Sometimes, it's the most obvious truths that are the most painful and striking, so it was particularly poignant Friday to hear FC Cincinnati veteran Caleb Stanko speak bluntly about the 2021 season.
"We are the worst team in MLS right now," Stanko said at one moment, correctly stating the fact of the club's circumstances after FC Cincinnati's third-consecutive last place finish in the league was confirmed midweek following a 6-3 home loss to Nashville SC.
With two matches remaining in the 2021 season, there's simply not much left to be said for FCC's 2021 team other than the ugly truths. A campaign that started with expectations from ownership of at least a winning record after an injection of money and talent into the team has drifted all the way off course.
Instead of collective aims like pushing for the playoffs, FC Cincinnati is seeking to avoid dubious distinctions such as surpassing its own league-worst record for goals conceded in a single season (75). Cincinnati's already given up 70 this season.
More:Nashville SC erases multiple FC Cincinnati leads in 6-3 win at TQL Stadium
The only attainable goals left on the table for Cincinnati are of the morale-boosting variety, and Sunday's match at Subaru Park against Philadelphia Union in Chester, Pennsylvania offers FCC another chance to put a positive stamp on a campaign that's been largely devoid of joy.
Philadelphia is one of the best teams in MLS and will be desperate to secure its place in the playoffs near the top of the Eastern Conference, so with the opportunity to improve perceptions of this season for FCC comes an equal but opposite chance of making it all seem worse if the match goes sideways.
Stanko, an FCC player of three seasons and 54 appearances, said that while the team is the worst in MLS, the players remain eager to show they're capable of strong results.
To that end, FC Cincinnati's interim coaching staff has maintained they intend to continue fielding first-choice lineups in order to give players and supporters the best possible chance of a reward before the regular season ends Nov. 7.
More:FC Cincinnati has yet to finish above last place in Major League Soccer
"Guys want to show that they are good players. If they're staying, if they're going, they still want to show that and we're getting so close," Stanko said. "It's really difficult, I'm not gonna lie. It's hard to put in the work every single day, to prepare for a game every (few) days basically because we're playing all the time and even play really well and then not get that reward. It's very, very hard.
"No one in our team believes that to their core that we are the worst players, so we want to prove that. We want to show that we aren't the worst team."
FC Cincinnati will be hampered against Philadelphia by the absence of Luciano Acosta, the club's leader in goal contributions.
Costa Rican international Ronald Matarrita is listed as questionable for Cincinnati and didn't train during a light practice session on Friday. Center back Gustavo Vallecilla is also listed as questionable ahead of the match at Subaru Park, where Cincinnati's never earned a point.
The Game
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. at Subaru Park; Chester, Pennsylvania
TV/Radio/stream: Star64/ESPn 1530/fccincinnati.com.
Series info: Philadelphia Union have never lost to FC Cincinnati and own a 4-0-1 record in the all-time series.
Cincinnati.com prediction: Philadelphia Union 4, FC Cincinnati 1.
More:FC Cincinnati's Carl Lindner III has a message for fans concerned about the team's trajectory
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FC Cincinnati
Record: 4-20-8, 20 points; 14th in Eastern Conference
Goals for: 36
Goals against: 70
Coach: Tyrone Marshall - interim head coach (0-7-0).
Projected starting lineup:
Przemysław Tytoń (GK)
Edgar Castillo, left back
Tyler Blackett, center back
Geoff Cameron, center back
Zico Bailey, right back
Florian Valot, midfielder
Allan Cruz, midfielder
Yuya Kubo, midfielder
Brandon Vazquez, forward
Brenner Souza da Silva, forward
Philadelphia Union
Record:13-8-11, 50 points; third in Eastern Conference
Goals for: 45
Goals against: 34
Coach: Jim Curtin
Projected starting lineup:
Matt Freese, goalkeeper
Olivier Mbaizo, right back
Jakob Glesnes, center back
Jack Elliott, center back
Kai Wagner, left back
Alejandro Bedoya, midfielder
José Martínez, midfielder
Leon Flach, midfielder
Jamiro Monteiro, forward
Kacper Przybyłko, forward
Dániel Gazdag, forward
Player to watch: Brandon Vazquez – FC Cincinnati's Brandon Vazquez is in the best scoring form of his MLS career. His four goals on the season are a career-best, as are his three assists, and he's the first player in FC Cincinnati history to score in three consecutive matches – a streak that's ongoing entering the Union match. The goals he's scoring aren't just simple tap-ins. Vazquez is scoring in style and from all over the field, showcasing his full locker of abilities. He's on the kind of form that could make things nervy for Philadelphia on Sunday.
Noteworthy: FC Cincinnati's Luciano Acosta, the club's leader in goal contributions, is out for the match due to a suspension resulting from yellow card accumulation.
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