With a handful of prominent team members unable to play, the Orange & Blue needed all eleven players to contribute during Saturday’s downpour. Their best effort arguably produced their most cohesive win.
FC Cincinnati (4-1-2, 13 pts.) kept the New England Revolution (1-1-4, 4 pts.) off the score sheet in a 1-0 victory at TQL Stadium Saturday night. Despite missing some key names, FCC maintained a solid defense throughout the evening and capitalized off a Sergio Santos goal for the win. The victory keeps Cincinnati undefeated at home this season.
“One of our best wins, if I’m being honest,” Pat Noonan admitted after the match. “Just the circumstances and some bodies that we’re obviously missing from last week—it challenged us. We’re obviously stretched thin, but [it] clearly didn’t affect the group because they were ready to play and got the clean sheet, created some good looks, had good discipline, good composure, and, deserved to win the game. I’m really, really proud of the performance tonight.”
Cincinnati paid a small price for their win at Nashville SC the past weekend, being unable to dress multiple players for this waterlogged match. Obinna Nwobodo was listed as officially out due to leg issues, while Teenage Hadebe is still working on green card issues. Evander (knee), Yuya Kubo (leg), and Miles Robinson (leg) were listed as questionable, but did not make the roster. New arrival Brad Smith started his first match for the Orange & Blue.
Surprisingly, center back Matt Miazga returned to the bench after missing 10 months due to a knee ligament injury last June. While he did not enter the match, Noonan noted that he was available for emergency play. “[Matt] had a really good week and passed some hurdles that had him feeling comfortable where tonight if we needed him maybe for five to ten minutes, we felt we could do that.”
While the Revolution were working on getting their full power back, they started a team almost unchanged from Saturday’s win over the New York Red Bulls. The only change was Brayan Ceballos starting for the injured Wyatt Omsburg. Forwards Leo Campana (hamstring) and Tomás Chancalay (knee) were not ready to return from injury.
First half
Through the first 45 minutes, New England had juicier opportunities. Twice, in the 24th and 31st minutes, goalkeeper Roman Celentano had the good fortune of solid pipework. Shots by Brayan Ceballos and Ignatius Ganago found the post, the second counting as a save by Celentano.
With a good portion of their midfield unavailable, Cincinnati played much of their game through the edges. The weather made crosses difficult, but a lot of early play passed through DeAndre Yedlin and Smith.
The best opportunities came from a dual pair of attempts late in the half. Denkey’s spin in the box in the 41st minute and Orellano’s long attempt in the 44th minute both resulted in shots that shirted far of the left post.
While FCC enjoyed a majority of the possession (56%/44%), both teams were evenly matched going into halftime at 0-0.
Second half
In the second half, the Orange & Blue started to stitch together plays and enjoy more quality with their quantity. Cincinnati peppered goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic with six shots on goal in the second half, while the Revolution mustered only three on goal the entire 90 minutes.
The lone goal came on cooperative pressure around the net. In the 65th minute, Corey Baird forced a hard save to Ivacic’s left. Pavel Bucha gathered the rebound and connected with Santos in the six-yard box for a tap-in goal. The Brazilian striker’s first of the year gave Cincinnati the lead they would not relinquish.
While the Revolution had some opportunities in the second half, the back line played strong. Nick Hagglund played the full 90 minutes for the first time this season, and Gilberto Flores led the team with seven clearances and three tackles. Lukas Engel also filled at left center back again, playing 85 minutes in a different role.
“At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about—getting results,” Engel said after the match. “It wasn’t the prettiest game to watch from the outside, but we got three points, and that was the most important thing.”
Noonan praised the teamwork that picked up all three points. “These types of wins for your group go a long way because you get contributions from guys that maybe hadn’t had the opportunity before, and they’re on the field experiencing a win when that final whistle blows. So, that’s important for certain individuals, but then you can hear Matt (Miazga) and Sergio and guys that are now off the field at the end of the game and how they recognize the importance of a win like we saw tonight.”
The win pushes Cincinnati to fifth place, while New England slides down to 13th.
Cincinnati hits the road for their next two matches, facing D.C. United next Saturday. The Revolution travel to Georgia for a Saturday matinee against Atlanta United.
Major League Soccer, Match #7
FC Cincinnati vs. New England Revolution
TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Attendance: 22,912
Result: FC Cincinnati 1, New England Revolution 0
BOX SCORE
FC Cincinnati Starting XI (5-2-2-1):
Roman Celentano (GK); DeAndre Yedlin (c), Gilberto Flores, Nick Hagglund, Lukas Engel (Gerardo Valenzuela 85′), Brad Smith (Sergio Santos 58′, Stefan Chirila 84′); Pavel Bucha, Tah Brian Anunga; Luca Orellano, Corey Baird (Alvas Powell 78′); Kevin Denkey.
Bench: Evan Louro, Matt Miazga, Stiven Jimenez.
New England Revolution Starting XI (4-2-3-1):
Aljaz Ivacic (GK); Ilay Feingold, Brayan Ceballos, Mamadou Fofana, Peyton Miller; Matt Polster, Alhassan Yusuf; Luca Langoni (Luis Diaz 73′), Carles Gil (c), Ignatius Ganago; Maxi Urruti (Jackson Yueill 55′).
Bench: Alex Bono, Tanner Beason, Keegan Hughes, Brandon Bye, Jack Panayotou, Will Sands, Noel Buck.
Scoring summary:
CIN – Sergio Santos 65′ (Bucha)
Discipline:
YC – Kevin Denkey 14′ (CIN, poor sportsmanship)
YC – Luca Orellano 39′ (CIN, foul)
YC – Matt Polster 52’ (NE, poor sportsmanship)
YC – Peyton Miller 83′ (NE, foul)
Next up:
MLS Regular Season: at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m., Saturday April 12th; Apple TV+
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