FC Cincinnati pounds first-place Philadelphia Union in 3-1 victory

FC Cincinnati didn't just beat Philadelphia Union, the leader of Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference. Cincinnati dominated Philadelphia, and dealt one of the MLS Cup favorites its worst loss of the season while improving FCC's own playoff position.

On the strength of second-half goals from Brandon Vazquez, Brenner Souza da Silva and Alvaro Barreal, FC Cincinnati steamrolled the Union,3-1, Saturday before a TQL Stadium crowd of 23,443.

FC Cincinnati hadn't won a match since June 24, and had one victory in its last 11 matches prior to Saturday. But the win against the Union pushed FCC to 8-8-8 on 32 points in the east, and into solo sixth place in the standings.

More: 'We're just really excited.' USMNT center back Matt Miazga is officially an FC Cincinnati player

After drawing with Philadelphia in Chester, Pennsylvania, on June 18, Saturday's win marked FCC's first win against the Union since joining MLS. It also meant Cincinnati took four of a possible six points from the season series.

"I think based on our home form and our opponent, I don't think I would have expected us to create as many chances against a very good defensive team as we did," FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said afterward.

"I was really pleased with that. But having said that, we know when we step on the field in this building, we know we can play with and beat anybody. We've shown that. It's doing it on a more consistent basis that allows you to be more confident – players, coaches, all of us. So, hopefully, this strong performance can carry over now into this stretch run where we have three of the next four at home and we can pick up some very important points."

Subscribers: Here's what FC Cincinnati's transfer window means for 2022 MLS season, beyond

More: FC Cincinnati's Brandon Vazquez named to MLS All-Star Game at Allianz Field in Minnesota

Offensive onslaught

Vazquez, who's bound for Wednesday's MLS All-Star Game at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, opened the scoring for Cincinnati in the 50th minute. He banged the ball home at the near post off a pacey feed from the wing by Barreal.

The goal was Vazquez's 14th of the year, and it briefly pulled him into a tie for the league lead in scoring.

"I'm ecstatic. The team put in a great shift tonight and we deserved the three points," Vazquez said. "I think the whole team was fed up with one point every game and we fought it out tonight, and we deserved it."

Brenner, who in the 36th minute had the would-be opening goal waived off on video review, doubled Cincinnati's advantage in the 55th minute with his eighth score of the season.

Brenner's been in white-hot form since his season essentially started June 18 against Philadelphia at Subaru Park. Prior to that, he dealt with preseason setbacks and back trouble.

Now, with his eight goals all coming in the last 10 matches since the first game against the Union, he and Vazquez have formed one of the most lethal strike partnerships in MLS.

Four minutes after Brenner tallied, Luciano Acosta snuck in behind Philadelphia's backline and hit the post for what would have been a 3-0 lead.

But 3-0 still came, and Acosta played a part in it when he dumped the ball off to Barreal, who skipped the ball past Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake.

The goal was Barreal's fourth tally in league play and his seventh in all competitions this year.

Philadelphia (12-3-9, 45 points) had allowed just 15 goals all season. That mark was an MLS-best, but the three goals FC Cincinnati stuck in the back of Blake's net was the Union's worst defensive showing of the year.

Paxton Aaronson pulled a goal back for Philadelphia in the 77th minute to make it 3-1. The shot took a deflection on the way in, and it made the final stages of the game more interesting that Noonan would have liked, but Cincinnati's defense held out through the final whistle.

Did Matt Miazga impact the game?

Matt Miazga, FC Cincinnati's newly acquired center back, arrived too late in the week to dress for Noonan on Saturday, but his presence might have impacted FCC's performance nonetheless.

With Miazga looking on in-stadium and being introduced to TQL Stadium at halftime, Cincinnati's backline looked tighter, more connected and more composed than it had in weeks.

The Union managed just two shots on-target in the contest, and Aaronson's goal was helped in by the unfortunate deflection.

FCC goalkeeper Roman Celentano was credited with one save in the game, but he also stuffed back-to-back chances by the Union in quick succession during the second half. It was as important a sequence as Celentano had all year even if the play didn't pad his state line.

But again, with Miazga in the building, the match was the last chance players like Geoff Cameron, Tyler Blackett and Ian Murphy would have to state their individual cases before Miazga begins practicing with the club next week.

"Any time you add a player of Matt's caliber, it raises the level, so I think you're gonna see a better version of our entire backline," Noonan said. "There's gonna be good competition for guys to get out on the field, and we know Matt's coming in with a nice track record and has played at a high level, so good players, smart players find a way to acclimate pretty quickly and I'm imagining that's what it's gonna look like with Matt, and we'll try to get him up to speed as quickly as we can."

Playoff picture: 10 games to go

After going winless for six weeks, FC Cincinnati kept pace in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and even improved its position slightly. The move to sixth pulled the club narrowly out of a multi-team tie for seventh place.

But now the stretch run is on, and the pressure is ratcheted up.

If Cincinnati can beat Philadelphia, that's a strong signal that they should be competitive for three points in every remaining match.

The games left are split evenly between home and road – five apiece. Cincinnati, however, will be seemingly burdened by a mid-September friendly against Liga MX's Chivas Guadalajara.

The Chivas match is sandwiched between back-to-back trips to the western U.S. for matches against Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders.

The friendly will be good for the club's visibility, and it will put TQL Stadium on an international stage once again. Will it be helpful to FC Cincinnati's MLS playoff push, though? That seems unlikely.

Haris Medunjanin's emotional sendoff

Haris Medunjanin made the 168th and final appearance of his MLS career, which was split between Philadelphia and Cincinnati, when he came on late to help FCC close out the win.

The crowd chanted for him to be subbed into the match late on, and prior to the contest he was honored by both clubs for his service to them. He was visibly emotional during a video tribute featuring Noonan and Philadelphia's head coach, Jim Curtin and presented with a framed jersey split in FC Cincinnati and Union colors.

Afterward, Medunjanin was the last player in FC Cincinnati's locker room, and he still hadn't removed the shorts he wore in the match or showered.

It was an emotional farewell for Medunjanin as he will head to second-division Dutch side, PEC Zwolle, so he can be closer to his young family. His contract with FC Cincinnati is officially terminated.

"I don't like to be in the picture. I was never like that. I was always the guy in the background helping other guys," Medunjanin said. "To get a farewell game like this, I respect that very much. I appreciate everybody here who made that for me. And to play also against Philadelphia, my former team, and against coach Curtin who I respect a lot, to have a picture with Pat and Jim over there and with Chris (Albright), that's amazing, you know? To go like this out – and to win. Most important is to win. It's not about about me. It's about to win because this team deserves to win.

"We showed that we are a good team ... To show tonight against the No. 1 team in the east, to show that you were dominant, that you were controlling every part of the game, to score these kind of goals, and to win. That's like a big farewell for me and I will always cherish this moment."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati pounds first-place Philadelphia Union in 3-1 victory