CHESTER, Pa. – Perhaps the best thing to result from FC Cincinnati's match against Philadelphia Union was that its conclusion meant just one game remains in the 2021 season for Cincinnati.
Cincinnati, which was officially eliminated from playoff contention more than a month ago and condemned to a third consecutive last place finish in MLS on Wednesday, lost to Philadelphia, 2-0, Sunday at Subaru Park.
The loss brought with it a litany of negative implications for a club attempting to claw back something positive for its players and fans before the final whistle of the campaign
The loss dropped Cincinnati to 4-21-8 – one defeat shy of matching the 22 it lost in its 2019 expansion season.
It was also FCC's 11th consecutive loss.
The Philadelphia goals scored by Daniel Gazdag in the 11th minute and Paxten Aaronson in the 53rd minute also made it 72 goals conceded on the year for Cincinnati. That's just three shy of the league-worst single season record of 75 FCC posted in 2019.
Cincinnati will host Atlanta United at TQL Stadium next Sunday on the final regular-season match day.
On Sunday against Philadelphia (14-8-11), FC Cincinnati was stymied by the 2020 Supporters Shield winners. Not unlike what you might expect from a team that moved into joint-second place in the Eastern Conference with the win, the Union held Cincinnati to just two on-target shots.
Alvaro Barreal was the first FCC player to hit the target, and that didn't arrive until the 63rd minute.
The Enquirer will update this report.
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CHESTER, Pa. — Welcome to Cincinnati.com's live coverage of FC Cincinnati versus Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park. Refresh this page throughout the match for live updates and analysis, and follow Enquirer FC Cincinnati beat reporter Pat Brennan on Twitter for further updates (@PBrennanENQ).
In-match updates:
• 53rd minute – GOAL, Philadelphia Union (2-0): Paxten Aaronson.
• HALFTIME: Philadelphia Union 1, FC Cincinnati 0.
• 11th minute – GOAL, Philadelphia Union (1-0): Daniel Gazdag was eventually credited with the goal after it was initially awarded to Olivier Mbaizo.
• Game underway at about 7:38 p.m.
Pre-match updates:
• FC Cincinnati starting XI: Kenneth Vermeer (GK), Joseph-Claude Gyau, Geoff Cameron (C), Tyler Blackett, Zico Bailey, Yuya Kubo, Caleb Stanko, Haris Medunjanin, Alvaro Barreal, Brandon Vazquez, Brenner Souza da Silva (Isaac Atanga, Allan Cruz, Chris Duvall, Calvin Harris, Kamohelo Mokotjo, Quimi Ordonez, Kyle Scott, Przemysław Tytoń (GK), Florian Valot).
