoff qualifying hopes alive. While Philadelphia will need results elsewhere to go in their favour this weekend, they must do their part first when they go up against a Cincinnati side who have already booked a playoff ticket.
While the Orange and Blue will be looking to snap their run of three back-to-back defeats and end the season on a positive note, we are backing Curtin's men to go all out in front of their home supporters to secure the desired result.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
