Union reach first place in MLS’ Eastern Conference with 2-0 win over FC Cincinnati

Though there was only a sparse crowd at Talen Energy Stadium on Wednesday, the fans who showed up saw the Union dominate FC Cincinnati in a 2-0 win that vaulted Philadelphia into a tie for first place in the Eastern Conference.

Early in the game, the Union (5-3-2, 17 points) suffered a scare when goalkeeper Matt Freese suffered an abdominal injury making a save in the 10th minute. He played through the pain, but not before going down on the field in the 14th minute and receiving assistance from the Union’s medical staff.

Freese surrendered to the pain in the 41st minute and was replaced by Carlos Coronel — the only other goalkeeper available, since Andre Blake is sidelined for at least another week with a groin injury.

Other than that, the traffic was thoroughly in the Union’s direction in a scoreless first half. They held 63.3 percent of possession, and completed 208 passes to Cincinnati’s 93. Cincinnati’s forays came mainly from booting the ball long to break the Union’s high-pressure defense, and Auston Trusty twice impressively snuffed out veteran striker Darren Mattocks.

The second half started in a similar fashion, as the Union unleashed a barrage on Cincinnati’s net. In just the first few minutes, Cincinnati goalkeeper Spencer Richey denied Kacper Przybylko, Brenden Aaronson shot over the crossbar, and the Union won four corners in a row before Richey finally caught one and cleared it out.

Przybylko broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute, rising to meet a cross from Olivier Mbaizo after getting behind the Cincinnati backline unmarked. It was his second goal in as many games.

Fafà Picault doubled the lead in the 70th with his first goal of the season, finishing a sneaky through ball from Ilsinho with a deft chip. It was a fine reward for a night when Picault carved up Cincinnati’s defense. He completed 13 of 16 passes and took three shots, and would have been credited with more had he not been caught offside five times.

The Union finished the game with a 20-15 advantage in shots over Cincinnati (2-6-2, 8 points), including 8-3 in shots on target, and a 377-247 edge in completed passes.

Philadelphia is atop the Eastern Conference with D.C. United and the Montreal Impact. The Union’s next game is Saturday against the New England Revolution (7:30 p.m., PHL17).