CINCINNATI — FC Cincinnati is headed back to the MLS Cup Playoffs. The Orange and Blue secured their fifth consecutive postseason appearance Saturday afternoon with a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union at TQL Stadium, thanks to a second-half goal from Ayoub Jabbari and another strong performance from goalkeeper Roman Celentano.
Philadelphia created most of the scoring opportunities during the first half, repeatedly testing Cincinnati's defense. Celentano made five saves before halftime, while the Union missed several other chances, including a 36th-minute attempt from Quinn Sullivan that sailed over the crossbar from the center of the penalty area.
The visitors nearly broke through again in the 53rd minute when Bruno Damiani struck the crossbar. Celentano then stopped another attempt by Sullivan four minutes later, keeping the match scoreless as Cincinnati struggled to generate much offensively.
The match began to change in the 64th minute when head coach Pat Noonan brought on Ender Echenique and Jabbari for Kenji Mboma Dem and Tom Barlow. Echenique immediately began attacking along the flank, pushing forward and stressing Philadelphia's defense from the outside. His willingness to take on defenders gave Cincinnati an attacking dimension that had largely been missing through the first hour.
The substitutions also gave Cincinnati more energy in the attacking third, and the breakthrough came just six minutes later. Evander forced Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake into a save with a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area in the 70th minute. Jabbari then scored from the center of the box, driving a right-footed shot into the bottom-right corner to give Cincinnati a 1-0 lead.
Echenique continued looking to attack after the goal, sending a shot over the crossbar from the right side of the penalty area in the 74th minute. While Philadelphia remained dangerous, Cincinnati was no longer spending nearly all its time defending.
The Union continued pushing for an equalizer, with Nathan Harriel heading wide in the 84th minute and Nick Hagglund blocking an Agustín Anello attempt three minutes later. Cavan Sullivan also fired over the crossbar during stoppage time, but Philadelphia was unable to find an equalizer.
Celentano finished with six saves, helping Cincinnati preserve the shutout and secure three important points. The victory improves the Orange and Blue to 12-11-10 with 46 points and guarantees a place in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The win also leaves Cincinnati with a chance to improve its postseason seeding in the regular-season finale. A top-seven finish would allow the Orange and Blue to avoid the Eastern Conference Wild Card match and advance directly to the first round.
What's Next
FC Cincinnati concludes the regular season Saturday, November 7, when it hosts Nashville SC at TQL Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET, with Cincinnati looking to improve its playoff position before the postseason begins.
