Unbeaten in their last six matches, the Philadelphia Union will aim to keep their strong play rolling on Saturday night when they travel to southwest Ohio to take on FC Cincinnati.
The Union (12-2-9, 45 points) have quickly turned into one of the most potent offensive teams in Major League Soccer. The club is coming off a 6-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo, in which Danish forward Mikael Uhre tallied two goals and an assist and American midfielder Alejandro Bedoya notched three assists.
“We’re on our way. We’re in a good run of form,” Union coach Jim Curtin told reporters. “I said at halftime to the two strikers: If they work like that for us defensively, and they take away the opponents’ center backs and the No. 6 that’s dropped in deep — if they play like that with their pressing and running, there’s not a team in this league that can beat us. I believe that.”
Philadelphia is second in the league in assists (43) and tied for third in goals scored inside the 18-yard box (38). The Union haven’t lost since June 29, and they’ve won five straight, including a 7-0 home victory over rival D.C. United.
The Union recently added a pair of players, increasing their depth with defensive midfielder Richard Odada and defender Abasa Aremeyaw. The duo previously played in Serbia and Slovakia, respectively.
While the Union recently added two players, FC Cincinnati (7-8-8, 29 points) will soon bid farewell to one. Cincinnati announced this week that, after the game against Philadelphia, it would terminate the contract of forward Haris Medunjanin, paving the way for him to return to Europe to be closer to his family.
“Haris’s elite qualities as a player are well known and admired around MLS,” FC Cincinnati general manager Chris Albright said in a statement. “But his character and professionalism are what set him apart from so many others. I’d like to thank him for his time here with us at FC Cincinnati and wish him and his family the best of luck and happiness.”
The 37-year-old Medunjanin — who played in the 2014 World Cup with Bosnia and Herzegovina — came to MLS in 2017 with the Union, then joined Cincinnati in 2020. In 167 MLS appearances, he has tallied nine goals and 33 assists.
This is the second meeting between Curtin and former assistant Pat Noonan, who is in his first season leading FC Cincinnati. The teams tied 1-1 on June 18 in Chester, Pa.
–Field Level Media