CHESTER, Pennsylvania – What happened after FC Cincinnati lost to the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday was as intriguing as the match itself, and probably more compelling.

Following the 2-0 defeat to Philadelphia at Talen Energy Stadium, FC Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch openly stumped for better players for his squad.

"Luke (Sassano) and his staff are trying to find additional players," Koch said. "We’ve only had one window as a club. We have another window coming up where we need to find additional players to improve the group. I think we’re very aware of it. It’s a project. You can’t play a group like Philly tonight and they’ve got quality players."

Taken at face value, Koch's remarks aren't necessarily revelatory. Soccer clubs are always trying to improve their ranks. The constant pursuit of better talent is a necessity in the modern game.

Placed within the context of FC Cincinnati's current struggles, though, the open and public appeal for Cincinnati Technical Director Luke Sassano to supply Koch with more, better talent is very telling.

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Cincinnati is on a four-match losing streak, has lost five out of six matches and hasn't scored a goal from open play since March 24. The team's shots and shots-on-goal statistics are some of the worst in MLS.

It's abundantly clear the team needs help on the offensive end and has for a while. Koch's remarks seem to put the onus on Sassano to fix the problem.

The 2019 primary MLS transfer window – a period of time during which players can be acquired spanning Feb. 13 to May 7 – closes Tuesday.

Cincinnati's made some moves during the regular season, but nothing on the order of what it needs now as the season, as well as Koch's job, is hanging in the balance.

Asked by The Enquirer after Wednesday's match if he felt his job was on the line, Koch said, "it's frustrating because nobody likes to lose."

"I don't think I've personally lost this many games (in a row) in my career anywhere, so it's incredibly frustrating," Koch said. "We've got to stay true to the process. We've got a group. We're maximizing that group... We've got to continue to evolve."

As things stand now, any additions to FC Cincinnati would be late ones relative to the closure of the primary transfer window. Cincinnati's offensive woes have been festering for weeks and were forecast by many pundits prior to the season.

The loss of forward Fanendo Adi to injury and off-field legal issues has hampered Cincinnati's attack, too. Left to pick up the pieces have been Kenny Saief, Kekuta Manneh and Darren Mattocks.

Those players have combined for three goals but have had opportunities for far more than that.

FC Cincinnati closes out its current three-match road trip Saturday against the San Jose Earthquakes.