Five goals and 66% possession carry Philadelphia Union past FC Cincinnati

Philadelphia Union defeated FC Cincinnati 5-0 at Subaru Park on Wednesday, September 9, completing a commanding Major League Soccer Regular Season - 24 victory. Philadelphia led 2-0 at half-time and added three more goals after the interval, with Bruno Damiani scoring three times in a standout performance.

Union take control before half-time

The decisive early incident came in the 16th minute when FC Cincinnati’s Obinna Nwobodo was shown a red card. Evander then received a yellow card in the 40th minute, before Philadelphia opened the scoring three minutes later. Quinn Sullivan converted a penalty in the 43rd minute to put the Union ahead.

Philadelphia doubled its advantage just before the interval. Bruno Damiani scored a normal goal in the 45th minute, assisted by Cavan Sullivan. Cincinnati made three substitutions at half-time, sending on Alvas Powell, Tom Barlow and Nick Hagglund for Evander, Kevin Denkey and Ender Jesús Echenique Peña, but the changes did not prevent the Union from extending their lead.

Damiani completes his hat-trick

Damiani struck again four minutes into the second half, with Quinn Sullivan providing the assist. His third goal arrived in the 61st minute, again created by Cavan Sullivan, taking the score to 4-0. Philadelphia later introduced Jesus Bueno for Jovan Lukic and Milan Iloski for Ezekiel Kwame Alladoh. Iloski made an immediate contribution, scoring from a penalty in the 89th minute.

The disciplinary problems continued for Cincinnati when Tah Anunga was booked in the 87th minute. Philadelphia finished without a card, while Cincinnati recorded one red card and two yellow cards.

Philadelphia dominate the numbers

The statistics reflected the final score. Philadelphia held 66% possession, completed 532 accurate passes from 607 total, and produced 20 shots, including 17 from inside the box. Cincinnati managed 34% possession, 215 accurate passes from 302, and just one shot overall. The Union had six shots on goal to Cincinnati’s zero, seven corners to one, and forced one goalkeeper save while recording none themselves.

Damiani was the standout performer, receiving a 9.5 rating after 75 minutes, three goals and three shots on target. Cavan Sullivan also played a major role with two assists and five key passes, while Quinn Sullivan contributed a goal and an assist.

Table position and form

The result moved Philadelphia’s match total to 24 and left the Union eighth in the Eastern Conference with 30 points and a goal difference of 2. FC Cincinnati remained seventh with 31 points from 23 matches and a goal difference of -7, keeping the gap between the teams at one point. Philadelphia entered the match with three consecutive wins, while Cincinnati’s most recent sequence included a win followed by three losses in its previous four games.