FC Cincinnati drove North of the border to take on CF Montreal on Saturday. Sticking with the usual form of those matches, this one included 7 goals. FCC opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Junior Moreno got on the scoresheet for the first time in the Orange and Blue. Montreal drew level on 21 minutes, however, through Joel Waterman. From there, the hosts got off and running scoring on either side of halftime to make it 3-1. Álvaro Barreal gave the visitors a lifeline, clawing one back in the 52nd minute before Romell Quioto once again extended the lead from the penalty spot. FCC drew within one goal when Moreno bagged his brace after a nice pass from Brenner, but came up just short, losing 4-3.
Check out Cincinnati Soccer Talk’s post-match report here for more details.
RULES:
- Each player starts off with a 6 as a standard rating. Six signifies an “average performance” for the match.
- Players will receive additions or subtractions to their score based on individual moments and the overall team performance.
- We’ll look at multiple criteria such as statistics and player rating systems from Who Scored and FOTMOB
- We won’t use .5 increments, because that is weak-sauce.
- We will not be afraid to give players a perfect 10 if they deserve it, but will never give a rating of 0, because there is always some sort of positive.
- A player may receive an N/A if they are subbed in/off before any quantifiable statistics are available.
Expected Goals (xG): FC Cincinnati – .9, CF Montreal – 2.8, per mlssoccer.com
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Now onto the ratings:
Manager – Pat Noonan – 6
Pat Noonan didn’t have much he could do for this one, missing out on 6 players, including 2 of the team’s 4 potential central defenders. I’m giving him an average score, allowing for the fact that he put his team in the position to be well ahead going into halftime. However, his team didn’t convert those chances, and I wasn’t sold on his substitutions down the stretch.
Bringing Brenner on for Nelson and changing to a 3-5-2 was something that I thought could have been done at the half, or even sooner. Then changing back to a 4-2-3-1 not much later was a head-scratcher. Hopefully he can right the ship during the International break.
GK – Roman Celentano – 4
Having a post-shot xG of 3.5 shows that Roman’s defense didn’t do him many favors. However, he gave up 4 goals so he is already in the red there. Add in the fact that his defense was disorganized and he failed to take charge of the through ball that led to Romell Quioto’s first goal, and you have an outing that the young goalkeeper will hope to forget.
RB – Alvas Powell – 4
Powell was under 55% passing, attempted 3 dribbles unsuccessfully, and had 0 crosses. Defensively, Montreal picked on him all night, attacking his side 40% of the time… mostly due to his turnovers. He was at fault for the giveaway that led to the corner on Montreal’s first goal, and also shared the blame in the play that led to Montreal’s penalty kick. However, he also led the team with 4 tackles and chipped in with 3 interceptions, keeping his score from really plummeting.
CB – Nick Hagglund – 5
Nick Hagglund was fairly solid in possession, posting decent passing numbers and not giving the ball away in key spots. 3 tackles, 3 blocks, and 1 interception isn’t too shabby either. However, he gave away a penalty that really didn’t need to be conceded. He also was badly pulled out of position a few times chasing forwards into wide areas without cover. Perhaps the biggest indictment of the big center back was his losing 50% of his ground duels and an uncharacteristic 60% of his aerial duels.
CB – Ian Murphy – 5
Ian Murphy badly showed his youth in his inability to track clever runs in the box and a reluctance to communicate what he needed from his midfielders and center back partner. He also failed to win a duel, on the ground or in the air. He has improved his on-the-ball play quite a bit, however.
LB – John Nelson – 7
John Nelson didn’t do much wrong on the night. He took care of the ball offensively and didn’t get beat defensively. He was also instrumental in the build-up to Barreal’s goal and had 2 other shot-creating actions. However, he wasn’t as involved as he could have been. He attempted 1 cross (that wasn’t accurate) and had 0 progressive passes.
DCM – Obinna Nwobodo – 6
Obi had his worse performance in the Orange and Blue so far and received his lowest Fotmob rating because of it. However, his defensive stats weren’t bad, as he tallied 5 tackles, 1 interception, and 1 block… though that is below what we’ve seen from him so far. His main struggle continues to be contributing in possession. He takes good care of the ball but fails to create shots or split lines. He ended the night with 0 shot-creating actions and only 1 pass into the attacking 3rd.
DCM – Junior Moreno – 8 (Man of the Match)
Moreno’s brace easily earns him man-of-the-match honors. He got himself into a good position for his first, and his 2nd was a fantastic shot. He also contributed 3 passes into the final third, and 1 key pass. However, you’d like to see him improve on his 2 tackles, 1 interception, and 14 pressures.
CAM – Luciano Acosta – 5
Lucho Acosta was instrumental in 2 of the team’s 4 goals. However, he only had 2 key passes, which is far below his usual number. This shows he just wasn’t quite clicking in the final third. His passing percentage was decent (70%), but the passes he gave away seemed to mostly be good opportunities that he left on the table. Add in that he had 2 poor touches and was dispossessed 3 times, and you have a below-average match for the FCC skipper.
RW – Dom Badji – 3
Dom Badji’s 16 touches were less than half of the next closest outfield player. When he got the ball he took good care of it, but squandered his only good chance of the match when he took his first touch on Brandon Vazquez’s through ball too wide, narrowing his angle and allowing the goalkeeper to save his shot. This would all be okay if he had an outstanding defensive match, but his single tackle, 9 pressures, and 2 recoveries show he wasn’t involved on that side of the ball either. In a match where the opponent spent 40% of their time attacking down his side, he simply wasn’t involved enough.
LW – Álvaro Barreal – 6
Barreal scored a well-taken goal, had 2 shot-creating actions, 2 key passes, and led the team in progressive passing. His ability to find space all over the field in his free-winger role has been a breath of fresh air for the team. So all of this leads to an outstanding rating right? The young Argentine also squandered 2 golden chances to score when doing so would have really lifted his team, pulling his rating down to average.
ST – Brandon Vazquez – 8
Vazquez had an excellent match for my money, despite not scoring. Only the goal scorers were rated higher than him on Fotmob, got on the scoresheet with an assist, and probably should have had another when he played Badji in on goal. His movement continues to be a bright spot, and was key to creating the space for Brenner to assist Junior Moreno’s 2nd goal. He also does the work defensively, pressuring the opponent’s back line. His hold up play was better, but can still improve, as he only received 54% of the passes sent his way.
SUBS
Brenner (62nd minute) – 6
Brenner came on for John Nelson to change the team’s shape to a 3-5-2. He looked good partnering Vazquez up top and earned himself an assist. However, in his short time on the pitch, he managed to lead the team in bad touches (3) and completed only 66.7% of his passes.
Yuya Kubo (75th minute) – 5
Kubo came on for Dom Badji to play wing. He was bright if a little rusty. He completed all of his 11 passes, but had 2 bad touches and was dispossessed once. Furthermore, in a game that he was brought on to add offensive firepower to, he had 0 key passes and 0 shot-creating actions.
Ray Gaddis (75th minute) – 5
Ray Ray had 1 interception and 3 pressures in his 15+ minutes on the pitch. He took care of the ball but had 0 key passes, 0 shot-creating actions, and only 1 progressive pass. I have no idea why he was brought into a game where the team was trailing.
Haris Medunjanin (85th minute) – N/A
Availability Notes: Alec Kann (groin), Tyler Blackett (undisclosed), Geoff Cameron (you know), Isaac Atanga (leg), Allan Cruz (leg), Calvin Harris (leg), and Ronald Matarrita (ankle surgery).
Recommended for you
