The FC Cincinnati faithful got their first taste of the 2025 season late Wednesday night as the squad took on FC Motagua at Estadio Nacional in Tegucigalpa, Honduras for the first leg of CONCACAF Champions Cup play. Despite the late-night kickoff, many fans brewed some coffee and settled in to watch what turned out to be a great match.
First Half
We knew that FCC wasn’t going to be operating at full strength, considering the absence of Luca Orellano, Matt Miazga and the roster upheaval that happened during the offseason. The opening half hour looked exactly like you would expect when you have a side playing their first match of the season against a side who is in midseason form. Neither side strung together any great attacking looks, and FCC’s best chance came when Lukas Engel lifted a free kick to the back post which was cleared away. Mere minutes after that, it appeared as if FCC would find themselves in an early hole, as Motagua had a chaotic chance inside the six-yard box.
Thanks to Roman Celentano and company however, the scoresheet remained blank. This stand meant that when Pavel Bucha went top bins following a Denkey run and Kubo blocked shot, it was for the lead versus an equalizer. Following the opening goal, optimism was humming through the FCC faithful. Alas, Motagua would dash those feelings in the 41st minute when Rodrigo Gomez crossed a ball into Rodrigo Auzmendi who cut in front of Noah Adnan and flicked the ball on goal and past Roman for an equalizer.
Going into halftime, FCC were lucky to only have conceded one. Regarding the early struggles, FCC manager Pat Noonan said, “I think as far as just the formation, we saw something different than we anticipated, with their defensive structure. So, early on there was, I would say, lack of certainty about how to create more and have more space.”
Second Half
Coming out of the break, only one change was made to the FCC lineup, with Teenage Hadebe replacing Noah Adnan. The second half started a tad shaky, as FC Motagua immediately won a corner. This chance was dashed quickly however, when following a great midfield buildup and Lukas Engel cross, Kevin Denkey did what he does best—controlling the cross, turning on the ball and firing past the keeper for a 2-1 FCC advantage.
Following this goal, the Orange and Blue settled in and began fully controlling the pace of play. FCC fans were sent into yet another frenzy as Evander subbed in at the hour mark, replacing Corey Baird. With the new combo of Evander and Denkey now on the pitch together for the first time, us fans waited with bated breath to see what magic they could conjure. The wait was not long, as barely 15 minutes after coming on Evander found himself with possession near the top of the penalty area. After briefly considering chipping one in for Denkey, he laid off a ball for Pavel Bucha who sent a screamer past Jonathan Rougier for a 3-1 advantage.
At this point, it was clear that the Orange and Blue would be leaving Tegucigalpa with a favorable result, but the FCC onslaught had yet to end. Just 10 minutes after Evander picked up his first assist in the Legacy kit, he picked up his first goal as well. After making a run, Evander laid it off to a wide open Alvas Powell, who crossed it immediately back in. Evander, the new #10, rose to meet the ball with a karate kick style volley going bar-down for the fourth and final score of the evening.
With that the Motagua fans began trickling out, and a few moments later the final whistle sounded, sealing a 4-1 victory and making a Motagua comeback next week in leg 2 at TQL almost impossible due to aggregate scoring.
Postgame
Any questions about Denkey and Evander’s efficacy were dashed during this contest, but the real surprise of the night came from Pavel Bucha. Speaking on his performance, “When you score two goals, then you have to be happy with yourself. But always, there is something to work on.” (per Carter Chapley)
While the high scoring was somewhat surprising to some, gaffer Pat Noonan was on the opposite side, “Yeah, I don’t think I’m surprised, because I’ve seen the last couple weeks our attacking production and kind of the progress that we’ve made.”
Quick Recap:
MOT – Rodrigo Auzmendi (Gómez) 41’
CIN – Pavel Bucha 28’, Kévin Denkey (Engel) 49’, Pavel Bucha (Evander) 77’, Evander (Powell) 87’
LINEUPS
CIN: Roman Celentano, Lukas Engel (Gilberto Flores 84’), Alvas Powell, Miles Robinson, Noah Adnan (Tennage Hadebe 46’), DeAndre Yedlin, Pavel Bucha, Obinna Nwobodo, Yuya Kubo (Tah Brian Anunga 76’), Corey Baird (Evander 60’), Kévin Denkey (Stefan Chirila 85’)Substitutes not used: Evan Louro, Paul Walters, Bret Halsey, Stiven Jimenez, Amir Daley, Peter Mangione
MOT: Jonathan Rougier, Giancarlo Sacaza, Cristopher Meléndez, Jonathan Núñez (Mathias Vásquez 67’), Raúl Santos (C), Sebastian Cardozo, Carlos Mejía (Jefryn Macías 68’), Riky Zapata (Clever Portillo 68’), Carlos Argueta (Yeison Mejía 32’), Rodrigo Gómez (Walter Martínez 67’), Rodrigo Auzmendi
Substitutes not used: Marlon Licona, Luis Vega, Edwin Maldonado, Héctor Castellanos, Edwin Munguía, Jordan García, Jordan García
Next Match: MLS Regular Season vs Red Bull New York, 7:30 p.m. February 22nd; AppleTV+
Recommended for you
