FC Cincinnati, Philadelphia Union to meet again in MLS Cup playoffs this year
Who else but the Philadelphia Union? That's who FC Cincinnati will host in the Eastern Conference semifinal of the 2023 MLS Cup playoffs at TQL Stadium.
Fourth-seeded Philadelphia secured a series sweep of fifth-seeded New England Revolution with a 1-0 victory at Gillette Stadium Wednesday. That win was preceded by a 3-1 victory in the Oct. 28 series opener in Chester, Pennsylvania.
The Union will now head to TQL Stadium to meet top-seeded FC Cincinnati for the sixth time over the last two seasons, including what will be a second straight meeting in the postseason, although the date and time of the upcoming match hasn't been announced.
The game will be held Nov 25 at the earliest. Major League Soccer's conference semifinals and finals well be held from that date through Dec. 3.
The clubs met in one of last year's east semifinals with the Union eeking out a 1-0 win at Subaru Park.
The match will reconvene a burgeoning Eastern Conference rivalry colored by the fact that FC Cincinnati's rise to power took place under General Manager Chris Albright and head coach Pat Noonan, who previously served the Union as technical director and assistant coach, respectively.
FC Cincinnati has controlled the recent history of the all-time series, going 2-1-2 over the last five matches. But Philadelphia remains one of the MLS standard-bearers, is the defending Eastern Conference champion and had collected the most regular-season points over the last six seasons.
The Union's lone win in the series over the last two years was the most desirable, too, as they claimed last year's playoff matchup.
Philadelphia finished fourth in the east this year on a 15-9-10 record and 55 points. It should be noted Philadelphia relinquished some league results early in the MLS campaign as it pushed forward in the CONCACAF Champions League, which is a common trend for MLS clubs in the competition now known as Champions Cup.
Cincinnati, which went on to win 20 matches and the Shield, was one of the club to take advantage of Philadelphia during that period of the season, winning 1-0 at TQL Stadium on April 8.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati, Philadelphia Union to meet again in MLS Cup playoffs
