By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The FC Cincinnati 2 professional soccer team that plays its home matches at Northern Kentucky University is tied for first place in the Eastern Conference of the MLS Next Pro League.
Every franchise in Major League Soccer has a developmental team that plays in the league. FC Cincinnati 2 has accrued 38 points with a 12-5-2 record and shares the top spot in the Eastern Conference with Philadelphia Union II.
The tie for first place will be broken Friday when the two teams face each other at 3 p.m. in Philadelphia with a live stream of the match on AppleTV+
This is the third season for the Next Pro League. The primary purpose of each team is preparing players to advance to the MLS level. Each roster consists of 35 players with a limit of seven international players.
FC Cincinnati 2 has been drawing good crowds to its matches at NKU. The last one was a 5-0 win over Chicago Fire FC 2 last Sunday that lifted the team into a tie for first place in the conference.
Five players scored in that match. Kenji Mboma Dem got it started with a goal in the 23rd minute and Stefan Chirila made it 2-0 with a penalty kick a little before halftime. The three second-half goals were by Guilherme Santos, Moises Tablante and Ben Stitz.
FC Cincinnati 2 goalkeeper Hunter Morse got the shutout without having to make a save. His teammates limited Chicago to four shots and none were on frame.
Tickets to FC Cincinnati 2 home matches can be ordered online for free, but the next match on Aug. 16 is already sold out. The team’s final two regular season matches at NKU will be Sept. 1 and Sept. 15. The Next Pro playoffs begin the second week of October.