Highland Heights, KY – Desperately needing points, and preferably a win to help stay near the top of the table as they near the playoffs, Union II traveled to Northern Kentucky University to face FC Cincinnati 2 for a third and final time for the regular season. In their previous meetings, they were victorious on the road 4-1, and won at home 1-0. They made it a perfect three for three as they dispatched FCC2 2-1 and took hold of second place in the Eastern Conference, and clinched a playoff berth in the process.
Union II head coach Ryan Richter elected to shake up the lineup a bit, and the most noteworthy change was George Marks making his debut with the club since signing a first team contract on Tuesday. He was brought in quickly after Pierce Holbrook sustained a knee injury, and the Union were getting very short on goalkeepers with Andre Blake’s injury and Oliver Semmle being loaned out. It would be a chance for him to get some work and show the organization what he could do.
Eddy Davis and Markus Anderson got the start up top once again. The midfield featured Cavan Sullivan, Kellan LeBlanc, Noah Probst, and Óscar Benítez. The back line saw captain Nick Pariano moved to right back in place of Giovanny Sequera, who was on the bench. Jordan Griffin was at left back, and Neil Pierre and Rafael Uzcátegui were the center back duo.
The story of the first half was mostly dominance from Union II. Early on, Andrei Chirilă fouled Sullivan just outside the box and got a yellow card—and inches from being a penalty kick, setting up a free kick on the right edge of the box. Sullivan took the kick, which ricocheted off an FCC2 player and out for a Union II corner. The first 10 minutes were very much controlled by Union II in their attacking end, with Anderson and Sullivan having some very nice plays.
Anderson would be fouled near the top of the box, and the ensuing free kick led to Union II’s first shot on goal by LeBlanc, which was saved by Nathan Crockford. After continued pressure, Union II finally broke through when Sullivan made a fantastic pass to Pierre, who headed the ball into the net to make it 1-0 in the 20th minute. After having a rough match the week prior, it felt like some much needed redemption for the talented 17 year old as he got his second goal of the season.
It took until the 29th minute for FCC2 to get their first shot, but it was right at Marks, who made the easy save. More chances followed with a blast by Davis on target from outside the box that was saved, and then a similar shot from Probst right after. Stefan Chirila countered with a shot saved by Marks, and then Sullivan and LeBlanc almost connected for a goal, but Crockford made yet another impressive save. In the end, Union II could have had a few more goals if Crockford had not put on the quality performance that he did on the evening.
There may have been few more snake-bitten players than Davis coming into the match, who had been one of the top goal scorers in Next Pro in 2024, but only had four goals in 2025. He did not miss when he was fed a brilliant ball by Sullivan, who had gone on a tremendous run to get his second assist on the night. Davis’s fifth goal of the season made it 2-0 in the 38th minute. FCC2 managed a couple shots as the first half was coming to a close, which Marks was able to handle. Union II looked like the squad that had that tremendous stretch of June and into July.
The second half began with no changes for Union II. While Union II had early chances, FCC2 looked much more alive and confident, and brought more pressure and energy. FCC2’s Peter Mangione hit the post, and before Marks could get to the ball, Tega Ikoba knocked the ball into the net to cut Union II’s lead in half, making it 2-1 in the 54th minute.
Richter made his first changes in the 64th minute, bringing on Sal Olivas and Stas Korzeniowski in place of Davis and LeBlanc. Shortly after, Sullivan nearly got a goal back on a rocket that just went wide. FCC2 and Union II would go back and forth, but the home squad had certainly stepped it up after a lackluster first half that had Union II in the driver’s seat.
Giovanny Sequera replaced Probst in the 72nd minute as the teams continued to duke it out. Union II managed some nice counters with Olivas and Korzeniowski seeing quality chances, with a shot that went just wide by Korzeniowski. Union II made their final substitutions with Malik Jakupovic and Willyam Ferreira replacing Sullivan and Anderson.
Four minutes of stoppage time was announced and as Union II worked to preserve their lead and run out the clock, Marks received a yellow card for time wasting. They were able to hold off their foe, and with that, punch their ticket to the postseason. It was a performance that was certainly not perfect, but one that seemed to be more in line with what Richter wanted to see from his squad. If they can continue to play more like that, it could ensure they end up in a good spot for the playoffs.
Union II, like the first team, will enjoy a break during the international window, with several of their players called to national team camps. They will next travel to Historic Crew Stadium to face the now-eliminated Columbus Crew 2 on September 14.
Main article photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union II
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