FC Cincinnati 2 defeated Philadelphia Union II, 2-0, at Subaru Park Thursday night. The Orange and Blue (7-4-1, 22 points) earn three points against Union II (7-2-3, 26 points) for the second time this season. The result marks the fourth road win of the year for FC Cincinnati 2, and the win moves the Orange and Blue up to third in the Eastern Conference, just four points back of Union II for the top spot.
Kenji Mboma Dem, who made his second appearance of the season and first since debuting for the Orange and Blue against Atlanta United 2 on April 21, scored two goals after coming on as a second half substitute. Mboma Dem’s 69th minute goal marked his first for the club and his first professional goal.
Moises Tablante assisted on both of Mboma Dem’s goals, tallying his second and third assists of the year. Like Mboma Dem, Tablante impacted the match from the bench as both players entered the game in the 63rd minute.
“We knew coming in that it would be a good challenge for us,” said Head Coach Tyrone Marshall after the match. “The message to the boys was, look, let’s get out there and see where we are because this is one of the best teams in MLS NEXT Pro and the mentality was that we don’t lose two in a row. We let the game against Miami get away from us but, look, that’s in the rearview mirror.”
A strong defensive showing helped earn the Orange and Blue three points and a second shutout of the season. Brian Schaefer anchored the backline once again, stifling a Philadelphia team that had scored 11 goals over their last three matches. It is the first time this season that Union II have failed to find the back of the net.
“The key in stopping their attack was keeping the ball,” said Marshall. “If you don’t have the ball you can’t score. That was the aim, making sure we had the ball and that we were able to impose the type of game that we wanted to play tonight. We always knew they would have chances but limiting them to good chances is what we accomplished tonight.”
With the win, Cincinnati extend their win streak against Philadelphia to four matches and claim the regular season series against Union II with one match left to play. The final match of the season between the two sides will take place on August 2 at Subaru Park.
AS IT HAPPENED
CIN: Kenji Mboma Dem, GOAL – 69’ (0-1) – Moises Tablante received a long, curling pass out of the Cincinnati half which put the attacking wingback into space and a one-on-one situation with a Philadelphia defender. Tablante beat his man with a skillful stepover and a burst of speed before playing a ball into the direction of Kenji Mboma Dem, who controlled it and confidently slipped his first past Andrew Rick.
CIN: Kenji Mboma Dem, GOAL – 88’ (0-2) – Tablante applied pressure to a Union II side looking to begin a move out of their own half. A slide tackle from Tablante, followed by a blocked clearance led to chaos in the box as Tablante and Mboma Dem combined in a similar fashion for Mboma Dem’s second of the night.
The Orange and Blue square off against Carolina Core FC on Saturday, June 15 at Truist Point in High Point, North Carolina in the first-ever meeting against one of MLS NEXT Pro’s newest independent clubs.
FC CINCINNATI 2 GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati 2 at Philadelphia Union II
Date: June 6, 2024
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season
Venue: Subaru Park
Kickoff: 6:03 p.m. ET
Weather: 79 degrees, cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-F
PHI: 0-0-0
CIN: 0-2-2
PHI – None
CIN – Kenji Mboma Dem (Tablante) 69’, Kenji Mboma Dem (Tablante) 88’
LINEUPS
PHI: Andrew Rick, Francis Westfield, Olwethu Makhanya, Neil Pierre, Jamir Berdecio (Gavin Wetzel 73’), Alex Perez (Cavan Sullivan 62’), Carlos Rojas (Nick Pariano 46’), Sanders Ngabo, Kyle Tucker (C), Leandro Soria (Edward Davis 46’), Sal Olivas
Substitutes not used: Michael Sheridan, Ryan Zellefrow, John Andrus, Randy Meneses, Antonios Horozoglou
Head Coach: Marlon Le Blanc
CIN: Paul Walters, London Aghedo, Brian Schaefer, Kipp Keller (Gaël Gibert 50’), Isaiah Foster (Moises Tablante 63’), Amir Daley, Malik Pinto (Kenji Mboma Dem 63’), Nico Benalcazar (C), Peter Mangione (Jesus Castellano 81’), Stiven Jimenez, Guilherme Santos (Ben Stitz 81’)
Substitutes not used: Hunter Morse, Alejandro Guido, Juan Machado
Head Coach: Tyrone Marshall
STATS SUMMARY: PHI/CIN
Shots: 9 / 9
Shots on Goal: 1 / 3
Saves: 1 / 1
Corner Kicks: 5 / 2
Fouls: 25 / 16
Offside: 1 / 3
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
PHI – Sanders Ngabo (Yellow card) 28’
PHI – Neil Pierre (Yellow card) 83’
CIN – Nico Benalcazar (Yellow card) 85’
OFFICIALS
Referee: Muhammad Hassan
Ast. Referees: Max Smith, Robert Cordrey
Fourth Official: Adam Mitchell
