FC Cincinnati headed to New Jersey to play some energy drink soccer against the Red Bulls on Saturday but looked one cup of coffee short of a morning buzz. Despite the lack of energy, FCC started somewhat on the front foot in a game that looked sloppy from the off. New signing Matt Miazga opened the scoring with a flicked header from an Álvaro Barreal set piece delivery in the 13th minute. However, the familiar story of penalty box mistakes rudely interrupted the Orange and Blue’s momentum once again, when Junior Moreno kicked CB Andre Reyes’s foot after a harmless long throw, giving the home team a penalty kick. FCC seemed to get into more dangerous positions from there but struggled to generate actual goal scoring opportunities. However, the defense held strong and the Foosers left Red Bull Arena with a point.
Check out Cincinnati Soccer Talk’s post-match report 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 a N/A if they are subbed in/off before any quantifiable statistics are available.
Expected Goals (xG): FC Cincinnati – .4, New York Red Bulls – 1.6, per mlssoccer.com
Formation: 3-5-2
Now onto the ratings:
Manager – Pat Noonan – 6
Pat Noonan elected to roll out the same lineup that he employed in FC Cincinnati’s last match against Atlanta United. The defense appears to be really gelling, and even though the offense didn’t quite click this match the team was able to escape with a draw.
Make no mistake, a draw on the road at Red Bull Arena is a good result. However, it’s hard not to think that a win was possible with the Red Bull’s rotated lineup and inability to find a cutting edge in attack. Noonan continues to be reluctant to go to his bench for any changes except in the defense. With a few key changes in the midfield or attack, perhaps 3 points were there for the taking.
GK – Roman Celentano – 8
The mark that I always start off with here is a decent barometer: post-shot xG. Roman gave up only one goal on a PSxG of 1.7, meaning the Red Bulls could easily have scored 2 goals and he still would have had an average game. Roman also was alert to a couple of crosses and came out confidently to claim them.
All in all, it doesn’t look like Kann will be getting his place back any time soon.
RWB – Alvas Powell – 6
The Jamaican defender had a very inconsistent match. He carried the ball forward in possession very calmly at times and seemed to have to run of Caden Clark trying to pressure him. His dangerous cross in the 28th minute should have led to an opportunity had Lucho Acosta not controlled the ball out of bounds.
Defensively, he won half of his duels. However, his passing percentage was abysmal (56%), he was credited with 4 mistouches, and he was dribbled past twice.
RCB – Nick Hagglund – 8
Its getting harder and harder to call Hagglund the “much maligned” Cincinnati kid. His performances have been so solid, that it’s hard to think that he wouldn’t be in Noonan’s best XI. Nicky Haggs won 100% of his duels (1 ground and 4 aerial), was 3 for 3 on long passes, and put up excellent defensive numbers.
Hagglund did get pulled out of position by the creative movement of Caden Clark on several occasions, however, keeping his score slightly lower than Cameron’s.
CB – Geoff Cameron – 9 (Man of the Match)
Even despite his scoring woes, Patryk Klimala is a very crafty center forward. This is seen in his typically solid xG numbers. However, Geoff Cameron made the Polish striker basically obsolete by tracking all of his movements.
Cameron’s 11 pressures led all defenders and equaled the total pressures of the other 3 CBs that played in this match. He also won all 4 of his ground duels, earning 3 tackles, 6 blocks, and 5 interceptions.
LCB – Matt Miazga – 8
Miazga’s goal was fantastic… his celebration was even better. He also won 3 of his 4 ground duels and earned a tackle and 4 blocks. Miazga also is sound on the ball, and though he doesn’t open up defenses by breaking lines with his passing he still completed 6 of 10 long passes and switched the field 3 times.
Miazga’s one glaring weakness this match, ironically, was aerial duels. He won 5 of 7, but both of the ones he lost were flick-ons at the midline that led to good chances for the Red Bulls. Finally, his inability to go 90 factors in suppressing his score.
LWB – Álvaro Barreal – 7
The young Argentine has really embraced the challenge of becoming a defender. He is improving in that regard match over match. Against the Red Bulls, he won 5 of his 10 ground duels, won 2 tackles, and had 3 each of blocks and interceptions. He wasn’t quite as effective as typically, factoring in with only 5 recoveries.
Offensively, his set piece delivery for Miazga’s goal was excellent. However, he was only 4 of 12 on long passes and failed to really help progress the ball up the field as often as needed.
DCM – Obinna Nwobodo – 7
Obi had a quiet match for his high standards. His sub-80% passing is below what we have come to expect, and he failed to log a key pass or shot-creating action. Defensively he won only a single tackle and was dribbled twice.
Finally, he picked up the all-important yellow card that will see him miss the Hell is Real Derby next week.
DCM – Junior Moreno – 4
There is something wrong with Junior Moreno. Prior to his injury, he was an undroppable key to FCC’s midfield success. However, since returning to play he has looked slow and nervous on the ball. His 69% passing simply isn’t good enough for a DCM. He also only won 40% of his duels and had only 1 each of tackles won, blocks, and interceptions. Perhaps most telling, he logged only 11 pressures.
Finally, as he tired down the stretch his performance dipped as the team needed him more. His failed clearance and lack of ability to recover were what led to the play in which Obi picked up his yellow card.
CAM – Lucho Acosta – 3
For me, Lucho unequivocally had his worst match of the season on Saturday. His 22 completed passes at a rate of 65% were well below his per 90 averages (36 at 70%). His mere 3 shot-creating actions and 1 key pass were large factors in the offense’s ineptitude (he averages 6.27 and 3.44 respectively).
Finally, he had 5 mistouches and was dispossessed 3 times. Let’s hope he can turn things around coming back to TQL for the Hell is Real Derby.
ST – Brenner – 6
Brenner failed to maintain momentum coming off his impressive performance against Atlanta United. Against the Red Bulls he won on 2 of his 7 ground duels and managed only 29 touches (he averages 41). His passing percentage was good (83%) and he was able to factor in with 2 each of shot-creating actions and key passes.
In a match where the offense created precious little, he was probably the most dangerous attacker in the Orange and Blue.
ST – Brandon Vazquez – 3
Brandon had an uncharacteristically poor performance on Saturday… but then again so did the players around him. He only had one shot and failed to put it on net, and managed only 1 other shot-creating action. His struggles to maintain possession for his team were a huge factor in the Fooser’s inability to generate offensive opportunities. His 36% passing was borderline criminal, and he had a whopping 7 mistouches and was dispossessed 3 times.
He still worked incredibly hard, however, which is one of the things that makes him invaluable. Though he only won 1 of them, he was able to get into 9 ground duels. He also factored in with 14 pressures and wracked up 4 fouls… a stat that I don’t mind seeing from a forward.
SUBS
Ian Murphy (62nd minute) – 6
Murphy was forced into action when Matt Miazga’s hamstring started tightening up in the 6oth minute. In his 28 minutes on the pitch he was defensively sound, but not a game-changer. He wasn’t beaten at all, but also didn’t get into any ground duels and logged only 2 pressures. In possession he struggled to get up to speed with the match, managing only a 62% pass completion rate.
Ray Gaddis (77th minute) – 5
Ray didn’t do a lot wrong, he simply didn’t factor into the match in his 13 minutes of action. He only had 4 touches and 2 passes (both completed). He had 0 duels and accordingly had 0 tackles. He did manage 3 pressures, a block, and an interception.
John Nelson (78th minute) – 4
When you are on the pitch for such a little time, statistics can be fleeting. With only 6 touches, Nelson would have had to make them all count to make an impact on the match. However, he completed only 1 of his 3 passes and was not accurate with his only cross. He also lost his only ground duel and his only aerial duel, as well as committed a foul.
I don’t hold any of this against him as he didn’t really have a chance to get settled into the match, but his grade is lowered nonetheless.
Yuya Kubo (78th minute) – 6
Maybe my higher score for Yuya is skewed because I have been beating the drum for him to come onto the pitch MUCH sooner in games to replace Junior Moreno. Or, maybe he was actually good and should be getting more time… maybe we’ll find out with Obi suspended for the Hell is Real Derby.
In his 12 minutes, Kubo drew a foul, completed a dribble, and won 4 of 6 ground duels and 2 of 2 aerial duels. However, his passing percentage wasn’t great (71%), and he failed to create anything going forward. His 6 pressures and 4 recoveries were huge improvements over what Moreno was logging on a per-minute basis.
Arqimides Ordoñez (90th Minute) – N/A
Availability Notes: Sergio Santos (leg), Dom Badji (leg), and Ronald Matarrita (ankle).
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