TORONTO, ONTARIO – After a 45-minute weather delay, FC Cincinnati 2 (11-4-2) knocked off Toronto FC II (5-8-3) by a final score of 2-1 via a standout performance from goalkeeper Paul Walters and a game-winning goal from striker Stefan Chirila.
FIRST HALF
The Orange and Blue opened up the scoring in the 14th minute of the match when Stefan Chirila played a pass through to forward Ben Stitz, who then split both Toronto center backs to score his fourth goal of the season to make it 1-0 FCC 2.
FCC goalkeeper Paul Walters was called upon to make saves throughout the half, as Toronto FC II was knocking on the door for an equalizer. The best chance for TFC II came in the 31st minute when Julian Altobelli struck a shot that was parried away by Walters.
The Young Reds outshot the Orange and Blue seven to two, with four shots on goal to Cincinnati’s two. The difference in the first 45 minutes was FCC 2 was able to defend as a unit and finish its biggest chance.
SECOND HALF
In the 75th minute, the Young Reds finally broke through to tie the game at 1-1 from an own goal by the Orange and Blue’s Gael Gilbert, who redirected a cross into his net from Toronto’s Hassan Ayari.
Ayari had a golden opportunity in the 81st minute to take the lead but scuffed a shot wide of the far post after being one-on-one with Walters.
Despite many TFC opportunities, FCC 2 was the team to find the game-winning goal in the 90th minute. From a pass from second-half substitute Yeiner Valoyes, Chirila smashed a ball into the back of the net to give Cincinnati all three points.
Near the end of the match, TFC II head coach Gianni Cimini was shown a red card in the 92nd minute, as the Orange and Blue saw out the game.
REVIEW OF THE GAME
From one standpoint, you can make a case that FCC 2 was second-best on the pitch against Toronto FC II, especially in terms of chances created and certain spells of possession. But this can also be chalked up as a vintage FCC 2 road performance. Ultimately, the team finished their chances, defended well enough to only concede one goal and got out of the match with the full three points.
Walters stood on his head in the match, making a total of eight saves, keeping FCC 2 in the match during the early spells of the contest. It was one of the best games of his young professional career.
Besides the game-winning goal, Chirila had an exceptional performance, with it being his first full 90-minute game since returning from injury. The MLS NEXT Pro All-Star now has five goals and three assists on the season for FCC 2.
Toronto outshot Cincinnati 15 to eight on the afternoon and TFC II registered eight shots on goal to FCC 2’s three. The Young Reds also had more possession than the Orange and Blue, 57 to 43 percent and had better passing accuracy throughout the match. But in the end, FCC 2 won the ultimate stat line, the scoreboard.
With the win, FC Cincinnati remains in second place in the Eastern Conference, with a total of 35 points. Up next is the “Heck is Plausible” derby against the Columbus Crew.
FC Cincinnati 2 Lineup
(3-5-2)
GK: Paul Walters
D: Gael Gilbert, Brian Schaefer, Juan Machado
M: Amir Daley, Nico Benalcazar, Kenji Mboma Dem (Yeiner Valoyes 88′), Peter Mangione (Yair Ramos Perez 71′), Jesus Castellano
F: Stefan Chirila, Ben Stitz (Guilherme Santos 63′)
Toronto FC II Lineup
(3-4-3)
GK: Adisa De Rosario
D: Ythallo Rodrigues, Markus Cimermancic, Marko Stojadinovic
M: Hassan Ayari (Luca Accettola 86′), Lucas Olguin, Matthew Medeiros, Mark Fisher (Matthew Catavolo 71′)
F: Nathan Edwards, Julian Altobelli, Jesus Batiz
Scoring Summary
CIN – Ben Stitz (Chirila) 14’
TOR – Gaël Gibert (OG) 75’
CIN – Stefan Chirila (Valoyes) 90’
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