Philly Leader

Philadelphia Union II is set to face FC Cincinnati 2 in a pivotal Eastern Conference matchup on Friday afternoon at Subaru Park. Tickets for the game are still available, and it will be broadcast on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

Union II aims to recover from their first two-game losing streak of the season. Both losses came from late goals, with New York City FC II scoring twice in the final four minutes and Columbus Crew 2 securing a win with a late penalty kick. In their last match in Ohio, Eddy Davis III scored his 11th goal of the season, extending his scoring streak to three consecutive games. The Union Academy graduate has netted six goals in the past six matches.

Head Coach Marlon LeBlanc's roster has become younger due to the first team's participation in the Leagues Cup. Regular starters like David Vazquez, currently with the U.S. Under-20 Men's Youth National Team for the Concacaf Men's U-20 Championship, along with Frankie Westfield, CJ Olney, and Andrew Rick were included in the Union’s Leagues Cup matchday roster recently. With uncertainty about player availability before the first team's East 4 finale against Cruz Azul, Academy players such as Gavin Wetzel have stepped up; Wetzel scored his first MLS NEXT Pro goal during stoppage time against Crew 2.

Friday's match marks the third and final regular-season meeting between Union II and FC Cincinnati 2 this year. FC Cincinnati 2 won both previous encounters with two-goal margins: a 3-1 victory on April 28 featuring a hat trick by Gerardo Valenzuela and another win at Subaru Park in early June where Kenji Mboma Dem scored twice.

Both teams have accumulated 38 points this season, but FC Cincinnati 2 holds the top spot in the Eastern Conference based on regulation wins. Following a significant loss to Crew 2, Cincinnati rebounded with a decisive 5-0 victory over Chicago Fire II, where five different players scored including homegrown talent Stefan Chirila who marked his sixth goal of the year.