FC Cincinnati return to action Saturday after a two-week break to take on Philadelphia Union in an Eastern Conference showdown. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be shown on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Fans can also listen to the match locally on FOX 1360.
Let’s break down this matchup with key numbers to remember, presented by CTI.
2266
With 2266 minutes of league play logged, FC Cincinnati midfielder Álvaro Barreal is fifth amongst all MLS midfielders in minutes played this season. Only Roman Celentano has logged more minutes for The Orange and Blue this season.
Among all outfield players this season, Barreal ranks in the top 25 in minutes played and seventh in key passes despite only playing 27 matches compared to leader Christian Espinoza of San Jose, who has played 28.
7332
Philadelphia Union has completed the third-fewest passes this season with 7332, at a 76.2 percent rate, which also ranks the third lowest in MLS. FC Cincinnati, by comparison, has completed 8840 passes with a completion percentage of 80%.
55.6
FC Cincinnati has dominated the midfield, utilizing a 55.6 percent headed duel victory rate to control the ball and win possession. The mark ranks second in MLS and is one of only three teams in MLS with a 54 percent or higher victory rate.
Junior Moreno leads The Orange and Blue with a 77.8 percent win rate, and Nick Hagglund, Matt Miazga, and Yerson Mosquera have all won 62 percent or more with a higher volume of challenges.
50
With 50 successful tackles this season, Obinna Nwobodo leads all FCC players. The half-century mark puts him in third place league-wide and trailing first by just five.
Nwobodo has been a dominant force in the midfield for The Orange and Blue, earning 44 interceptions, the third most in the Eastern Conference.
9
With only nine goals conceded in the second half this season, FCC has allowed by far the fewest in MLS and is the only team to have allowed single-digit goals.
Nashville SC (14), Philadelphia Union (16), and FC Dallas (16) are the closest to FCC, but only 13 of 29 clubs this season have allowed fewer than 20 second-half goals in 2023.
3
Under head coach Pat Noonan, FC Cincinnati is undefeated against his former club in regular season play. In that span, the club has earned a 2-0-1 record across three matches with Philadelphia Union since the start of 2021.
Noonan served as an assistant coach with Philly from 2018 to 2021 under longtime head coach Jim Curtin, where the Union won a Supporters’ Shield and Eastern Conference final while he was on staff.
