Union to face FC Cincinnati on November 25 at TQL Stadium

The countdown begins for Philadelphia Union fans.

November 25 has been chosen as the date for the Philadelphia Union’s showdown with FC Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the MLS Cup Playoffs. TQL Stadium will serve as the host venue due to FC Cincy’s No. 1 seed ranking, with kickoff slated for 8 p.m. ET

Orlando City and the Columbus Crew will meet on the other side of the East bracket.

It will mark the second-straight year that the Union and FC Cincinnati have met in the East Semifinals.

The Union advanced to the East semifinals after defeating the New England Revolution over two matches in the first round (3-1 and 1-0).

FC Cincy lifted their first trophy in club history earlier this year, winning the Supporters’ Shield in convincing style. Pat Noonan’s squad advanced to the semifinals after eliminating the New York Red Bulls over two matches (3-0 home win, 8-7 penalty shootout result after 1-1 scoreline in regulation).

There are several ties between the Union and FC Cincy both on and off the field.

Noonan previously served as an assistant coach under Curtin from 2018-21. Ray Gaddis is the Union’s all-time appearance leader (246), Alvas Powell played one season with the Union in 2019, and Sergio Santos is tied for ninth all-time in the Union’s goalscoring ranks (22).

FC Cincy GM Chris Albright made 10 appearances for the Union as a player before serving in the club’s front office from January 2014-October 2021. He was part of the club when they left Supporters’ Shield in 2020.

FC Cincinnati defeated the Union 1-0 at TQL Stadium back on April 8 before the teams played out a 2-2 draw at Subaru Park on Sept. 16.

Should the Union advance to the Eastern Conference Final, they will be on the road against either Orlando City or Columbus.