FC Cincinnati 2 fell to Philadelphia Union II, 2-1, at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa. Saturday afternoon in Matchweek 23 of the MLS NEXT Pro season.
Union II found a goal inside the opening 20 minutes of the match, but Cheikhou Niang brought things level five minutes before the halftime whistle with his fifth goal of the season and his second in as many matches. FC Cincinnati Academy midfielder Camden Sphire tallied his first career assist, putting Niang through on goal with a pass that split the Philadelphia backline.
Philadelphia’s Stas Korzeniowski, who scored Union II’s first goal of the afternoon, would win it for the hosts in the 64th minute.
Connor Dale made his fifth appearance in goal this season for FCC 2, his first start since June 28 when he earned his first professional clean sheet against Inter Miami CF II. Dale made seven saves in the contest to keep the Orange and Blue within striking distance which ties a single-match high for the academy goalkeeper.
FC Cincinnati 2’s next match comes at home against CT United FC on Sunday, August 16 at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium. The match kicks off at 6 p.m. ET with tickets available through the FC Cincinnati App with a SeatGeek account. The match will also air live on One Football platforms and on MLSNEXTPro.com.
FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati 2 at Philadelphia Union II
Date: August 8, 2026
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season
Venue: Subaru Park | Chester, Pennsylvania
Kickoff: 12:03 p.m. ET
Weather: 88 degrees, clear
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-FT
PHI: 1-1-2
CIN: 1-0-1
PHI – Stas Korzeniowski 16’, Stas Korzeniowski (Ferreira) 64’
CIN – Cheikhou Niang (Sphire) 40’
LINEUPS
PHI: Pierce Holbrook, Jordan Griffin, Kaiden Moore (Oliver Pratt 68’), Finn Sundstrom, Rafael Uzcategui (C), Matheus De Paula, Abdoulaye Diop (Mamoutou Berthe 57’), Willyam Ferreira (Tyler Gladstone 68’), Kellan LeBlanc (Isaiah Mendoza 79’), Stas Korzeniowski, Theo Reed (John Ruf 79’)
Substitutes not used: Charli Lorenz, Sal Olivas
Head Coach: Christopher Harmon
CIN: Connor Dale, Ayoub Lajhar, Sami Lachekar, LJ Born (Jack Mize 83’), Charlie Holmes, Yair Ramos (Leo Orejarena 62’), Camden Sphire, Deiver Mosquera (Dilan Hurtado 62’), Stefan Chirila (C), Ademar Chávez (Nathan Gray 62’), Cheikhou Niang (Mathias Vazquez 46’)
Substitutes not used: David Paz, Chance Malilo
Head Coach: Sammy Castellanos
STATS SUMMARY: PHI/CIN
Shots: 16/11
Shots on Goal: 9/2
Saves: 1/7
Corner Kicks: 3/5
Fouls: 9/13
Offside: 1/2
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
PHI – Rafael Uzcategui (Yellow Card) 29’
CIN – Ademar Chávez (Yellow Card) 40’
PHI – Mamoutou Berthe (Yellow Card) 59’
CIN – Stefan Chirila (Yellow Card) 90’
OFFICIALS
Referee: Max Alatorre
Ast. Referees: Josh Pitt, Sam Conroy
Fourth Official: Nickrod Fateh
