On Saturday afternoon, Philadelphia Union II faced FC Cincinnati 2 at Subaru Park, earning three points in a dominant 2-1 win.
To open the match, Cincinnati 2 applied early attacking pressure with back-to-back corner kicks in the 14th and 15th minutes, but the Union II defense held firm. In the 17th minute, Philadelphia struck first, as forward Stas Korzeniowski opened the scoring to give Union II the lead early in the first half. Following the opening goal, Philadelphia continued to create chances, but Cincinnati 2’s keeper had four saves to keep the lead at one. In the 39th minute, Cheikhou Niang found the equalizer off assists from Camden Sphire and Ademar Chávez. Union II threatened again in stoppage time as Korzeniowski fired a shot and midfielder Kellan LeBlanc took a free kick, but the first half ended level.
Union II came out with immediate pressure to start the second half. In the 55th minute, Korzeniowski broke away but was denied with a save by Cincinnati 2’s keeper. The attacking pressure continued, and in the 64th minute Korzeniowski struck again. He found his second goal of the match, assisted by midfielder Willyam Ferreira and defender Jordan Griffin, to put Union II back in front.Â
Cincinnati 2 pushed for a late second-half equalizer, creating multiple chances and earning a corner kick in the 84th minute, but Philadelphia’s defense stood strong. Union II countered with attacking pressure of their own, as Academy midfielder Matheus De Paula struck a shot off the crossbar. Union II kept their composure and remained strong on all sides of the pitch through five minutes of stoppage time to secure a 2-1 home victory.
Philadelphia Union II will travel to Beirne Stadium to face New England Revolution II on Sunday, August 16th. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on OneFootball.
