Rate the U: Ohio is not a friendly place for the Union

Union lose for just the third time this season

Every great team has that one performance during the season that is lackluster. The Philadelphia Union just had theirs Saturday evening in Ohio. The MLS east leaders were beaten convincingly by FC Cincinnati, a team with only one victory in its last 11 games.

Watching the game overall, it didn't feel like the Union team we have been watching this season. The attack felt slow. There were no over-the-top balls or explosive runs from the forwards. Granted, maybe the legs were still tired from last Saturday's 6 – nil victory. This team has won the game by more than six goals twice this season. However, they could only get two shots on goal the entire game. Even with that stat, it seemed that the U didn't even get a look on the net until Paxton Aaronson came in around the 70'.

While the offense struggled to create chances, the defense had similar issues as they could not mark FC Cincinnati's Luciano Acosta. The Argentine midfielder seemed to be the thorn in the side of the U. It seemed that for each scoring chance Cincy would get, Acosta was linked to it. He did something extraordinary to create the opportunity or nearly missed the goal alone.

This performance would be an outlier, so I wouldn't be too concerned with the team not picking up 3 points. Luckily, NYCFC lost, so they are still sitting at the east's top. However, they could not capitalize on pulling to within 3 points of the Supporter Shield leaders, as LAFC did not play this weekend. Now, let us know what you thought of the boy's Saturday performance. Weigh in in our Community Player Rating poll.