MLS Cup playoffs: Facing Philadelphia Union, can FC Cincinnati take the next step?
These are unquestionably good times for FC Cincinnati, but they're also complicated times.
FC Cincinnati is projecting confidence and an air of success ahead of Saturday's MLS Cup Eastern Conference semifinal match against Philadelphia Union at TQL Stadium − a replay of the same matchup at the same stage of the postseason in 2022.
They have every right to project confidence. The Supporters' Shield winners have recently enjoyed a steady flow of major postseason honors, and the Friday reveal of a "special announcement" on Monday at TQL Stadium foretold more good news to come.
The club also amassed sufficient buzz across the region for Saturday's game, which was no small feat considering the long layoff between playoff games.
But there's a fraught nature about FC Cincinnati's current situation. The club is riddled with significant personnel challenges and questions, and has had to fend off controversy at several turns since it last played on Nov. 4.
The state of the club's recent happenings was reflected during FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan's pre-match news conference on Wednesday where only a handful of Union-specific prompts occurred.
FC Cincinnati Philadelphia FC Cincinnati's Pat Noonan critical of 'fabricated' allegations against Matt Miazga
FC Cincinnati awards FC Cincinnati's Pat Noonan voted MLS Coach of the Year
High school soccer Moeller soccer coach denied Ohio Coach of the Year honor after historic season
No one wants to think the injuries and distractions could accumulate to the point where FC Cincinnati's dream season comes under real threat but, against a Union side seeking a third trip to the Eastern Conference final in as many years, there are major obstacles to success on Saturday.
Most of Wednesday's conversation between reporters and Noonan was focused on the disciplinary issues and the controversies surrounding Matt Miazga and Aaron Boupendza, as well as injury concerns lingering from the club's first-round playoff victory over New York Red Bulls.
Noonan threw cold water on the Miazga and Boupendza situations. Then, in addressing the respective statuses of defensive midfielder Obinna Nwobodo (questionable; leg injury) and right back Santiago Arias (questionable; leg injury), Noonan announced both were available for the Union match as of Wednesday.
All of those subjects are still looming, though.
Cincinnati will have to reshuffle its back line in the absence of the suspended Miazga, the MLS Defender of the Year. Further personnel losses can't be ruled out, too, after Nwobodo spent two full weeks recovering out of sight from media members. Arias also had long stretches inside the Mercy Health Training Center.
For Boupendza, who was dismissed by the Gabon senior national team during the FIFA window after he arrived late, there was a lack of training for part of the window. Boupendza appears to be in peak form, though, as he was a full participant after he returned to Cincinnati on Saturday, plus Noonan was empathic that he was pleased with Boupendza's practice performances.
Ramping up after a three-week layoff
At this time last year, FC Cincinnati's conference semifinal match with Philadelphia had been over for more than a month. But several factors combined to back the league's postseason schedule deeper into autumn.
After the playoffs were paused in November between the first round and the conference semifinals due to a FIFA window for international matches, seven of the eight clubs remaining in the playoffs were stuck with gaps of at least 15 days between games. FC Cincinnati was one of three clubs to have a 21-day pause from action, and the only one in the Eastern Conference forced to wait that long.
On the plus side, that long layoff gave players like Nwobodo a chance to heal up for the conference semifinal round. Others also had ample time to treat smaller injuries. But for the group at-large, 21 days between games presented an obstacle.
An example of the damage such a layoff can have is readily available for FCC. After a long break following its elimination from Leagues Cup in August, Cincinnati wasn't quite as dominant and convincing in the second half of the regular-season. In the first match back, FCC was pounded at rival Columbus Crew, 3-0. And that was with 16 days between matches.
Perhaps Cincinnati was able to create sufficient intensity in training this week. Noonan said he felt like FCC was close to achieving the kind of practice environment he'd expect during a normal scheduling cadence.
"It's hard to gauge because like I said, we've had so many guys that have been consistent starters either away or in recovery," Noonan said. "So, up until the last couple of days, we haven't had our full group together. So (Tuesday) was probably our best training of the three weeks, or two and a half weeks. (Wednesday's) intensity was good. I think it lacked quality at times, because, you know, we are still trying I think to find the right moments to have the intensity with the ball and the tempo with the ball when to slow things down.
"The guys pushed hard today, but you know, like we just talked about, having the composure as well as certainly going to be important. I would say that the last two days have been, it felt more like the week leading up to an important game."
The Union, the east's No. 4-seed, are essentially in the same boat. As a reward for sweeping the New England Revolution in the first round of the playoffs, Philadelphia received 17 days off. And like Cincinnati, the Union also used the time off to nurse some key injuries.
The latest on the Union
There's a "Last Dance" sense about the Union's current playoff run. The club has been, and figures to remain, a model of efficient, cost-effective consistency in MLS but the current crop of players will likely see some key departures at season's end.
Out-of-contract captain Alejandro Bedoya was reportedly informed in blunt terms that he would not return to the club in 2024. And left back Kai Wagner, a 2022 MLS Best XI selection, is also unlikely to come back, although affections for him were complicated when he violated the league's on-field anti-discrimination policy in Philadelphia's playoff opener.
Wagner will serve the second match of the three-game suspension for that violation during the FC Cincinnati matchup.
The Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday reported goal-scorer Julian Carranza had returned to fitness following a hamstring ailment. If fully fit, Carranza figures to be a handful for FC Cincinnati's depleted back line.
Carranza, too, could be in his final days as a Union player. The Inquirer reported in October the club was likely to sell the player off. Carranza has been one of the league's most consistent scorers after back-to-back 14-goal seasons in 2023 and 2022.
Speaking during a Friday news conference, Union manager Jim Curtin said the club would have its entire roster available, minus Leon Flach, who scored the game-winner in last year's conference semifinal at Subaru Park.
The Union are a proven playoff commodity, having won the Eastern Conference championship in 2022 and been eliminated in the 2021 conference finale by New York City FC via penalty kicks (COVID-19-related personnel issues also had a major influence on that contest).
The Union always figured to be a tough out in this postseason. Its strong-willed collective will be that much more motivated by the fact that the current core of the team will soon split up, and this will be their last chance together to capture what's proven to be an elusive MLS Cup.
The game
Kickoff: 8 p.m., Saturday | TQL Stadium, Cincinnati
Stream/radio: Apple TV MLS Season Pass/ESPN1530
All-time series: Philadelphia leads the all-time series against Cincinnati with six wins, two losses and three ties (6-2-3).
Cincinnati.com prediction: Philadelphia Union 2, FC Cincinnati 1.
FC Cincinnati
Regular season record: 20-5-9, 69 points; Supporters' Shield winner.
Postseason record: 1-0-1 (swept New York Red Bulls in first round)
Goals for: 57 (Tied for No. 4 in east)
Goals against: 39 (Tied for No. 2 in east)
Head coach: Pat Noonan - second season as head coach
Projected starting XI:
Roman Celentano, goalkeeper
Alvaro Barreal, left back
Ray Gaddis, center back
Ian Murphy, center back
Yerson Mosquera, center back
Alvas Powell, right back
Junior Moreno, midfielder
Yuya Kubo, midfielder
Luciano Acosta, midfielder
Aaron Boupendza, forward
Brandon Vazquez, forward
Philadelphia Union
Regular season record: 15-9-10, 55 points; fourth place in east
Postseason record: 2-0-0 (swept New England Revolution in first round).
Goals for: 57 (Tied for No. 4 in east)
Goals against: 41 (No. 6 in east)
Head coach: Jim Curtin
Projected starting XI:
Andre Blake, goalkeeper
Nathan Harriel, left back
Jack Elliott, center back
Damion Lowe, center back
Olivier Mbaizo, right back
Jose Martinez, midfielder
Jack McGlynn, midfielder
Alejandro Bedoya, midfielder
Daniel Gazdag, midfielder
Mikael Uhre, forward
Julián Carranza, forward
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati set to face Philadelphia Union in MLS Cup playoffs
