Damiani scores a goal, Union beats Cincinnati 1-0 to clinch playoff berth

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CINCINNATI (AP) — Bruno Damiani scored a goal in the 49th minute and Andrew Rick had five saves to help the Philadelphia Union beat FC Cincinnati 1-0 in a battle of the top-two teams in the Eastern Conference on Saturday night and clinch a spot in the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs.

Philadelphia (17-6-6) leads all of MLS with 57 points. Cincinnati (16-9-4) is second in the Eastern Conference with 53.

Olwethu Makhanya was shown his second yellow card in the 60th minute and the Union played a man down the rest of the way.

Damiani flicked a header that skipped inside the back post to open the scoring. Milan Iloski, near the bottom corner of the penalty box, played an arcing entry to the near post, where Damiani slipped around a defender for the finish.

Tbe Union’s plus-23 goal differential this season is the best in MLS. Philadelphia has conceded a league-low 26 goals and is the only team in MLS with fewer goals allowed than games played.

Cincinnati is 4-7-3 all-time against the Union in the regular season.

Tai Baribo had a hat trick to help the Union beat Cincinnati 4-1 on March 1 to snap a five-game winless streak against the club in the regular season.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer