Chester – Union II travel to Northern Kentucky to take on FC Cincinnati 2 on Sunday for the third time this season, and getting a positive result will be crucial for the squad which has been scuffling as of late. Though Union II has bested their foe 4-1 and 1-0 in their previous meetings, the last time they won a match was at the beginning of the month when they hosted FCC2. Since then, they have gone 0-3-1, and are in third place in the Eastern Conference. Most recently, they dropped a 3-1 decision at home to New England Revolution II. Meanwhile, FCC2 are in 12th place but had a solid run during the summer. They are coming off a 3-2 loss to Carolina Core.
Union II are still very much in the hunt, and are five points behind first place RBNY II, who have already clinched a playoff berth. Huntsville City is in second, tied with Union II in points, but they also have a game in hand and more wins. Getting three points this weekend would be huge for the team, and Coach Ryan Richter knows how important it is for them.
Speaking with Richter at training on Friday, he discussed what the message was this week with the team after the disappointing loss last weekend. “Yeah, that wasn’t the style that we planned and not the style that made us successful the first 18 games of the season. I think everyone accepted that. It was really clear. So we got back this week, and working with what did make us successful. I thought it was a really great response in a couple days of training, and then we have to take that through the game this weekend.”
The squad looked disciplined, energized, and competitive at training. Vibes were strong, and the team looked ready. The match day roster should be plenty strong, likely including most, if not all, of the homegrown and professionally signed players, along with the several Academy players who regularly feature. Eddy Davis, Sal Olivas, and Stas Korzeniowski are long overdue for goals, so if they are firing on all cylinders, that could be key. If Jamir Johnson takes the field, he could also prove to be a key contributor.
Goals have come from some of the midfielders and defenders lately, but not the forwards as much, save for Malik Jakupovic scoring Union II’s lone goal in the previous match. Additionally, with the first team playing at Cincinnati on Saturday evening, the likelihood of a player like Cavan Sullivan, or whichever goalkeeper is on the bench for the first team featuring the next day with Union II is greater than it would be at times.
One player they will be without, however, is left back Isaiah LeFlore, who was finally announced officially as being loaned out to USL Championship side Detroit City FC for the remainder of the 2025 season. After signing with the first team and then missing all of 2024 due to an ACL tear in preseason, and battling his way back to form with Union II (and doing an admirable job, including scoring a golazo and three assists), the move will hopefully give him a higher level of competition where he can thrive. He is still only 22 years old, so the Union can see more of what he has to offer against tougher competition, and because playing being Kai Wagner on the depth chart does not make it easy to get first team playing time. In the meantime, expect promising Academy amateur Jordan Griffin to take that left back role with Union II.
Which goalkeeper will feature for Union II is somewhat of a question. According to Richter, Pierce Holbrook is out with a meniscus tear, and will likely be sidelined for some time. He had done a solid job with Union II this season since signing in June, and had just gotten a chance to be on the first team bench for the match versus Chicago Fire last Saturday when he had a non-contact injury during warm up—a devastating turn of events for the young Naval Academy graduate who has shown a lot of promise.
Mike Sheridan will be an option, as could new signing George Marks, who will likely be on the bench Saturday night with the first team and could possibly get time with Union II to get some work in as the Union often does with their keepers. Andrew Rick is the presumed starter for the first team with Andre Blake still working his way back from a hamstring injury.
“It’s been fluid the entire season,” Richter remarked about the keeper situation. “ It kind of depends on the first team minutes, injuries to Andre or national team call ups, that’s always what the goalkeeper situation is with second team. So, depending who’s available, that’s who plays. Of course, I think Mike knows he could do better on one of the goals in the game, but still we love his energy. We love the way he trains and he deserves opportunities when they come to him.”
The squad will need to play cohesively and not make the mental mistakes that plagued them recently. Over the last month, the team has certainly learned a lot. “You always have to put the team first, you know, and when we go on play like individuals and we stay away from the style that made us successful and made these guys all successful individually,” Richter said. ”You see a little bit drop in your performance as a team and as individuals. And I think that’s something that everyone was able to accept this week, the staff included. I feel really good about where the mentality is and the mindset. It’s kind of a good time to reset a lot of things. You know, we were in a tough stretch, tired at the end of it, not a lot of real training time in the last stretch of games.
“So now the rest of the season, we have time to work in the way we want to work, the way we want to prepare for games. We have to turn performances into the way that we want to play. And I think everyone’s on board with that. So for them, individually, I think they can see the value of, when I do things right for the team.”
They will face a team in FCC2 that is clawing for a chance to make the playoffs, and face them on the road, so Union II need to be at their best. Richter and his squad will not take their opponent lightly.
“They have had more of a consistent group playing in the last few weeks, and I think they’ll do the same this week,” Richter said of FCC2’s squad. “They have with some former Union Academy guys and some really dangerous players. They were in a good stretch when they came here [August 3rd match]. I don’t think we played our best game, but we played a good game.
“We have to do the same when we go there. We want a reminder of the first time we went to them, probably our best performance of the year. The first half, they basically couldn’t break us down at all, could not get really out of our pressure, and that’s the kind of style that we expect that we want to play into. That’s a target again for us going into this game, is you already know that you can be successful if we’re committed to the tactics. They haven’t changed too much as far as their shape. We have to execute in the way that we know we can—in our tactics and being a really aggressive and brave in the way that we attack them.”
If Union II can replicate a great performance like that 4-1 win back in June, that would certainly be a great change in momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season. The squad has shown they are capable, and even with losing some key chance creators in CJ Olney and David Vazquez, others have the abilities necessary to step up and get the job done.
Photo credit: FC Cincinnati 2
The match will take place Sunday, August 31 at Northern Kentucky University’s stadium at 7:30 PM and will be available on MLS Season Pass on AppleTV.
National Team Call Ups
Union II had several players receive call ups this week for the US Youth Men’s National Team. For the U-17s, Jamir Johnson, Kellan LeBlanc, and Cavan Sullivan were named to the September camp roster that will play friendlies in the Netherlands on September
“It’s great for them, great for the club,” Richter remarked. “And hopefully they can turn in good performances and get called for the World Cup squad for U-17. So they deserve it by the way that they’ve played this year, and you know, now it’s on them to perform when they’re in camp.”
Also announced this week were rosters for the USMNT Identity Camps in September. According to the USMNT’s press release, “These camps are a part of the Federation’s continued focus on the U.S. Way philosophy, which emphasizes increased programming for Youth National Teams to create more opportunities for young players to advance through the pathway to the senior National Team with the goal of representing their country at a world championship.”
The U-20 squad will train in West Palm Beach, Florida September 1-9, where Eddy Davis, Sal Olivas, and Andrew Rick will represent the Union. For the U-19s, Kaiden Moore and Neil Pierre received the call, and Malik Jakupovic will attend the U-17 camp along with Union Academy goalkeeper Matthew White. The U-19 and U-17 squads will train September 1-8 in Fayetteville, Georgia.
Main article photo credit: FC Cincinnati 2
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