PitchMath
Major League Soccer · 2026

Philadelphia Union 5–0 FC Cincinnati · Major League Soccer

5–0Full-time analysis

This page describes the completed match context. The result is not presented as a prior forecast.

Match at a glance

Philadelphia Union won 5–0.

Shots
201
Shots on target
61
Expected goals
3.570.02
Possession
67%33%

Full time

What the match recorded

Philadelphia Union beat FC Cincinnati 5–0. Recorded in this match (Philadelphia Union – FC Cincinnati): shots 20–1, shots on target 6–1, expected goals 3.57–0.02, possession 67%–33%. This is what was recorded. It is not a claim that the result was foreseeable.

Pre-match record

What the data showed before kick-off. Kept for reference; it did not know the result.

FC Cincinnati's recent record differs from the season

moderate

FC Cincinnati's last-five goals scored average is below their season average.

0.8 goals/match ▲Goals forLast 5 · Season2.13 goals/match
Evidence and caveat

Comparison: An unweighted last-five average is compared with the unweighted season average.

Window: last_5 versus season

MetricLast 5SeasonBaseline
Goals for0.8 goals/match2.13 goals/match1.58 goals/match

Caveat: Five matches are sensitive to opponent mix and isolated match states.

Philadelphia Union show a distinct attacking-volume record

strong

Philadelphia Union's shot volume and the opposing shot-allowance context sit above their competition baselines.

16.3 shots/match ▲ShotsPhiladelphia Union · FC Cincinnati13.3 shots/match
Evidence and caveat

Comparison: Team shot volume is paired with the opponent's recorded shot allowance.

Window: season

MetricPhiladelphia UnionFC CincinnatiBaseline
Shots16.3 shots/match13.3 shots/match12.8 shots/match
Shots against8.79 shots/match15.9 shots/match12.7 shots/match

Caveat: Shot volume describes activity; it does not establish finishing quality or a match outcome.

FC Cincinnati have a visible away split

moderate

FC Cincinnati's away-only shot average is below their full-season average.

11.2 shots/match ▲ShotsAway only · Season13.3 shots/match
Evidence and caveat

Comparison: Venue-only shot volume is compared with the same team's season record.

Window: away

MetricAway onlySeasonBaseline
Shots11.2 shots/match13.3 shots/match12.8 shots/match

Caveat: Venue splits can reflect opponent mix and should be read with the listed sample.

This match

Match statistics

  • Shots20 shots1 shotPhiladelphia Union 20 shots, FC Cincinnati 1 shot
  • Shots on target6 shots1 shotPhiladelphia Union 6 shots, FC Cincinnati 1 shot
  • Expected goals3.57 xG0.02 xGPhiladelphia Union 3.57 xG, FC Cincinnati 0.02 xG
  • Possession67%33%Philadelphia Union 67%, FC Cincinnati 33%
  • Corners7 corners1 cornerPhiladelphia Union 7 corners, FC Cincinnati 1 corner
  • Fouls16 fouls6 foulsPhiladelphia Union 16 fouls, FC Cincinnati 6 fouls
  • Yellow cards0 cards2 cardsPhiladelphia Union 0 cards, FC Cincinnati 2 cards
  • Passes605 passes302 passesPhiladelphia Union 605 passes, FC Cincinnati 302 passes
  • Pass accuracy87.6%71.2%Philadelphia Union 87.6%, FC Cincinnati 71.2%
  • Shots inside box17 shots1 shotPhiladelphia Union 17 shots, FC Cincinnati 1 shot
  • Blocked shots6 blocks0 blocksPhiladelphia Union 6 blocks, FC Cincinnati 0 blocks
  • Goalkeeper saves0 saves1 savePhiladelphia Union 0 saves, FC Cincinnati 1 save
  • Offsides2 offsides1 offsidePhiladelphia Union 2 offsides, FC Cincinnati 1 offside

As it happened

Key moments

  1. 16′Obinna NwobodoRed card · FC Cincinnati
  2. 40′EvanderYellow card · FC Cincinnati
  3. 43′Quinn SullivanPenalty goal · Philadelphia Union
  4. 45′Bruno DamianiGoal · Philadelphia Union
  5. Half-time
  6. 49′Bruno DamianiGoal · Philadelphia Union
  7. 61′Bruno DamianiGoal · Philadelphia Union
  8. 72′Bruno DamianiGoal · Philadelphia Union
  9. 81′Pavel BuchaGoal · FC Cincinnati
  10. 88′Tah AnungaYellow card · FC Cincinnati
  11. 89′Milan IloskiPenalty goal · Philadelphia Union
  12. Full time
Player changes · 10grouped by team and minute
  • 46′FC Cincinnati · 3 player changesAlvas Powell · Tom Barlow · Nick Hagglund
  • 62′FC Cincinnati · 1 player changeTah Anunga
  • 65′Philadelphia Union · 1 player changeMilan Iloski
  • 66′Philadelphia Union · 2 player changesIndiana Vassilev · Jesus Bueno
  • 75′Philadelphia Union · 1 player changeMalik Jakupovic
  • 75′FC Cincinnati · 1 player changeSamuel Gidi
  • 75′Philadelphia Union · 1 player changeAlejandro Bedoya

Who started

Lineups

Show both lineups

Confirmed lineups as published before kick-off.

Philadelphia Union4-4-2
  1. Andre BlakeG
  2. Nathan HarrielD
  3. Kai WagnerD
  4. Frankie WestfieldD
  5. Neil PierreD
  6. Jovan LukićM
  7. Cavan SullivanM
  8. Indiana VassilevM
  9. Danley Jean JacquesM
  10. Bruno DamianiF
  11. Milan IloskiF
FC Cincinnati3-5-2
  1. Roman CelentanoG
  2. Miles RobinsonD
  3. Stefan ChirillaD
  4. Pavel BuchaD
  5. Kyle SmithD
  6. Ender EcheniqueD
  7. Obinna NwobodoM
  8. EvanderM
  9. Gerardo ValenzuelaM
  10. Kévin DenkeyF
  11. Ayoub JabbariF

History

Head-to-head

Recent meetings between these teams.

Last 5 meetings

2Philadelphia Union
0Draws
3FC Cincinnati
FC Cincinnati — Philadelphia Union · Major League Soccer0–1
Philadelphia Union — FC Cincinnati · Major League Soccer4–1
Philadelphia Union — FC Cincinnati · Major League Soccer1–2
FC Cincinnati — Philadelphia Union · Major League Soccer4–3
FC Cincinnati — Philadelphia Union · Major League Soccer1–0

Head-to-Head & Recent Meetings

Metric comparison

Team comparison

Season averages, with the sample size beside each metric.

Where the edge is

Season: Philadelphia Union favored in 9 of 13 directional metrics · FC Cincinnati in 3 · 1 too close

led this metric higher value (descriptive) too close

Window

Season

Philadelphia Union24 matchesFC Cincinnati23 matches
1.71 goals/matchGoals scored24/23▲ 2.13 goals/match
1.63 goals/match ▲Goals allowed24/232.43 goals/match
1.92 xG/match ▲Expected goals21/211.64 xG/match
16.3 shots/match ▲Shots24/2313.3 shots/match
4.96 shots/matchShots on target24/23▲ 5.83 shots/match
47.5%Possession24/23● 49.7%
6.08 corners/match ●Corners24/234.61 corners/match
3.14 cards/matchCards7/92.78 cards/match
15.1 fouls/matchFouls24/2311.5 fouls/match

Evidence quality

How much supports this analysis

Grade A · Strong evidenceStrong evidence — ready
Season samples24 / 23home / away teams
Recent samples5 / 5last-five windows
FreshnessLess than one dayfrom nearest prior match
  • Recent samples and important metric coverage meet the strong evidence threshold.

Known unknowns

  • Lineups, injuries, suspensions and tactical changes are not available in the retained dataset.
Analysis cutoff: Thu, 10 Sept 2026, 03:45 UTC · analysis-v4

Team rankings in Major League Soccer

Goals per match rankingxG per match rankingShots per match ranking
TeamsPhiladelphia UnionFC Cincinnati
CompetitionMajor League Soccer
Head-to-headPhiladelphia Union — FC Cincinnati
MethodHow PitchMath calculates this

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