FC Cincinnati make a trip to the city of brotherly love for Decision Day 2024 and respark the history these two clubs have in a vital matchup for both sides. Played on the shores of the Delaware River, Subaru Park has always been a challenging locale for any visiting team.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and fans can watch the game on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and listen locally in English on ESPN 1530 and 97.7 FM La Mega in Spanish. The last time FCC took on Philly, The Orange and Blue fell in the Round of 16 in Leagues Cup. Let’s look at some important figures that may factor into this midweek match, all presented by CTI.
19
Luciano Acosta leads MLS in assists this season despite missing an extended period due to injury. With 19 assists, he has improved on his 2023 MLS MVP mark of 14 from last season and has also scored 14 goals this season to bring his total goal contributions level to 33 on the season.
Acosta, along with teammate Luca Orellano, were recently named nominees for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP Award. Should Acosta win the MVP this season, he would become the first player to win in consecutive seasons and just the second to win multiple after MLS legend Preki won in 1997 and 2003 for the then-named Kansas City Wizards.
42/42?
FC Cincinnati have had a turbulent season in 2024 and have successfully navigated availability issues to this point to the degree of entering the matchday Saturday in third place in the Eastern Conference.
To this point in 2024, FC Cincinnati have yet to repeat starting lineups with the same players in the same position or same formation, creating problems with finding rhythms and relationships in some key places where new players are now being integrated into. This means that Pat Noonan has had to deploy 41 unique setups in 41 different games across all competitions. Saturday could make for the clean sweep of 2024 regular season play. Still, with availability as it is, Saturday could see our first repeated starting XI.
3x10
FC Cincinnati is one of two MLS clubs with a trio of goal-scorers who have eclipsed the 10-goal mark in league play this season. Luciano Acosta, Yuya Kubo and Luca Orellano have all registered 10 or more goals this season, marking the second time in club history the team has had three double-digit scorers (2022). LA Galaxy is the only club with four players in double digits this season.
29
FC Cincinnati has had to dance around all sorts of disruptions this season, leading to 29 members of The Orange and Blue making appearances this season. 26 of which made more than one appearance, and a different 26 made at least one start. No player on the roster will eclipse 3000 regular season minutes played this season, even with a full 90 effort on Saturday. Still, nine players have eclipsed over 2000 minutes played (in the regular season).
3802
FC Cincinnati striker Sergio Santos came to the Queen City after a successful tenure with the Philadelphia Union. While in Philadelphia, the Brazilian forward made over 75 appearances and logged 3802 minutes played with 19 goals scored and 7 assists. Santos helped lift the Supporters Shield with Philadelphia in 2020 and finished top of the East in 2022.
3
Gerardo “Dado” Valenzuela scored a hat trick in his most recent appearance for FC Cincinnati 2, leading them to an important 3-1 win over Orlando City B. The FCC Academy product has risen through the ranks of the club and become a vital piece for the first team. This season, Dado has been featured in 30 MLS matches, making 11 starts and adding four goal contributions in 2024. In MLS NEXT Pro this season, Dado has made three appearances and scored six goals with one additional assist.
