Damion Lowe #17 of Philadelphia Union reacts after a missed shot during the first half of a MLS playoff semi-final match against FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Rookie defender Yerson Mosquera scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, Roman Celentano had four saves and FC Cincinnati set up an all-Ohio Eastern Conference Final with a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night.
Cincinnati (21-5-9) will host the Columbus Crew on Saturday for the right to play in the MLS Cup Final. The Crew beat Orlando City 2-0 in the other semifinal to end a league-record, 16-match winless streak on the road in the playoffs, dating back to 2002.
The victory avenges Cincinnati's 1-0 road loss to Philadelphia (15-10-10) in last season's semifinal round.
The 22-year-old Mosquera's first postseason goal came with assists from defender Ian Murphy and Álvaro Barreal. Mosquera scored two goals and had one assist during the regular season.
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Celentano, a rookie last season, saved three shots in the second half for the Supporters' Shield winners and overall top seed. He has two career shutouts in two postseasons with both coming this year.
Andre Blake had three of his five saves in the first half for the Union.
Philadelphia went 5-0-1 in its first six meetings with Cincinnati but has gone 1-3-2 in six matches since, including the postseason. Cincinnati's three wins have come in a row and all were at home. The only loss came when Leon Flach scored in the 59th minute of the Union's 1-0 win last postseason.
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Cincinnati improves to 6-2-5 at home in all competitions following a 13-match win streak there. The club improves to 7-0-2 at home all time, but the two draws resulted in shootout losses.
Philadelphia won six road matches in all competitions this season after setting the club record with seven last season.
