FC Cincinnati will continue to need improvements on defense as it heads into two key Major League Soccer Eastern Conference games this week.
The club made headlines by releasing veteran center back Matt Miazga on Sept. 4. Cincinnati made changes to its starting back line against D.C. United the next day before the match was postponed by weather. Miles Robinson was set to start in the middle of the back line, with Andrei Chirila and Kyle Smith on either side.
Head coach Pat Noonan said he couldn’t address specifics of Miazga’s situation as the club negotiates terms of his departure, but he said the team needs to move forward and improve a defense that has allowed 2.3 goals per game (51 total), third-highest in MLS.
Miazga was at times a captain
and always a fiery, vocal presence.
“We will need guys to step up in terms of leadership, vocally,” Noonan said. “We will need our group to be better about how we stay connected defending against the ball. It’s not solely a center back problem. Can (they) be better, sure? Guys just need to understand their role and communicate better. That’s something we need as a whole, to communicate better. That’s part of the connection we’re missing, and if we can be more consistent, we’ll be harder to play against.”
FC Cincinnati’s game against D.C. United was postponed to a later date following lightning delays and heavy rain during the evening. A new date has not been announced. Noonan said the postponement, while not ideal, allowed the team to have a full training session the morning after instead of a recovery session as Cincinnati prepares for its next match.
Cincinnati still has both games against D.C. United and next plays the only other team in the Eastern Conference it hasn’t faced, the Philadelphia Union. Cincinnati plays at Subaru Park at 7:45 p.m. Sept. 9, and the Union play at TQL Stadium on Oct. 31.
A look at FC Cincinnati’s next opponent, Philadelphia Union
Subaru Park has been a tough place to play for FC Cincinnati. The club is 1-5-2 all-time there, with the only win coming in 2024, 2-1. Philly won both matches last year, 4-1 in Philly and 1-0 at TQL Stadium, a big factor in the Supporters’ Shield race. Cincinnati is only 1-5-5 overall in MLS play on the road this season, with the only victory coming in Chicago on May 2.
After a terrible start, Philly, the reigning MLS Supporters’ Shield champions, is one of the hottest teams in the league since the season resumed after the two-month World Cup break. After only winning once in 15 matches prior to the break, the Union are unbeaten in eight matches after, with six wins and two draws. They have outscored those eight foes by a total of 18-9.
Ryan Richter took as interim head coach during the break after Bradley Carnell was fired. Richter was the head coach of Philly’s second team since January 2025. Noonan was briefly on the same staff with him in Philly.
With that, it has vaulted itself into playoff position, tied for ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 7-10-6 overall record (27 points) and a minus-3 goal differential. Before the break, it had scored 18 goals in 15 matches (1.2 per contest) and conceded 30 (2.0).
Among recent results are a 3-2 win at New York City, two wins over Red Bull New York, and a 2-2 home draw with Miami, which had scored six goals against Philadelphia in their last game before the hiatus.
“Ryan’s done a great job,” Noonan said. “He knows that group very well. Sometimes something new is good for a group, and it looks like a team playing with a lot of energy, a lot of confidence. They’re as good as any team in the league right now. They’re a handful, and it will be a good challenge for us.”
Philly has had to adjust to the loss of star striker Tai Baribo, who is now with D.C. United and was in TQL Stadium prepping to play Cincy last weekend.
Milan Iloski, a 27-year old from California and former UCLA standout, leads the team with 11 goals and six assists. Bruno Damiani, who scored in both games against Cincy last year, starts up front with Iloski and has three goals.
Cavan Sullivan, a 16-year old budding superstar from the Philadelphia area, has scored in three straight games and has four for the season. He plays on the outside.
After allowing two goals per contest prior to the World Cup, the Union are conceding 1.1 goals per game after. Except for some rotation during the Leagues Cup, their starting back four has been the same for the last seven MLS matches.
That includes Kai Wagner, a 29-year old veteran who was injured until the World Cup break. Noonan gave a lot of credit to him for his leadership. American youngsters Neil Pierre, 18, and Frankie Westfield, 20, also start in the back.
James Blake remains the veteran mainstay in goal and is one of the longest-tenured in the league. Blake, 35, is in his 13th season with the Union and is also a longtime member of the Jamaica national team. He has twice won MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.
Noonan said Philly’s academy system and youth development are so strong that he’s not surprised it has figured out things and is winning again.
“They can play, and they’re playing at a high level and contributing in goal production and how they defend against the ball,” Noonan said. “They have a model that shows how to have success with development. When those guys are stepping in the first team, they’ve seen (older) guys have success, and there’s an expectation of how to do that.”
FC Cincinnati player availability
Noonan said Samuel Gidi had cleared concussion protocol prior to training of Sept. 8, and he expects Gidi to be available for Philadelphia. Gidi was injured during the Nashville match Aug. 29.
David Doudera, one of the team’s two signings last week, is in Cincinnati with the team and working out at its facility in Milford but cannot take part in full training or play in a game until he gets his work visa. At some point, he will have to return to Czechia to complete that process; same with Argentine center back Julian Malatini.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati faces tough road match at Philadelphia on Sept. 9
