It’s Halloween, and FC Cincinnati are looking to put a fright into their out-of-town visitors this weekend, hosting the Philadelphia Union in the penultimate game of the MLS regular season. With a playoff spot on the line, FC Cincinnati will be looking to close the year strong and earn all three points at home.

The matchup with Philly kicks off at 2 p.m. on Saturday at TQL Stadium, and fans are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes to help cheer on FC Cincinnati. But before then, let’s look at a few key factors FC Cincinnati will use to guide them to victory in this Saturday afternoon battle.

Clinch Your Spot

FC Cincinnati can clinch their spot in the 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs this weekend with a win over the Philadelphia Union, securing their place in the postseason for the fifth year in a row. They can also clinch with a draw or even a loss, but a win lets them control their destiny and punch their ticket.

The stakes now feel tangible, but it’s been clear for the last couple of weeks that FCC have been playing games that resemble playoff matches, given the importance of every point in the table. That said, the message from FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan remains the same. 

“Let's go perform and win a game. I think the rhythm of the group, the way that the games are being played, the results have certainly been positive over the three-game stretch, winning two against D.C. and getting the point [Inter Miami CF], albeit with a lead there at the end that we do a good job to come back and then can see that out in a better way. It's important to get that point,” Noonan explained Friday at his prematch press conference. “Now everything's in our own hands to finish the season with two home games, against two strong opponents, and try to move up the table and secure a playoff position.” 

The intensity of the matches means that games feel like they have higher stakes and mistakes are more glaring now than at any time in the season. That kind of experience in important games can matter in a playoff run, and desperation can be an asset against those who feel more relaxed. But right now, it’s crunch time. And everyone is playing for something.

“This has been the norm since the beginning of my time in MLS, whether I was a player, coach, assistant, head coach. Towards the end of the year, everybody's, for the most part, playing for something. You'll have a couple teams eliminated, but they're typically matched up against somebody that's trying to improve their position. So there's very few circumstances where teams aren't playing for something and so, naturally, the games feel more like playoff games,” Noonan explained. “So this isn't unusual. Our games against D.C. felt important for obvious reasons, going back to the Columbus, the Atlanta games, the New England game, every game feels that way, based on what we're trying to accomplish. And now we have two more that are going to be similar.” 

“So, forget who we're playing, forget the type of game, playing style, every game feels like a playoff game because of where we're trying to get to, and that's for us a playoff position and then how high of a seed can we get.”

Below are the scenarios for FC Cincinnati clinching their spot in the playoffs on Saturday, courtesy of FC Cincinnati Communications: 

- FC Cincinnati WIN vs. Philadelphia Union 

OR

- FC Cincinnati DRAW vs. Philadelphia Union AND Toronto FC LOSS/DRAW at Atlanta United AND Red Bull New York LOSS/DRAW at Nashville SC AND New York City FC LOSS/DRAW vs. CF Montréal

OR

-Toronto FC LOSS/DRAW at Atlanta United AND Red Bull New York LOSS at Nashville SC AND New York City FC LOSS/DRAW vs. CF Montréal

Build on defensive improvements

Over the last few weeks, there has been a clear trend of FC Cincinnati improving on the defensive side of the ball. The offense has not been a concern this season; in fact, quite the opposite, as The Orange and Blue set a club record in their 2-2 draw with Miami earlier this week, scoring their 66th goal of the season – setting a club record for goals scored in a single season. But combining the offense with the defense has been a challenge, and, in Pat Noonan’s eyes, the successes on one side of the ball only show how important the other is.

“We've been successful in creating goals and, while that can be a goal going into (the season), now you see the importance of the other side of the ball where we haven't been good enough defensively. So, doesn't guarantee you anything,” Noonan explained. “We've shown to be a strong attacking team that has been pretty consistent in scoring goals throughout the year and throughout all competitions. But what we haven't done consistently enough is defending against the ball in a better way and preventing goals, so that part is disappointing and hasn't been close to the level that we need to be in a position that we expect to be. 

“You have to be able to defend well and I think that part's improving for us,” Noonan added. “So I don't want to harp on that too much. I want us to continue in the way that things are trending with, I think being tougher to play against and score against. But having said that, we're coming off of conceding two goals, so we know it can still improve.” 

FC Cincinnati have conceded just five total goals in their last four games, and have allowed far better xG numbers of late compared to some of the more concerning parts of the season. In part, the defense has struggled this season because of disciplinary issues, playing down a man a league-high six times, including the last time FCC played Philadelphia Union, which resulted in a 4-0 loss.

Handle Philly

The Philadelphia Union arrive at TQL Stadium not at the peak of their scorching-hot second-half form, but still one of the top teams in MLS since the midseason summer break. Winless in their last three games, the Union are now looking to improve their seed after clinching a playoff spot in recent weeks. 

After a disappointing start to the season, Philadelphia Union made a change in leadership heading into the summer break for the FIFA World Cup. Sitting on just 10 points through 16 games, Ryan Richter took over as the interim head coach, and the Union looked like a new team coming back in July. Richter and the Union went 15 games unbeaten out of the break, winning 12 games, and surged into the playoff picture.

With a new style under a new leader now solidified, FC Cincinnati will have to handle everything their opponents throw their way to get a result. 

“Ryan's [Richter] done an excellent job of leading the group and giving them belief that they could turn things around as a starting point, because they wouldn't be in this position without that,” Noonan said of Philadelphia and their success. “And then you just see the player performances, the consistency of their play and what the game looks like. I think that's certainly helped bring them success. They defend against the ball very well, as well as any team in the league, and knowing how to get pressure to the ball and winning duels, they're excellent at that. 

“I think certainly in transition, how they structure themselves to be able to play quickly forward with numbers has helped bring them success in those moments but it's not just about the press and the transition,” Noonan continued. “I think they move the ball in ways where they know how to create advantages with their highest attackers to combine and work off of each other to create. So, you can look at the stretch of their success and you don't have that unless you're doing a lot of things well, which clearly they are.” 

Philly have been as effective as anyone this season at scoring goals, ranking fifth in the league with 62 while only conceding 50. Their star goal scorer, Milan Iloski, who ranks third in the MLS Golden Boot race, is out for this match due to an injury he sustained earlier this week.

FC Cincinnati kicks off with Philadelphia Union at 2 p.m. Saturday at TQL Stadium. For more information on attending the match, how to watch, or for matchday information at TQL Stadium all season,click here.