HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KENTUCKY – FC Cincinnati 2 (12-5-2) routed Chicago Fire FC II (8-5-6) by a final score of 5-0 on a wet and rainy day at Scudamore Stadium through five different goal scorers.
It was quite the performance and response from the Orange and Blue.
FIRST HALF
The Fire had the game’s first opportunity, with left-midfielder Bryce Richards curling a shot over the crossbar, which was Chicago’s only shot of the half.
Nico Benalcazar struck the first shot on goal of the match in the 22nd minute, forcing a save from Chicago goalkeeper Patrick Los, stretching down to his right.
In the 23rd minute, the Orange and Blue found the back of the net with a goal by Kenji Mboma Dem, who got on the end of a long ball from Guilherme Santos and chipped the ball over Los, bouncing the ball into the roof of the net, making it 1-0 FCC 2.
FCC 2 drew a penalty kick in the 38th minute after a great piece of skill from Moises Tablante, wgi got around Fire defender Giovanni Granda, after which he chopped down Tablante from behind. Cincinnati striker Stefan Chirila stepped up and blasted the ball past a diving Los, doubling the Orange and Blue’s lead, 2-0.
In the first 45 minutes, Cincinnati outshot Chicago nine to one, with five shots on goal to none for the Fire.
The Orange and Blue would go into halftime up 2-0 over the Men in Red.
SECOND HALF
Santos nearly added a third goal in the 49th minute for FCC 2, striking a shot off Los’ near post.
The Men in Red then gave up another penalty, as Chirila made his way into the box and was tripped up by Los in the 52nd minute. This time, however, Chirila’s attempt from the spot was saved by Los, parrying away the shot to his right.
FC Cincinnati 2 got its third goal in the 58th minute off a free-kick from Mboma Dem, who sent in a perfectly placed ball right on the head of Santos, heading home his third goal of the season for FCC 2.
The Orange and Blue weren’t done scoring, as Tablante struck a knuckling shot from long-range that rifled into the net, making it 4-0 FCC 2, in the 62nd minute.
Everything was not glitz and glamor for The Orange and Blue, however, as Amir Daley received a red card in the 84th minute, leaving FCC 2 down to 10 men for the remainder of the game.
Though, FCC 2 added icing on the cake in stoppage time, as Peter Mangione found Ben Stitz off a corner kick to make it 5-0 Cincinnati.
REVIEW OF THE GAME
You can chalk this game up as one of the most complete performances of the season for the Orange and Blue. With this win, they moved up to first place in the Eastern Conference due to more wins than Philadelphia. It’s a huge win for the club in just their short three-year history.
With five players finding their name on the boxscore, it’s a testament to the collective cohesiveness that the Orange and Blue played with as a whole from the backline to the attack.
FCC 2 outshot Chicago 21 to four in the match, with 12 shots on target for Cincinnati and zero for Chicago. The Orange and Blue also enjoyed the majority of possession with 58 percent to 42 for The Men in Red.
Next up for FC Cincinnati 2 is an even bigger match, as Cincinnati will travel to Phiildlphiea to take on the Union in a battle for supremacy in the Eastern Conference. Another huge opportunity waits for FCC 2 to make a statement win.
FC CINCINNATI 2 LINEUP
(3-5-2)
GK: Hunter Morse
D: Juan Machado, Brian Schaefer, Gael Gilbert
M: Moises Tablante (Jesus Castellano 66′), Nico Benalcazar, Yair Ramos Perez, Kenji Mboma Dem (Yeiner Valoyes 78′), Amir Daley
F: Stefan Chirila (Ben Stitz 71′), Guilherme Santos (Peter Mangione 66′)
CHICAGO FIRE FC II
(3-4-3)
GK: Patrick Los (Patryk Stechnij 66′)
D: Christopher Cupps, Diego Konincks (Josue Pfommer 66′), Charlie Norkett (Charles Nagle 46′)
M: Bryce Richards, Romain Blake (Kruz Held 46′), Juan Zapata, Giovanni Granda
F: David Poreba (Damyan Villanueva 80′), Jason Shokalook, Peter Soudan
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