Philadelphia Union II got back to their winning ways on Tuesday as they traveled to Northern Kentucky to take on FC Cincinnati 2, taking home all three points with a dominant 4-1 victory. Union II outshot their opponent 16-7, with eight of those shots on target, and only allowed seven shots (four on target and one goal conceded). With the result, the squad moved up to fourth place in the East with at least one game in hand over the teams above them in the standings, while their opponent remains in last place (15th). Additionally, this was the first time Union II won against FC Cincinnati 2 since August 2022, as that team was top in the East last year and had proved to be a tough opponent.
Match Recap
The staring lineup included Eddy Davis and Leandro Soria at forward, Markus Anderson, Henry Bernstein, Nick Pariano, and Kellan LeBlanc at midfield, Jordan Griffin, Rafael Uzcátegui, Gavin Wetzel, and Isaiah LeFlore for the back line, and Mike Sheridan in goal. With six players from the squad away on national team duty and a few injured players, the bench was very thin with just Malik Jakupovic, Giovanny Sequera, Óscar Benítez, Stas Korzeniowski, and Jojo Elliott on the bench, but Ryan Richter’s squad was firing on all cylinders. Notably, this was Jakupovic’s first appearance since signing a contract with Union II the previous week.
FC Cincinnati 2 got a chance early with a corner but missed. Union II started really pressing, and in early part of the game featured some nice passes up to Markus Anderson, where he took a shot in 7th minute and earned a corner, but the shot went right to keeper.
Another corner came in the 10th minute that saw Anderson’s header attempt go over the goal. The flurry of pressure around the box would come to a head as Eddy Davis blasted a shot to the bottom right corner of the goal in the 13th minute to put Union II up 1-0. This was the second goal of the season for Davis, and the first assist by Jordan Griffin.
A big opportunity came in the 23rd minute via a dangerous free kick after Kellan LeBlanc was fouled and a yellow card was shown to Andrei Chirilă. The ensuing free kick would be cleared, but a few moments later, Anderson intercepted the ball and sent it to Soria, who passed it back to Anderson as he ran on to the goal. Anderson took a shot that deflected off the keeper, but he was there to head it in, marking his first goal of the season.
The pressure continued as Davis set up a really nice chance for Leandro Soria near the top of the box in the 30th minute, but Soria sent it over the cross bar. Then in the 35th minute Davis sent in a great ball that Soria just missed heading in as it hit the post, and then moments later Soria got another chance after Jordan Griffin sent in a long ball, but he hit it wide.
Meanwhile, the defense was holding strong, and in the 39th minute, Rafael Uzcátegui thwarted a chance for FCC2 by seeing the ball out for a goal kick. In 42nd minute, Gavin Wetzel did a nice job blocking a shot that sent it out for a FCC2 corner, and at the 45+3 minute in stoppage time, Mike Sheridan made a quality save on a ball sent straight to him. He would not finish the game unscathed, however. FCC2 got a bit of hope back during the 51st minute as Sheridan hesitated, got caught, and Carson Locker scored for FCC2, making the score 2-1 Union II.
Union II continued to get chances as in the 54th minute, Noah Adnan fouled Eddy Davis just outside the box, getting the former a yellow card and Union II a dangerous free kick. Pariano took it, but his shot was blocked by the wall. A free kick in 59th minute was taken by LeBlanc who got it past the wall but right to the keeper. Then in the 65th minute, a quality pass across by Soria to LeBlanc ended with a shot right to keeper.
Richter made his first sub in the 65th minute, bringing on Giovanny Sequera for Kellan LeBlanc. FCC2 would get another chance as in the 67th minute, but Sheridan made a nice save on a shot by Locker to deny him a brace.
The moment that many were waiting for finally came as Malik Jakupovic, the towering 15 year old forward, made his professional debut in the 72th coming in for Leandro Soria. Óscar Benítez also subbed on for Isaiah LeFlore. Jakupovic would waste no time making an impact as in the 75th minute he took a shot that was blocked. FCC2’s William Kuisel was booked with a yellow for fouling Anderson. Then, in the 85th minute, Anderson stripped away the ball and took it quickly toward net, sent it to the top of the box, and Sequera fired it home for his second goal of the season and increasing Union II’s lead 3-1.
Some pressure would come late in regulation as 87′ Sheridan made a nice save and the defense held up. There would be seven minutes of stoppage time, and in the 90+5 minute, Jakupovic was shown his first yellow card for kicking the ball away during an FCC2 free kick. Then, in the 90+8 minute Jakupovic started a run, passed to Sequera who sent it to Anderson, who in turn crossed to Jakupovic who netted his first professional goal to make it 4-1, which would hold for the final score.
Post Game Thoughts and Analysis
Ryan Richter shared his overall thoughts on the match, and was very positive about how his team performed:
“It was a good performance. I thought that we were very organized, especially in the first half. You know, they had a really tough time breaking us down. We were on the front foot for much of the half, I thought. And I thought the group was committed to playing as a team, and I felt that more in this game than any game in the season so far. And I thought there were a lot of great individual performances that came on the back of that. So I was proud of the guys, you know, a lot of great individual performances, not to single anyone out just yet, but proud of how everyone approached the game as a team, and then we’re able to execute and then show what they’re capable of individually.”
It was a big night for Malik Jakupovic making his debut. Richter was happy for the young striker to have such a great start, but also is focusing on the development:
“Yeah, I would say in his goal, let’s not forget the incredibly unselfish play that Markus [Anderson] makes to slide this ball cross instead of taking it himself and even the past before that with Gio [Sequera], he can do something different and take it selfish. But so I was happy for Malik that he got his goal. That’s a great, a great story to score on your debut. And you know, he deserved the minutes that he got. You know, from how he’s worked in training with Union to how he’s performed in the academy games, and obviously the club is committed to him, and you know we’re committed to his development, so it’s a great start to what we hope is a long and successful run and, you know, many more steps along the way, but it’s a great first step, at least with Union II.
“And really proud of him the way he approached the game, the way he conducted himself as a professional. These are all learning opportunities. He’s 15 years old; we’re very happy for him, and hope he can continue building week by week, getting better and better, the way that he’s done over the over the past couple of months.”
Richter added that Jakupovic’s family was at the game, and that it was a cool moment for them. He also made it clear they are looking beyond the hype and looking to keep him grounded and on track with his development… much like another 15 year old on the squad who gets a lot of attention.
“It’s a it’s a pretty cool story. But, you know, I think for all of us, we need to keep his feet on the ground, keep him working hard. And it’s, you know, there’s, there’s a lot bigger, bigger goals individually for him than scoring a goal in Union II. And myself and our staff and the players, we need to demand more from him every game, every training session, so that he keeps getting better and better. And that’s our ultimate job- is be the support system, be demanding, hold them accountable so that it keeps getting better every single day. And I’m excited to work with him. I’m excited to see how the rest of this year goes. What’s in the future, but let’s just keep our feet on the ground and keep getting better every single day.”
In this writer’s opinion, Markus Anderson was man of the match with one goal and two assists, and just overall great speed, pressure, and passing. Especially with the friendly against Atlas coming up and so many players missing for international duty, it remains to be seen if he gets some playing time with the first team. Carnell has yet to have him on a lineup, but injuries have also been a hindrance. Eddy Davis also had a strong game, getting his second goal of the season after leading the squad in goals in 2024.
Richter lauded the performance of Anderson, who has been playing as a “10” and Davis on the attack, but also stressed how much it was a team effort:
“I mean, it starts always with our attacking players, with their work against the ball, and both of them incredible in the game. You know, Eddy to lead the line the way he’s done. That’s kind of what we pushed him more on this season is, is it’s more than just scoring goals and being this great attacking player. Can you help the team be better by the way that you lead every pressure? And he did that.
“Markus in, maybe you’ve seen him more as a striker, but playing in this 10 position, I think it’s one that can suit him really well. I mean, he stayed very responsible in his tactics in the game. And if you just go through the goals on his performance, he wins the ball on the jump. It’s an organized team play, but he’s the one who wins the ball when they try to play through the middle on his on his goal, his assist that he makes for Gio. He basically wins the ball, drives at the end line himself, cuts it back for Gio’s goal, and then the unselfish play he makes in the 90th minute, where he’s already ran, you know, 12k in the game, he makes a 60 yard sprint and then takes an unselfish decision in the last moment to make the second assist.
“So his individual performance was excellent, Eddy challenging him with the ball to try to be more scary against the defenders, we talked this week, and it’s, you know, it’s easy if you play simple playback. When you get the ball, if you have space, turn and drive a defender’s turn and take guys on. If you lose this ball, that’s okay, but no one wants to defend Eddy when he’s using his weapons. And I thought he did a good job of that in this game. And his goal is a great example. Really clever play, turns, drives a defender, unbalances him, gets to his left foot, clean finish to the back post.
“So for both those guys, very happy in their performance. But again, it’s about the team, and I thought that everyone was committed to that ultimate goal.”
Union II will play in a closed scrimmage with Auckland City FC at Subaru park Thursday. The squad returns to regular action on Sunday, June 15th at 7:00 PM at Subaru Park as they take on Crown Legacy, who are currently in 9th place in the East.
Full match for Union II and FC Cincinnati 2 can be viewed below (for as long as it stays posted).
Main article photo credit: FC CIncinnati 2
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