Road Trip Headlines

FC Cincinnati hit the road this week to continue the 2026 MLS season, making a trip to the City of Brotherly Love on Wednesday night to take on the Philadelphia Union. The road trip marks the first of four road games in The Orange and Blue's next five matches and reunites FCC with an opponent the club has come up against time and time again in big moments. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. ET on Apple TV, FS1 and FOX Deportes from Subaru Park. Ahead of this duel, let's look at a few key stories to keep in mind as The Orange and Blue look to earn all three points on the road. A little extra rest FC Cincinnati go into this match with a little bit more rest than expected for this midweek match against the Philadelphia Union, thanks to the weather delay and ultimate postponement of The Orange and Blue's match over the weekend with D.C. United. That postponement is the first for FC Cincinnati since a Leagues Cup match in 2023, creating an unorthodox situation for The Orange and Blue to navigate this week. The club, reacting to the postponement, scheduled a training session for Sunday morning once the official decision to postpone the match was made, meaning they didn't miss a beat after not having the match Saturday night. Training resumed on Monday morning as it normally would in a double match week, but now, with the match on Wednesday night in Philadelphia, FCC will be a little fresher than they might have been after a 90-minute test. The Union, conversely, did play on Saturday night, unencumbered by weather and beat CF Montréal 2-0 at home, thanks to goals from Danley Jean Jacques and Cavan Sullivan. Midweek Warriors FC Cincinnati look to continue a strong form in midweek games, as under Head Coach Pat Noonan, FCC have historically fared very well in midweek matches. Since 2022, when the gaffer took over, in all competitions, FCC are 22-6-8 in 36 matches falling on a Wednesday. Noonan has, in the past, credited this success to his players, both praising their drive to be ready on short notice and the depth of talent he's been able to select from. But players have tended to credit Noonan and his coaching staff for the success, pointing to the Head Coach's ability to prepare players for matches on short notice and to communicate information and scouting advice in a digestible and useful way. Either way, this year alone, The Orange and Blue are 4-1-1 on Wednesdays and have continued to show their success by being prepared for an opponent, no matter the circumstances or the notice. Philly's run of form The Philadelphia Union started the year in dreadful form, but have since rebounded in a major way and have pushed themselves into playoff position entering this match. As reigning Supporters' Shield winners, Philly got off to as slow a start as possible this season, losing their first six matches of the year and winning just once in their first 15 heading into the summer pause; Philadelphia was in the basement of the Eastern Conference. But a change at head coach and some player movement over the break and into the restart of the season have revitalized Philly and pushed them into 9th place in the East entering this game. The Union are undefeated since restarting the MLS season after the World Cup break this summer, earning six wins and two draws in that stretch. Interim Head Coach Ryan Richter, who was elevated to the top spot after Bradley Carnell departed the club in May, has been key to the turnaround for Philadelphia in his short time at the helm. Richter, 37, has been a coach within the Union system for over eight years, first as an academy head coach, then as an assistant on the first team. He then took over the MLS NEXT Pro side, Philadelphia Union II, in 2025, leading them until his eventual appointment as first-team Head Coach. What is key to all that is that the success Philly has seen these past weeks has come in great part due to the more prominent usage of the Union's youth talent, including noted young star Cavan Sullivan among others, all of whom Richter had coached and had success with at the lower levels in the past. FC Cincinnati kick off against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night at Subaru Park, with the action getting underway at 7:45 p.m. in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Orange and Blue then return home next Saturday to host Charlotte FC at TQL Stadium. Carter Chapley - Staff Writer @CarterChapley