FC Cincinnati will host first-place Philadelphia Union on Saturday, August 6 at TQL Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. for the club’s Salute to Service match presented by Old Spice, where active duty and veteran servicemen and women and their families from all branches of the military will be honored.
As part of Salute to Service match, FC Cincinnati will join the US Marine Corps for a Toys for Tots collection outside TQL Stadium and Washington Park before the match. Fans can bring a toy or donate online to help support the initiative.
A special presentation prior to Saturday’s contest will honor Haris Medunjanin, who will play his final match with FC Cincinnati.
FC CINCINNATI vs PHILADELPHIA UNION – SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2022 – 7:30 p.m. ET – TQL STADIUM
HOW TO WATCH
Local TV: Star64
Local Stream: fccincinnati.com
Out of Market Stream: ESPN+
Radio: ESPN 1530
Talent: Tom Gelehrter (play-by-play), Kevin McCloskey (analyst), Alex Stec (sideline)
Be sure to follow @FCCincinnati on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for live updates from the game.
GAME ACTIVATIONS
Fans can drop off toy donations for the Toys for Tots collection at Washington Park from 4:30-7:30 p.m. or outside all gates (excluding West Premium Entrance) from 6 p.m. until kickoff. Additionally, fans can donate online to help support the initiative.
Special activations for the Salute to Service match include five color guards presenting the colors and a large American flag to be unfurled on the pitch for the National Anthem. All military members will be recognized throughout the night, and halftime will feature a special performance of God Bless America.
In addition to the Toys for Tots drive, prior the match from 4:30-7:30 p.m., fans can enjoy activations at Washington Park:
- Veterans Resource tables
- Live DJ
- Inflatables
- Face painting and balloon artist
- Kids soccer games
- Beer, wine, hard seltzer, and drink specials available for purchase at The Porch
Fans can join the Supporters March to the stadium, departing Washington Park at approximately 6:45 pm.
Can’t make it to the game and looking for a place to watch the Orange and Blue? Head to one of the club’s official Pub Partners for the season, which broadcast all home and away games and feature opportunities for fans to win prizes all season long.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Philadelphia Union lead the all-time MLS series over FCC, 5-0-2 (2-0-1 in Cincinnati)
SCOUTING PHILADELPHIA UNION (12-2-9, 45 PTS, 1ST EASTERN CONFERENCE)
FC Cincinnati will welcome to the Queen City the league’s hottest club. The Union ride a five-match winning streak into Cincinnati, the longest active win streak in MLS. Only twice this season in MLS has a team won five straight matches, and both have been by the Union (March 5 – April 9; July 8 – present).
The Union defeated Houston Dynamo FC, 6-0, last Saturday. Over their current run, Philadelphia have outscored opponents 18-2. That has propelled the Union to an overall MLS-best goal difference of +25.
Jim Curtin’s squad is in first place in the Eastern Conference and has conceded the fewest goals in MLS this season (15). No other club has conceded fewer than 21 goals entering Week 24.
Key to their successes have included consistent lineups. Only four outfield players in MLS have not missed a minute of MLS competition this season for their respective teams, and two of them reside in Philadelphia in Kai Wagner and Jakob Glesnes. Goalkeeper Andre Blake, who has also not missed a minute to date, holds the best save percentage in MLS at 82.1 percent.
Daniel Gazdag leads the Union with 11 goals, followed by Julian Carranza and Mikael Uhre who have each tallied eight goals. Wagner leads the team with 11 assists, tied with FCC’s Luciano Acosta and New England Revolution’s Carles Gil for the most in the league. Former United States international Alejandro Bedoya, who scored in the 1-1 draw last time the two sides met on June 18, is another consistent figure in Curtin’s midfield. He tied the Union single-game record last Saturday with three assists against Houston.
STORYLINES OF THE GAME
ANOTHER RE(UNION) – FC Cincinnati meet Philadelphia Union once again with plenty of connections between the two clubs. Head Coach Pat Noonan faces off against the Union, where he served as an assistant coach from January 2018 to his hiring as the Orange and Blue’s leader on December 14, 2021 by the former Philadelphia Technical Director Chris Albright, who was named to his current role on October 4, 2021. Albright served as Philly’s Technical Director since his retirement from playing after the 2013 season.
FCC defender Ray Gaddis is the Union’s all-time appearance and minutes leader. He logged over 19,000 MLS minutes in 221 appearances, and was Philly’s No. 35 overall pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft.
Other players formerly with Philadelphia include: Haris Medunjanin: 109 GS / 108 GP – 6 goals, 19 assists from 2017-19; Sergio Santos: 75 GP / 47 GS – 19 goals, 7 assists from 2019-22; Alvas Powell 5 GS / 4 GP in 2021.
FAREWELL HARIS – FC Cincinnati and Haris Medunjanin mutually agreed to part ways, the club announced Thursday. The move was agreed upon in order for Medunjanin, 37, to have the chance to move closer to his family. After nearly three years in Orange and Blue, Medunjanin’s final match with FC Cincinnati will ironically be against Philadelphia Union, where he began his MLS career.
A special presentation prior to Saturday’s game will honor Medunjanin, whose 69 regular season appearances are third-most in FC Cincinnati’s MLS history.
BRANDON VAZQUEZ, ALL-STAR – FC Cincinnati forward Brandon Vazquez on Wednesday was added to the MLS roster for the 2022 MLS All-Star Game (Wed., Aug. 10 – 8:30 p.m.; ESPN/Univision). The first-time All-Star honor for Vazquez continues a breakout season in which the forward has scored 13 goals and added four assists in 22 appearances. Earlier in July he became the first player in FC Cincinnati history to score double-digit MLS goals in one season, and he is the club’s all-time leading scorer for goals in a single season (13) and for his career (19).
Vazquez leads the league in headed goals (6) and his 13 non-penalty kick goals are the most in MLS this season, and only trail Austin FC’s Sebastián Driussi (14) in the Golden Boot race.
Should Vazquez score on Saturday night, it will mark the fourth time in club history that a player has scored in three straight MLS games, his second such occurrence (Vazquez – 10/20-27/21 vs CHI, at MIA, vs NSH; Acosta – 4/24-5/4/22 vs LAFC, at TOR, vs TOR; Brenner – 6/24-7/3/22 vs ORL, vs NYC, at NE).
AGAINST THE EASTERN LEADERS – FC Cincinnati face off against a first-place side after the halfway point of the season for the fifth time in club history (0-3-1), the second time this season (July 9 vs. New York Red Bulls, 1-1).
Last year, the Orange and Blue traveled to eventual Supporters’ Shield winners New England Revolution on August 21 and suffered a 4-1 loss. In 2020, FC Cincinnati hosted both Toronto FC (October 11) and Sporting Kansas City (October 28) within a few weeks, both sides led their respective conferences at the time. Both handed FCC 1-0 losses in front of a quiet Nippert Stadium during the Covid-shortened 2020 season.
CARDIAC SOCCER – Of FC Cincinnati’s 23 MLS games this season, 18 have either ended in a tie or have been decided by one goal. Only New England and San Jose Earthquakes have played more such games this season (19) and the Orange and Blue’s 18 games are tied with Real Salt Lake for third-most in the category.
NOONAN’S TAKE
Head Coach Pat Noonan on Haris Medunjanin and what will be his legacy with FC Cincinnati
“The professionalism. It really was remarkable the way he stepped into the training environment every day, with a smile, with respect, with the right attitude. I will miss that, our group is going to miss that. That's going to be a void now and how do we find ways to pick up some of the pieces that that are now leaving us with the conversations that you have with your teammates, when you can see they're struggling, which he was capable of doing and how you motivate your teammates in certain areas and in certain ways where he had a great feel for that. That presence will be missed and I will miss our conversations daily because there was always a great dialogue with Haris about certain aspects of the game. Things outside of the game, just life in general. He's a great person to talk to, and be around. I will miss that. And I think our group will miss that.”
On Philadelphia Union
“[They're] in very good form. Five straight [wins] is pretty impressive and in the way that in which they're winning their games, pretty convincingly. They're a confident group, as confident as I think we've seen them, so they continue to move in the right direction. Obviously [Head Coach] Jim [Curtin] has done an incredible job, and continues to do an incredible job with his team. I think it's important that we take our last game [June 18], wasn't too long ago, but it was out of the [International] break in ways where I think both teams didn't have their full group in the lead up to the game. So maybe the sharpness wasn't there. But we can take some things, I think, from that game with and without the ball in areas where we got exposed, and areas where we thought we were strong, and try to find ways to be strong with the ball. Find ways to not invite pressure, find ways to be able to beat pressure. And then, understanding the importance of transition moments, and in how we're connected, so that the game looks a lot less like our last one [against Inter Miami CF].”
Fans can place deposits now for 2023 Season Tickets, and current season ticket holders can renew for 2023 now. Anyone with interest in 2023 Season Tickets can place their deposit HERE, or by calling 513-977-KICK, that’s 513-977-5425.
FC Cincinnati's 2022 schedule can be viewed, HERE. Fans can build their custom 3 Match Flex Plan today. Pick any three matches and save on single match ticket pricing with no fees at checkout. Fans can pick the same seats for three games or select different options around TQL Stadium.
Single match tickets to any of FC Cincinnati’s remaining home games are also available now, head to fccincinnati.com/tickets or call 513-977-KICK, to learn more.
FC Cincinnati are playing their fourth season of MLS competition in 2022, and their second playing at TQL Stadium. For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati. Additionally, fans are encouraged to download the team’s official mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play for instant access to mobile tickets, team content and match notifications.
