The match started rather unceremoniously for both sides. At the beginning of the match, it seemed like neither side were ready to open themselves up yet. This meant a relatively boring affair for the open dozen minutes or so.
Following this beginning, the Red Bulls had the vast majority of possession and used it to some great effect to grow into the game. While the Red Bulls’ scoring record on the season hasn’t been very good, it wasn’t obvious if one watched this match alone. It looked like the team was decent in terms of setting up crosses and getting players into the box. The opposition had a couple of clear-cut chances in this period of the matchup but wasn’t able to capitalize.
By this point in the match, FCC started to get some of the ball themselves, and its chances looked much more likely to be lethal. Us Yuya Kubo fanatics were eating well, as the Japanese international showed some of that quality that we all expected. That quality inevitably bore fruit, as a left-wing run brought the ball into the middle of the park where Marco Angulo picked it up and flicked it to Kubo, who wonderfully played it into the net for the 1-0 lead.
After the goal, New York had a couple of chances where FCC fans almost assuredly were holding their breath, but were not able to get them into the net, with halftime coming at a perfect time for FCC.
The start of the second half seemed eerily similar to the first, with New York holding much of the ball and looking like they would equalize. This continued on for a stretch of this half as the Red Bulls worked for that equalizer.
Then, much like the first half, FCC started to get more of the ball and feel like the aggressors, especially with the addition of Dominique Badji and Alvaro Barreal into the match. However, the visiting side wasn’t able to double its lead despite multiple good looks.
As the match started to wind down, FCC started to go into a little bit of a shell and this allowed the Red Bulls to see more of the ball and more chances. Because of that pressure, New York ended up with a goal following a volley from Dante Vanzeir, a player just returning following his utterance of a racial slur. That goal pushed the game into extra time.
In extra time, both sides seemed to have some of the ball, but it was New York that looked to have the best of it. The opposition should have also had a penalty following a challenge from Joey Akpunonu, but the referee decided, wrongly, that it wasn’t, and with no VAR, the play was set in stone.
Following this, and into the second half of extra time, the Red Bulls continued to boss play and FCC found it difficult to really get into the game, only getting a few looks at goal. Neither side was able to get the winner in extra time, however, and the game went to penalty kicks.
In penalties, Lucho Acosta started off the session fantastically, as his penalty rocketed into the back of the net. Then, Vanzeir came up and his penalty was relatively easily saved by Alec Kann. That save ended up being the deciding factor, as FCC didn’t miss one at all, with Barreal hitting the final one.
U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 – New York Red Bulls vs FC Cincinnati
Red Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey
Result: FC Cincinnati 1, New York Red Bulls 1 (Penalty kicks – FCC 5, NYRB 3)
BOX SCORE
FC Cincinnati Starting XI:
Alec Kann, Santiago Arias (Álvaro Barreal 73’), Ian Murphy, Yerson Mosquera, Nick Hagglund (Joey Akpunonu 90+10’), Alvas Powell, Malik Pinto (Ray Gaddis 73’), Obinna Nwobodo, Marco Angulo (Junior Moreno 84’), Luciano Acosta (C), Yuya Kubo (Dominique Badji 64’)
Bench: Evan Louro, Matt Miazga
New York Red Bulls Starting XI:
Ryan Meara, John Tolkin, Sean Nealis (C), Hassan Ndam, Dylan Nealis (O’Vonte Mullings 80’), Cristian Cásseres Jr., Peter Stroud (Luquinhas 80’), Dante Vanzeir, Dru Yearwood (Cory Burke 69’, Matthew Nocita 90+10’, Carlos Coronel 120+2’), Cameron Harper (Wikelman Carmona 58’), Tom Barlow (Elias Manoel 58’)
Bench: None
Discipline:
RBNY – Hassan Ndam 10’
RBNY – Cristian Cásseres Jr. 22’
RBNY – Sean Nealis 28’
CIN – Santiago Arias 69’
CIN – Dominique Badji 89’
RBNY – John Tolkin 89’
RBNY – Ryan Meara 89’
CIN – Álvaro Barreal 90+2’
RBNY – Wikelman Carmona 99’
Next up:
@ Colorado Rapids, 9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 27, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (Commerce City, Colorado)
Recommended for you
