The match started splendidly. The first half was outstanding for FCC with the defense limiting possession in the final third, which in turn limited Josef Martinez. Atlanta was frustrated in the first half as they felt they were limited in the chances they would normally generate.

Starting center backs Tyler Blackett and Gustavo Vallecilla did a good job at being in good positions to stop chances from Barco and Martinez as well. Bailey also dis well in an impressive first half.

The offense, while not as impressive as the defense, was able to get into good places to possibly cash in opportunities. Acosta did well and didn’t try to hold onto the ball too much. Vazquez was better than Brenner, and if I didn’t know who cost $13 million, I wouldn’t have been able to say who it was. Brenner continued to be invisible. This must be fixed in the offseason with the new roster build.

Bailey was a weapon on offense. In the 21st minute Bailey found space outside of Atlanta’s penalty box. His give-and-go with Acosta was executed with perfection creating space for the defender who launched a shot far post. The shot beat keeper Brad Guzan and put an exclamation point on a solid first half.

It’s too bad soccer matches are more than one half.

Almost immediately at the start of the second half, Atlanta had a better grasp at the game than FCC did. FCC was trying to not lose in the second half, looking to limit dangerous chances in a compact shape. Meanwhile Atlanta pushed to win and increase the speed of attack. That was shown in the difference between each of their play.

Martinez got much more of the ball compared to the first half and when he goes, Atlanta goes. The start striker had his chances but the FCC defense and keeper Kenneth Vermeer repelled the attack early in the second. It felt like FCC’s goal was taped over because there were multiple chances that probably should have gone in but didn’t.

However, the opening goal for Atlanta did eventually come, and it was from US centerback Miles Robinson. This goal really sparked the spirits for Atlanta, and I think every FCC fan knew the second goal was probably coming, it was just how.

And come it did. Josef Martinez certainly picked his moment. One of the best players in Major League Soccer slotted in the winner off a volley that then went into the back of the net. After that goal, it didn’t seem like FCC was really up for the match.

Overall, FCC played in this match as it had in almost every single match this season. It played well to start the match, but then decided to let the other team back into the match and lose it.

BOX SCORE

Matchday 34 – FC Cincinnati vs Atlanta United FC
TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Attendance: 23,663
Result: Atlanta United FC 2, FC Cincinnati 0

Lineups

FC Cincinnati Starting XI:

Kenneth Vermeer, Ronald Matarrita, Tyler Blackett, Gustavo Vallecilla, Zico Bailey (Joseph-Claude Gyau 59’), Haris Medunjanin (Álvaro Barreal 74’), Caleb Stanko, Luciano Acosta (c), Yuya Kubo (Calvin Harris 83’), Brandon Vázquez (Allan Cruz 59’), Brenner

Bench: Arquimides Ordonez, Ben Lundt, Isaac Atanga, Edgar Castillo, Kyle Scott

Atlanta United FC Starting XI:

Brad Guzan (c), Anton Walkes (Jake Mulraney 46’), Allan Franco, Miles Robinson, Ronald Hernandez (Brooks Lennon 68’), Matheus Rossetto, George Bello, Franco Ibarra (Jurgen Damm 68’), Josef Martinez (George Campbell 85’), Ezequiel Barco (Erick Torres 89’), Luiz Araujo

Bench: Amar Sejdic, Alec Kann, Machop Chol, Tyler Wolff

Scoring Summary

CIN – Zico Bailey (Lucho Acosta) 21’

ATL – Miles Robinson (Ezequiel Barco) 70′

ATL – Josef Martinez (unassisted) 79′

Misconduct Summary

CIN – Caleb Stanko (caution) 33’

ATL – Ronald Hernandez (caution) 64’

ATL – Luiz Araujo (caution) 86’

CIN – Ronald Matarrita (caution) 88’

The post FC Cincinnati breaks hearts in season finale appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Playing without Luciano Acosta, who missed out due to yellow card accumulation, FCC mustered few chances, rarely testing Andre Blake in the Union’s goal. Philadelphia outshot FCC 20-7, with seven efforts on target to FCC’s two on target. Advanced analytics confirm the Union’s dominance on the night as well, with Philadelphia creating 3.1 expected goals to FCC’s 0.3 xG. 

The Union opened the scoring in the 11th minute after an Olivier Mbaizo strike from the top of the 18-yard-box eluded Kenneth Vermeer. Upon further review, Daniel Gazdag was credited with the goal as he slightly deflected Mbaizo’s effort into the net.

Philadelphia threatened a second on multiple occasions in the first half but FCC made it to half time down just one goal. 

Early in the second half, FCC had a chance to level the score but Alvaro Barreal could not direct a bouncing cross from Brandon Vazquez on target. 

Paxten Aaronson doubled Philadelphia’s lead in the 53rd minute, scoring his second goal against the Orange and Blue in as many matches. Aaronson nearly added an MLS assist to his tally a minute later as he threaded an excellent through ball to Alejandro Bedoya who found Kacper Pryzbylko in the six-yard-box. Fortunately for FCC, Pryzbylko put his first time shot over the crossbar.

In the remaining 30 minutes the Union threatened Vermeer’s goal a few more times but did not score. FCC missed Acosta’s dynamism on the ball, both in progressing it forward and operating in the final third of the field. 

With just one match remaining in the 2021 season, Chris Albright’s first offseason in charge of FCC is imminent. Sunday’s match, despite securing another ignominious record for the Orange and Blue, shows the promise of what the future could hold.

Philadelphia’s emphasis the development and utilization of homegrown talent as well as smart signings. Albright will not be able to turn FCC around in one offseason, or two for that matter, but seeing how the Union played should give FCC fans something to dream on throughout the offseason.

After seeing Philadelphia twice in the second half of this lost season, there are certainly worse models on which to model a rebuild. Whether Albright succeeds or not, supporters should take heart that FCC seems to be following in some smart footsteps. 

FC Cincinnati Starting XI (4-4-2):

Kenneth Vermeer, Joe Gyau (Duvall 46’), Geoff Camero, Tyler Blackett, Zico Bailey, Yuya Kubo (Scott 83’), Caleb Stanko, Haris Medunjanin, Alvaro Barreal (Harris 71’), Brandon Vazquez, Brenner (Atanga 71’)

Bench: Isaac Atanga, Allan Cruz, Chris Duvall, Calvin Harris, Kamohelo Mokotjo, Arquimides Ordonez, Kyle Scott, Przemyslaw Tyton, Florian Valot

Philadelphia Union (4-4-2):

Andre Blake, Olivier Mbaizo (Harriel 76’), Jakob Glesnes, Jack Elliott, Kai Wagner, Alejandro Bedoya (90’), Jose Martinez, Jack McGlynn (Flach 80’), Daniel Gazdag (Sullivan 90’), Kacper Pryzbylko (Burke 80’), Paxten Aaronson

Bench: Jesus Bueno, Matt Freese, Quinn Sullivan, Anthony Fontana, Davo, Stuart Findlay, Leon Flach, Cory Burke, Nathan Harriel

Scoring Summary:

PHI – Gazdag 11’

PHI – Aaronson 53’

The post FC Cincinnati sets record with loss – shows potential new direction appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

“It’s just deja vu,” Vazquez said. “It just hurts. We see the quality every day in training and the work we put in. It just hurts.” 

There were boos at the final whistle as most everyone associated with FCC counted the days before Chris Albright’s real work can begin.

FCC got an injury boost on Wednesday with the return of Yuya Kubo from an ankle injury, defender Geoff Cameron who was suspended one match due to yellow card accumulation and Brenner who was rested for Saturday’s 5-1 loss at Miami.

The Orange and Blue are still without Gustavo Vallecilla who’s out with a hamstring injury and Nick Hagglund who had season-ending surgery on his broken wrist.

Kenneth Vermeer made his first start in goal after being on the bench for the past eight matches. He was under pressure most of the night.

“Second half, we didn’t stick together defensively,” Kubo said. “We connected really well in the first half. I don’t know if it’s mental. We needed to focus more in the second half. We score three goals, and we couldn’t beat them. What can I say?”

Cincinnati: Kenneth Vermeer, Zico Bailey (Isaac Atanga 90’), Geoff Cameron, Tyler Blackett, Edgar Castillo, Yuya Kubo (Calvin Harris 81’), Caleb Stanko (Kamohelo Mokotjo 81’), Haris Medunjanin (Arquimides Ordonez 90’), Luciano Acosta (c), Brenner Álvaro Barreal 84’), Brandon Vázquez

 Bench: Przemyslaw Tyton, Florian Valot, Joseph-Claude Gyau, Kyle Scott

Nashville SC: Joe Willis, Walker Zimmerman (c), Dave Romney, Tah Anunga (Jack Maher 84’), Anibal Godoy, Daniel Lovitz (Taylor Washington 66’), Luke Haakenson (Ake Arnaud Loba 46’), Alistair Johnson, Hany Mukhtar (Matt LaGrassa 90’), Randall Leal (Alex Muyl 84’), C.J. Sapong

Bench: Bryan Meredith, Eric Miller, Jhonder Cadiz, Abu Danladi

Vázquez: Yeah it hurts, it’s like deja vu every time we play at home. We played really well the first half and a couple seconds of lack of focus in the second half cost us the game, and it really hurt.”

The post West End Story: FC Cincinnati blows big lead in 6-3 loss to Nashville appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Miami opened the scoring in the sixth minute. Lewis Morgan switched the play from right to left, finding Rodolfo Pizarro on the run. Pizarro caught up to the ball before it went out of play and crossed to an unmarked Federico Higuain in the box, who turned a cross from Rodolfo Pizarro beyond a diving Tyton. 

Brandon Vazquez leveled the score in the 21st minute with a header off a nicely crossed ball from Zico Bailey, his second assist in as many matches. 

FCC nearly added a second in the 37th minute. Matarrita fizzed a cross between the penalty spot and the six-yard box but it was just out of reach of Brandon Vazquez. At the other end, Rodolfo Pizarro fizzed a shot laid off by Gonzalo Higuain just wide of Tyton’s right post. 

At halftime, statistics showed a pretty even match. The Orange and Blue attempted 8 shots, with 5 on target, accounting for 0.9 xG. Miami countered with 9 shots, though just one on target for 1.2 xG. 

Miami took the lead in the 53rd minute off a Higuain brother connection. Federico received the ball on the right wing and hit a cross towards his brother who beat Caleb Stanko and put his head past Tyton. 

FCC had a look to level the score again in the 60th minute. Acosta Cruyff-turned through two Miami defenders at the top of the box before playing Barreal into the box. Barreal struck his shot well but unfortunately Nick Marsman had it covered. 

Indiana Vassilev, who had replaced Federico Higuain, made it 3-1 in the 69th minute, beating Tyton at his near post after being played into the box by Pizarro. Lewis Morgan added a fourth for Miami in the 74th minute, coolly firing past Tyton after finding acres of space behind FCC’s backline. 

Morgan looked to double his tally in the 81st minute, blasting a shot past Tyton from the left side of the box after being played through a high FCC backline by Gonzalo Higuain but a VAR check reversed the decision. However, essentially immediately after the restart of play, Julian Carranza received a through ball past FCC’s backline to score Miami’s fifth of the night. 

FCC looked to be denied a penalty as the ball struck a Miami arm inside the box on a shot from Alvaro Barreal but VAR did not intervene in this situation. Neither FCC nor Miami threatened much in the last minutes of the match though Allan Cruz earned a straight red card for violent conduct in the sixth minute of stoppage time for what looked like a slap to the back of the head of a Miami player on the run. 

After a competitive first half, the FC Cincinnati was outclassed after halftime. Some of Miami’s late goals were products of FCC pushing to get back in the match but the Orange and Blue just made it too easy for Miami. Outside of seeing Kyle Scott and Calvin Harris get substantial minutes, just about the only good thing from the second half was that FCC did not wait to concede the game winning goal until late in the match. 

Cincinnati will be back in action at TQL Stadium next Wednesday, October 27, against Nashville SC. 

FC Cincinnati Starting XI (4-4-2):

Przemyslaw Tyton, Zico Bailey, Caleb Stanko, Tyler Blackett, Ronald Matarrita (Edgar Castillo 75’), Haris Medunjanin (Kamohelo Mokotjo 75’), Allan Cruz, Kyle Scott (Alvaro Barreal 57’), Luciano Acosta, Brandon Vazquez, Calvin Harris (Isaac Atanga 75’)

Bench: Kenneth Vermeer, Alavaro Barreal, Florian Valot, Isaac Atanga, Kamohleo Mokotjo, Chris Duvall, Arquimides Ordonez, Joe Gyau, Edgar Castillo

Inter Miami (3-4-2-1):

Nick Marsman, Kelvin Leerdam (Ventura Alvarado 77’), Christian Makoun, Aime Mabika, Lewis Morgan (Julian Carranza 85’), Rodolfo Pizarro, Blaise Matuidi (Jay Chapman 66’), Brek Shea (Sami Guediri 85’), Gregore, Federico Higuain (Indiana Vassilev 66’), Gonzalo Higuain

Bench: Jay Chapman, Ventura Alvarado, Sami Guediri, Indiana Vassilev, John McCarthy (GK), Julian Carranza

Misconduct Summary:

CIN – Tyler Blackett (Caution) 44’

MIA – Blaise Matuidi (Caution) 47’

CIN – Allan Cruz (Red for Violent Conduct) 90+6’

Scoring Summary:

MIA – Federico Higuain 6’

CIN – Brandon Vazquez 21’

MIA – Gonzalo Higuain 53’

MIA – Indiana Vassilev 69’

MIA – Lewis Morgan 74’

MIA – Julian Carranza 85’

The post FC Cincinnati start gamely but crumble in the second half against Inter Miami appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

The post Heartbreak in the West End: FC Cincinnati loses 4-3 to Chicago appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

FC Cincinnati is Predictable

Again, FC Cincinnati found themselves digging out of an early hole. The shot by Urso was solid but stoppable. Orlando’s only goal of the night came via a very far-out shot that skirted the ground the entire way. It was a ball that on re-watch, Titi had time to save. There was enough time, it wasn’t a blown assignment just had curvature. The shot itself carries a low XG rating from that range. Stats don’t matter though, balls in the net do. FCC’s defense let one from way outside the box get through. Titi either thought it would be stopped or never saw it coming till it was too late. After that moment, the club found itself in a very familiar situation. Down at least one goal and working on finding a way back. Things got more predictable though. Acosta fell a bunch looking for a call, Brenner waited for balls at his feet and defenders tried their best to play up the wing.

The Goal That Wasn’t

Orlando seemed ok laying off the ball for the majority of the match. They had their goal and as the away side, nothing to gain by being the aggressive side. FC Cincinnati’s best non-scoring chance came in the 24th minute from Jeff Cameron who was in the perfect spot at the perfect time. The ball deflected to him inside the center of the box and he only had a split second to react and put it on the frame. He made the most of that small moment but so did Orlando’s El Pulpo. In what could only be a raw instinct save, El Pulpo got just enough of the ball to deflect what would have been an FC Cincinnati equalizer. Tough break for Cameron who did everything right on that play. Later Acosta did put the ball in the net but not before it bounced up and hit his hand. That goal was voided for the error.

The Deadlock and Questionable Call

Halftime came and went without much in the way of drama, FC Cincinnati made some changes, Kyle Scott ended up getting his first minutes, Cruz was put on at the half and Zico Bailey got a good amount of playing time before subbing out. Those were the most notable moment in the second half until the game when into extra time. Of course, both clubs made a few shots in that time but nothing worth the reader’s time. The big action of the second half came via an extra time VAR call. A ball was served up and into the box for Vasquez who took an arm to the face before it arrived. After a moment of on-field waiting, the head official got the call to review it via VAR. What looked like a sure bet for home fans never materialized. The official determined it wasn’t enough and didn’t give FC Cincinnati the PK call. It was a very questionable call and one that is tough for an official to give that late in a match. FCC failed to create enough chances and tried to rely on officials to help them out.

FC Cincinnati Starting XI (3.4-2-1):

 Przemyslaw Tyton, Nick Hagglund, Geoff Cameron, Tyler Blackett, Zico Bailey (Joseph-Claude Gyau 81’), Kamohelo Mokotjo (Calvin Harris 81’), Haris Medunjanin (Kyle Scott 76’), Álvaro Barreal (Brandon Vázquez 87’), Luciano Acosta (c), Isaac Atanga (Allan Cruz 46’), Brenner

Bench: Kenneth Vermeer, Caleb Stanko, Chris Duvall, Arquimides Ordonez

Orlando City (5-3-2):

Pedro Gallese, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, Emmanuel Mas, Ruan, Daryl Dike (Tesho Akindele 71’), Andres Perea (Oriol Rosell 83’), Junior Urso, Christopher Mueller (Benji Michel 71’), Mauricio Pereyra (Rodrigo Schlegel 90’), Nani (c) (Silvester van der Water 83’)

Bench: Alexandre Pato, Sebastian Mendez, Mason Stajduhar, Kyle Smith

Misconduct Summary:

ORL – Antonio Carlos (caution) 66’
ORL – Andres Perea (caution) 74’

CIN – Zico Bailey (caution) 80’
CIN – Geoff Cameron (caution) 86’

Interm Head Coach Tyrone Marshall said:

“The boys, everyday they come into work. They’re in a really tough situation, going through a coaching change, having a new staff come in and try to implement some ideas to get their minds back to where they need to be in terms of their focus; it’s a tough task. They’re trying everyday, they’re coming out on the pitch and putting the work in. Like you saw tonight, the ball could have bounced either way and we walk out of here with three points or even one point. Sometimes when you’re in a funk, we tend not to get those calls. The message to the boys is always consistent; keep improving the energy level and that’s what they’ve been doing.”

Kyle Scott on his debut – “I thought tonight we were the better team again. I think we had a number of chances and a decision, I haven’t seen it, but the decision at the end goes against you, so I feel like the team’s been unlucky. With a little luck, I know you ride some luck, and sometimes you get more lucky but from the games I’ve watched when I’ve been here it’s building up a pattern where we just aren’t getting as lucky as some other teams you know. And in football, you need luck, so without luck, sometimes it just keeps going against you; and against you. But like I said, the main thing is, from now until the end of the season, we find a way to win some games, and then we move forward for next season.”

Support CST’s Written and Audio work here.
Become a Patron!

The post FC Cincinnati Continues to Struggle in 1-0 loss at home vs Orlando City SC appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

Interim head coach Tyrone Marshall debuted a surprise pairing in the back four with center backs Gustavo Vallecilla and Tyler Backett starting in place of stalwart Geoff Cameron. Zico Bailey started his third match of 2021 with backup Edgar Castillo manning the left flank.

Noticeable changes to the tactics were present by the home side. Marshall’s group tried to play quickly early instead of the methodical play from the back under Stam. When times were tough in the offensive third, instead of mainly playing quick touches between Acosta and Brenner, FCC would try to draw the Union to one side and switch the attack quickly.

The first half was unfortunately defined by missed chances for FC Cincinnati instead of poor play. Cincy out-possessed the Union 57-43 and 63-37 for the whole match. Cincy was able to generate significant opportunities to no avail outshooting Philly for the match 15-11.

In the 11th minute, Cincinnati playmaker Luciano (Lucho) Acosta sent a gem of a through ball onto young designated player Brenner. The Brazilian was able to gain a step on the Union defense and had a great opportunity before an oncoming Matt Freese. Brenner could have possibly taken a touch around the keeper, but instead sent a slow-rolling attempt at the near post. The shot beat Freese but found itself just outside the frame.

Alvaro Barreal also nearly got a go-ahead goal in the 28th minute. A beautiful long diagonal ball from Acosta was brought down brilliantly by the Argentine who launched a shot near post. The shot wound up in the side netting but could have been called off anyway due to the flag being held up on Barreal.

Cincinnati hit a speed bump in the 31st minute as Vallecilla and designated player Yuya Kubo had to exit the match. Kubo experienced an ankle injury while the Ecuadorian left with a hamstring issue.

Przemysław Tytoń had to come up big several times in the half including parrying away a header in the 34th minute from Kacper Przybylko. Cincinnati wasted another chance moments later as Isaac Atanga’s effort was palmed away by Freese. Former Philadelphia Union midfielder Haris Medunjanin left his mark in the game with several great passes. This pass to Atanga gave the young winger some space, but the Ghanaian’s inability to direct his shot with accuracy allowed the game to remain scoreless.

During stoppage time, Barreal put a shot off a Cincy corner kick just wide of frame. Two minutes later, Przybylko would give the visitors a lead on a composed shot off a deflection. Philly playmaker Paxten Aaronson was able to get space down the Cincinnati left side. His cutback pass took a skip off a Cincinnati defender but found Przybylko. The forward took his time and placed a shot in the top left corner to give Philly the advantage going into the break.

The Union were content with giving Cincinnati chances in the second half, yet trying to find opportunities in transition. Acosta got into the attack early with an inside-the-box effort pushed out. Moments later after a nice give-and-go with Castillo, Brenner would take a curling shot that fell easily to Freese.

Frustration began to show from Cincy early in the half as good chances amounted to very little. Atanga sent an inch-perfect cross across the field to an oncoming Acosta in the 53rd minute. Lucho appeared to take an additional touch to play around the keeper instead of attempting a one-touch shot. Freese would collide into Acosta saving his attempt in what spoiled an absolutely beautiful ball from Atanga.

In the theme of the evening, Philly was able to capitalize on their chance as Aaronson would notch the Union’s second goal on a counter. Nathan Harriel’s cross found the rising attacker, whose header was positioned perfectly past the stretching Tyton.

In what was another moment in the disappointing night of Brenner, the forward found more space behind the Philly defense after a great through ball. Brenner attempted a half-shot-half chip which ended up as a harmless effort right at Freese.

Finally, in the 82nd minute, a Lucho Acosta overlapping pass to Brenner would begin to unlock the Philly defense. Brenner would send a pass back to Acosta who attempted a curling shot. The playmaker’s shot was blocked but the deflection fell to Haris who neatly placed it past Freese. The midfielder was solid throughout the entire match and this goal highlighted a certain man of the match performance.

The game would begin to get stale as Cincy would abandon some successful tactics in an effort to go more direct.

In what was disappointing for the home fans, Cincinnati could not see another goal out and would fall to a young, yet very talented Union squad.

Fans are most disappointed because Cincy weren’t outclassed or outplayed on the evening. FCC played better, held meaningful possession and tremendous passing sequences with no end product. The inability to finish on the evening will haunt Cincinnati’s designated players. These players, while talented, needed to make their mark in what was a very winnable home game. The evaluation process for Albright begins in earnest.

—

Matchday 28 – FC Cincinnati vs. Philadelphia Union
TQL Stadium – Cincinnati, Ohio
Attendance: 21,674 – tickets distributed
Result: Philadelphia Union 2, FC Cincinnati 1.

Lineups:

FC Cincinnati Starting XI (4-2-3-1):

Przemysław Tytoń, Zico Bailey (Chris Duvall 73′), Tyler Blackett, Gustavo Vallecilla (Geoff Cameron 31′), Edgar Castillo, Caleb Stanko (Kamohelo Mokotjo 45′), Haris Medunjanin, Álvaro Barreal (Brandon Vazquez 65′) , Luciano Acosta (c), Yuya Kubo (Isaac Atanga 31′) , Brenner

Bench: Kenneth Vermeer, Allan Cruz, Calvin Harris, Arquimides Ordonez,

Philadelphia Union Starting XI (3-4-1-2):

Matthew Freese, Jakob Glesnes, Jack Elliott, Stuart Findlay, Nathan Harriel, Alejandro Bedoya (Jesús Bueno 84′), Jack McGlynn (Matt Real 66′), Leon Flach, Paxten Aaronson, Sergio Santos (Quinn Sullivan 15′), Kacper Przybylko

Bench: Joe Bendik, Aurélien Collin, Matheus Davό, Anthony Fontana, ,

Scoring Summary:

CIN – Haris Medunjanin 82′
PHI – Przybylko 45+3′ (Aaronson), Aaronson 56′ (Harriel)

Discipline:
CIN – Edgar Castillo (caution) 68’,
PHI – Matthew Freese (caution) 80’

Next up:
vs. Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 16th, TQL Stadium

The post FC Cincinnati rue missed chances in loss to the Philadephia Union appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

After the 3-2 loss in Toronto midweek, coach Tyrone Marshall chose to roll out a 4-2-3-1 squad with significant adjustments the squad. With Gustavo Vallecilla out due to yellow card accumulation, Tyler Blackett got his first start for FCC, while Caleb Stanko, Haris Medunjanin, and Nick Hagglund returned to the Starting XI. Brandon Vasquez was initially given a rare break from the lineup, but he returned to the bench after Florian Valot was a late scratch in warmups.

New York’s answer in the lineup was to unveil a Starting XI with Amaya making his eighth start of the year. The former FC Cincinnati first-round draft pick in 2019 was dealt in the 2021 preseason and hadn’t started a match since July 22. Gutman also joined Amaya in the starting lineup, both making their first appearances in Cincinnati for the opposition.

Much of the first half involved New York dictating pace, despite not dictating possession. The Red Bulls fired 12 crosses to FCC’s five, but Cincinnati managed some deflections to rattle New York’s attempts. An early goal in the 2nd minute by Patrick Klimata was waved off, the offside call warmly applauded by the crowd.

For much of the first 35 minutes, New York dominated the offensive push. Klimata had Przemyslaw Tyton beaten in the 31st minute, only for Hagglund to clog the goal and deflect the shot out. A free kick by Omir Fernandez in the 32nd minute almost pierced the defense, but Tyton sprawled to his right with a fingertip save. In all, Tyton was solid with three saves in the first half.

While their counter was often snuffed out, FC Cincinnati finally found gears late in the first half. Luciano Acosta got his head on a Ronald Matarrita cross in the 43rd minute, but only for Carlos Coronel to get a hand on the ball to tip it over the bar.

Despite the 0-0 halftime score, the advantage was still heavily in New York’s favor. Much of New York’s possession was in FC Cincinnati’s half of the field, and they led the half in shots (12-2) and shots on goal (4-1).

FC Cincinnati started to find their legs once New York went for a triple substitution at the half and ended Amaya’s day early. Brenner and Acosta started to find more connection with Yuya Kubo and Isaac Atanga, but the final feeds were not leading to opportunities. A Kubo shot at the 55th minute was as close as the offense could get before the inevitable outcome.

While this was considered in some cases to be the “Amaya Revenge Game”, this was Gutman’s day. Cristian Casseres Jr. threaded a pass in the 73rd minute that got past Hagglund and the trailing Alvaro Barreal. Gutman controlled the pass in the box and skirted a left-footed shot to Tyton’s left to make it 1-0. The goal was Gutman’s second of the year.

While FC Cincinnati had some chances to level the score, New York did its work to clog the box and parry the attack. The Red Bulls manages to squeeze yellow cards out of FC Cincinnati in the end and ate the clock to take all three points.

The Red Bulls now sit in ninth place and five points from the playoff line. FC Cincinnati has lost five in a row and remain in the bottom of the table with seven games left to play. The Orange and Blue will try again against a quality opponent next Saturday when the Philadelphia Union come to town.

Matchday 27 – FC Cincinnati vs New York Red Bulls
TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Attendance: 22,141
Result: New York Red Bulls 1, FC Cincinnati 0.

BOX SCORE

FC Cincinnati Starting XI (4-2-3-1):

Przemyslaw Tyton (GK); Nick Hagglund, Geoff Cameron, Tyler Blackett, Ronald Matarrita; Caleb Stanko (Calvin Harris 86’), Haris Medunjanin (Kamohelo Mokotjo 77’); Isaac Atanga (Alvaro Barreal 61’), Luciano Acosta [c], Yuya Kubo (Arquimedes Ordonez 76’); Brenner.

Bench: Kenneth Vermeer, Edgar Castillo, Zico Bailey, Allan Cruz, Brendan Vasquez

New York Red Bulls Starting XI (4-2-3-1):

Carlos Coronel (GK); Tom Edwards (John Tolkin 46’), Andres Reyes, Sean Nealis, Andrew Gutman; Frankie Amaya (Daniel Royer 46’), Sean Davis [c]; Wikelman Carmona (Caden Clark 46’); Cristian Casseres Jr., Omir Fernandez (Dru Yearwood 60’); Patryk Klimata (Tom Barlow 78′).

Bench: Ryan Meara, Youba Diarra, Cameron Harper

Scoring Summary:
RBNY – Gutman 74’ (Casseres Jr.)

Discipline:
YC – Reyes 52’ (RBNY, foul)
YC – Matarrita 90+1’ (CIN, foul)
YC – Acosta 90+3’ (CIN, foul

Next up:
vs. Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 9th, TQL Stadium (Cincinnati, OH)

The post FC Cincinnati get gutted by Gutman, falling 1-0 to New York Red Bulls appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

The new gaffer instilled several changes in his starting XI, most notably moving Yuya Kubo to his natural left wing role and placing veteran Edgar Castillo as right back. Marshall also elected to shift to a 4-2-3-1 formation with Allan Cruz and Florian Valot behind captain Luciano Acosta.

Toronto FC (5-7-15, 22 points) pressed the back four of Cincinnati early trying to capitalize on any mistakes generated from playing from the back. Things were a bit nervy for the orange and blue  with Cincy sometimes losing shape and failing to cover attackers through the midfield

That substantially changed halfway into the half when FCC succeeded in playing the overlap on the left with Ronald Matarrita and Yuya Kubo. FC Cincinnati took the lead in the 38th minute when Valot gained possession and passed the ball forward to Kubo. The winger distributed the ball back to Lucho who sent a diagonal through ball to an overlapping Matarrita. The Costa Ricans shot was struck with pace and made it past the keeper.

For the remaining ten minutes of the half FCC played with confidence and continued to press the attack.

Coming out of the break, Marshall attempted to slow the Toronto attack by swapping the roles of Valot and Kubo. Unfortunately this did not have a great outcome as TFC pounced early in the second half. The reds notched their first goal of the game when Jacob Shaffelburg sent a shot between Tyton’s legs. FCC failed to stop TFC in transition as Gustavo Vallecilla was caught up field and Yeferson Soteldo beat several of the orange and blue before his assist to the forward.

TFC would strike again seven minutes later as Marky Delgado had a back post tap in off a sublime Shaffelburg cross. Marshall will look to improve his defense as Matarrita was too easily beat back post by the TFC attacker.

The winning goal would come in the 65th minute as Cincinnati was beat again on the counter. Soteldo moved with speed and passed it left to the games most impactful player Schaffleburg. His cross found Ifunanyachi Achara at the back post who was able to get the ball on frame and past Tyton. Cincy’s attack was caught up field with only Cameron, Vallecilla and Tyton left to deal with the three TFC attackers. One would hope Marshall will be able to drill in his tactical expectations for the upcoming slate of home matches.

The final offensive production turned out to be too little and too late. Acosta logged his sixth goal of 2021 off a deflected pass from Brenner. Acosta placed a great shot across goal which would be Cincy’s final spark of the evening.

The loss drops FC Cincinnati into last place in the Eastern Conference and the entirety of MLS. They have eight games remaining to claw themselves out of the cellar including a game in hand on Toronto and Austin FC who both have 22 points.

Cincinnati will look to rebound as they welcome Frankie Amaya and the NY Red Bulls on Saturday in TQL Stadium.

Matchday 26 – FC Cincinnati at Toronto FC
BMO Field – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 5,110
Result: Toronto FC 3, FC Cincinnati 2.

Scoring Summary:

Discipline:
CIN – Florian Valot (caution) 32’, Edgar Castillo (caution) 41’, Gustavo Vallecilla (caution) 59’, Caleb Stanko 74’
TOR – Ifunanyachi Achara 59’, Yeferson Soteldo 76’, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty (caution) 90’

Next up:
vs. NYRB, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 2nd, TQL Stadium

The post FC Cincinnati sinks to the cellar after loss in Toronto appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.

With both Alvaro Barreal and Isaac Atanga out due to red cards, FCC rolled out a 5-3-2 attack that called in Zico Bailey to play left back. This drew Luciano Acosta up to play alongside Brenner, while Caleb Stanko came in to play a defending center midfielder role.

D.C. United (11-4-11, 37 points) capitalized early on fouls and pressure around the box. Julian Gressel played a give-and-go on a corner kick in the 7th minute, beating Zico Bailey before threading a pass to Paul Arriola to make it 1-0.

The Black and Red beat FCC again in the 21st minute with a set piece and players finding themselves unable to react quickly enough. Gressel’s set piece near midfield caught the defense napping, and Steve Birnbaum’s header in the box floated over Przemyslaw Tyton’s late charge to make it 2-0.

FCC was almost able to take advantage of ricochets in the first half. Allan Cruz was able to grab a deflection deep in the opponents’ half in the 27th minute, only for Donovan Pines to dispossess him with a fine tackle. History repeated in the 36th minute—Luciano Acosta managed to pounce on a bad pass backwards, but Cruz’s shot was again snuffed by goalkeeper Bill Hamid. Acosta’s follow up clanged against the far post to keep it 2-0.

The momentum swing in the 41st minute was the dagger for FCC. Gressel again found room outside the box for a cross, and the deflection from Edison Flores found Arriola’s right foot for the 3-0 lead. It was Arriola’s third goal of the season.

The damage did not stop in the second half, primarily due to a late call that forced a lapse in defensive judgement. Nigel Robertha beat the last line of FCC’s defense in the 72nd minute and was flagged for offsides, only to continue the play and bash the ball past Tyton. While FC Cincinnati was burned with a similar call against New York City FC last week, this time VAR worked in favor of the goal. Even though the linesman raised his flag before the play ended, referee Chris Penso overruled the call, awarding the goal to DC United to make it 4-0.

Despite the deep hole to traverse, FC Cincinnati was given opportunities to make the game more respectable in the end, mostly from the foot of Brandon Vasquez. Seconds after he was subbed into the game for Yuya Kubo, Vasquez scored his first goal in MLS play, receiving a deflected cross in the box to curl a left-footed shot into the corner in the 80th minute.

Vasquez’s deep challenge against Hines in the 84th minute separated the defender from the ball to put more pressure on the box. Acosta received a pass from Vasquez to deposit a ricochet of his own into the back of the net to make it 4-2. The goal was Acosta’s fifth of the year.

The offensive production turned out to be too little and too late. While the numbers were respectable when it came to possession (54% to 46%), FCC was outgunned in shots (15-19) and shots on goal (5-8). Neither of the goals from FCC rattles the expected production, as D.C. United held a strong 2.8-0.8 advantage in that category.

The loss drops FC Cincinnati into risky territory, only one point ahead of both Austin and Toronto in the overall standings. However, the Orange and Blue have the opportunity to keep Toronto behind them in the rear-view mirror in their next game, a Wednesday night away match over the Canadian border. Toronto managed to gain an away point last night in a 0-0 draw against Colorado.

Matchday 25 – D.C. United vs. FC Cincinnati
Audi Field, Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 16,069
Result: D.C. United 4, FC Cincinnati 2.

BOX SCORE

D.C. United Starting XI (3-4-2-1):

Bill Hamid (GK), Andy Najar (Fredric Brillant 46’), Steve Birnbaum, Donovan Pines; Julian Gressel, Russel Canouse (Felipe 46’), Junior Moreno, Kevin Paredes (Griffin Yow 78’); Paul Arriola (Yordy Reyna 46’), Edison Flores; Ola Kamara (Nigel Robertha 65’)

Bench: Jon Kempin, Yamil Asad, Joseph Mora, Moses Nyeman

FC Cincinnati Starting XI (5-3-2):

Przemyslaw Tyton (GK), Zico Bailey (Calvin Harris 64’), Nick Hagglund (Tyler Blackett 70’), Geoff Cameron, Gustavo Vallecilla, Ronald Matarrita; Yuya Kubo (Brandon Vasquez 80’), Caleb Stanko (Florian Valot 80’), Allan Cruz (Kamohelo Mokotjo 80’);  Luciano Acosta (c), Brenner.

Bench: Kenneth Vermeer, Edgar Castillo, Chris Duvall, Haris Medunjanin

Scoring Summary:
DCU – Arriola 7’ (Gressel)
DCU – Birnbaum 21’ (Gressel)
DCU – Arriola 41’ (Flores)
DCU – Robertha 72’ (Birnbaum)
CIN – Vasquez 80’ (unassisted)
CIN – Acosta 84’ (Vasquez)

Discipline:
YC – Hamid 34’ (Time wasting)

Next up:
at Toronto F.C., 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 29th, BMO Field (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

The post FC Cincinnati digs a hole too early against D.C. United, loses 4-2 appeared first on Cincinnati Soccer Talk.