Following last week’s 1-1 draw against Tigres UANL at TQL Stadium, it was evident that going into El Volcan and getting through would be difficult. With the away goals rule in effect, a hypothetical 0-0 draw in Nuevo Leon wouldn’t keep FC Cincinnati alive, but would put the Liga MX giants through. As lineup announcements happened and it became clear from our full-strength XI that we were pushing for the win, hopes steadily rose.
First half
From the opening kick, the famed home field advantage of Tigres became apparent. Additionally, it became evident that FCC’s strategy was to apply soft pressure, which allowed Tigres to dominate possession. Things got off to a nervy start, as only three minutes in Roman Celentano got in front of a rocket from Nicolas Ibanez. Despite the lack of a score, it set the tone for what we were going to see from the home side.
Over the next 15 minutes both sides had a couple of good chances, with nothing coming from any of them. Then, in the 18th minute, the magic of Luca Orellano was conjured. After a weaving run through three Tigres defenders, the Argentine laid a pass off to Evander who thumped a shot past Nahuel Guzman. With FCC now leading 2-1 on aggregate, and equalizing the away goal scenario, things were looking up.
The remainder of the first half featured a number of Tigres chances, but no goals.
Second half
The Orange and Blue XI remained unchanged coming out of the halftime break. But from the opening kick of the second half, the feeling of inevitability regarding a Tigres equalizer grew ever stronger. Multiple prime chances for Tigres went for naught, with the opening 15 minutes passing in quiet trepidation.
Just before the hour mark Pat Noonan made his first sub of the match, pulling Pavel Bucha for Yuya Kubo.
In the 62nd minute Deandre Yedlin earned a booking for a bad foul, with the resulting free kick spelling the beginning of the end. The initial effort resulted in a corner being earned for Tigres. That corner effort was originally cleared, however Tigres soon regained possession out wide. From there Juan Brunetta sent a picture perfect cross into the box, with Ozziel Herrera putting just enough of his head on the ball to steer it past Roman for the equalizer.
This goal in the 64th minute would open a eight minute window in which Tigres would score three goals, putting themselves ahead 4-2 on aggregate. All of the scores were beautiful, and truly spoke to Tigres’ skill and technical ability.
Postgame
While expectations were tempered coming into this fixture, the early goal had reignited hope that FCC would be able to make history. But the second half showed why no MLS side has ever come into Estadio Universitario and won outright.
Pat Noonan spoke on the result, “Yeah, it was a tough night for us. You know, after [our] goal, they were in complete control. I think, far superior with the ball. You know, their confidence was there.”
Perhaps the confidence instilled from the early goal was ultimately FCC’s downfall. In the mixed zone following the match, Evander said, “After we scored the goal we stopped playing” (per Carter Chapley).
Quick Recap
FC Cincinnati at Tigres UANL
Date: March 11, 2025
Competition: Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16, Second Leg
Venue: Estadio Universitario | San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, Mexico
Attendance: 27,992
Kickoff: 10:36 p.m. ET/8:36 p.m. CT
Weather: 72 degrees, clear
TIG – Ozziel Herrera (Brunetta) 64’, Juan Brunetta (Herrera) 69’, Nicolas Ibañez (Gorriarán) 72’
CIN – Evander (Orellano) 18’
LINEUPS
CIN: Roman Celentano, Lukas Engel, Teenage Hadebe, Miles Robinson (C), Gilberto Flores, DeAndre Yedlin (Alvas Powell 87’), Pavel Bucha (Yuya Kubo 58’), Obinna Nwobodo, Evander (Gerardo Valenzuela 87’), Luca Orellano (Sergio Santos 81’), Kévin Denkey (Corey Baird 81’)
Substitutes not used: Evan Louro, Paul Walters, Tah Brian Anunga
Head Coach: Pat Noonan
TIG: Nahuel Guzman, Joaquim Henrique, Juan Jose Purata, Jesús Angulo (C), Rafael Carioca, Juan Brunetta, Jesús Garza, Sebastián Córdova (Fernando Gorriarán 46’), Javier Aquino, Marcelo Flores (Ozziel Herrera 61’), Nicolas Ibañez (Bernardo Parra Camacho 89’)
Substitutes not used: Felipe Rodriguez, Fernando Tapia, Eduardo Tercero, Fernando Ordoñez, Raymundo Fulgencio, Vladimir Loroña, Osvaldo Rodríguez, Juan Pablo Vigón
Head Coach: Guido Pizarro
Discipline
CIN – DeAndre Yedlin (Yellow Card) 62’
CIN – Lukas Engel (Yellow Card) 83’
Next Match
MLS Regular Season: at Charlotte FC, 7:30 P.M. EDT March 15th; AppleTV+
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