The last time Superman came to the Queen City, he was standing strong with CF Monterrey. This time around, FC Cincinnati had the kryptonite ready.
FC Cincinnati (8-1-3, 25 pts.) welcomed Brandon Vazquez and his new team, Austin FC (5-1-6 16 pts.), with a controlled 2-1 victory at TQL Stadium on Saturday night. Despite losing captain Matt Miazga halfway into the match and allowing an equalizer early in the second half, the Orange & Blue lifted spirits with goals by Evander and Gerardo Valenzuela.
“It was a strong performance tonight in a lot of ways,” head coach Pat Noonan said after the match. “Certainly, an improvement with how we move the ball and have better decisions–more composure, you know, trying to figure out how to play through their press. It was a different structure than we were anticipating. So I thought the guys did a really good job of that.”
Cincinnati entered the match with a vital player returning, as Pavel Bucha was back in the lineup after missing Sunday’s 1-0 loss against NYCFC. The midfielder was in concussion protocol but returned to practice this week. Obinna Nwobodo was still held out with a leg injury. Sergio Santos reentered the Starting XI for DeAndre Yedlin, with Luca Orellano shifting back to right wingback.
Austin FC made one change from their 3-0 loss against Minnesota last Saturday. Zan Kolmanic started in a Back-5 formation for head coach Nico Estevez’s group, while Osman Bukari began on the bench. The biggest name missing was new arrival Robert Taylor. The transfer from Inter Miami left Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup match against El Paso with a hamstring injury.
Prematch festivities were brief and cordial, with Vazquez greeting the coaching staff and players with handshakes and hugs at midfield. The former FC Cincinnati striker joined Austin FC in the offseason after a stint at CF Monterrey in 2024. Vazquez was the main force behind Austin’s 3-2 win over El Paso midweek, scoring twice in the second half.
First half
Austin scrambled the FCC defense early for possession, but Cincinnati’s offense showed up first.
In the 12th minute, Lukas Engel and Yuya Kubo worked possession atop the box. Engel found Evander at the 18-yard-line for a strong right-footed shot past goalkeeper Brad Stuver. The Brazilian’s seventh goal of the season made it 1-0 early in the first half.
For much of the first half, Cincinnati had the better attempts, the best being a twisting Evander shot from distance that clanged off the frame in the 19th minute. Austin FC were unable to attempt a shot on frame, despite some early sprawls by Vazquez in the box.
Even with the majority of offense, Cincinnati almost ended the half in disaster. Matt Miazga was substituted at the 45th minute out of an abundance of caution, as he was seen favoring his right leg. While he came off the pitch without much of an incident, it was still an unplanned substitution. It was later reported that Miazga had hamstring tightness and that the team was exercising caution.
Noonan was happy with the momentum going into the break but sought room for improvement. “I thought the patience for that middle stretch was excellent as far as how we were able to find advantages to create pressure around the goal. Creating some really good moments—I think we need to get back to that.”
Overall, Cincinnati held more offensive chances in the first half, targeting Stuver three times, while Roman Celentano faced none. However, the possession was split down the middle between both teams.
Second half
Before fans could settle into their seats, Austin put Cincinnati on the back foot and equalized quickly.
In the 46th minute, Teenage Hadebe, who had come on for Miazga, was whistled for a handball in the box. There was some debate on if the handball had taken place inside the box, but referee Tori Penso stayed with the call.
After some intimidation tactics between midfielder Ilie Sanchez and Celentano, Vazquez took the penalty kick and sent the Cincinnati goalkeeper the wrong way. The Austin striker’s third goal of the MLS season made it 1-1. Overall, Vazquez kept the celebration humble with a small raise of the hand to the crowd.
While the equalizer initially shook the Orange & Blue, the team got progressively more dangerous, possessing the ball and using the wings to spray passes across the field. The winner ultimately came from one of those distant passes. In the 75th minute, Engel received a deep cross from Orellano and fed back to Evander. The midfielder looped a pass into the box out of the defense’s reach, allowing Valenzuela to hit off the bounce past Stuver.
Dado’s second game-winner of the season made it 2-1, a difference that would last the rest of the match.
“(Pat) was telling us to be more aggressive with our runs to goal when we’re outside the box,” Valenzuela explained after the match. “But when you have a player like Evander and he’s out in those positions, you know what he wants to do.
“When I saw (Evander) about to get the ball, I knew. However he was going to get it there, I knew that he was just going to get it there.”
Noonan emphasized Valenzuela’s strong substitution role. “He’s putting together multiple performances now where he’s been strong, and that’s been the challenge for him. Certainly, you’ve got to earn the minutes, and when you earn them, what do you do with them? And now you’re starting to see him improving in his play, his consistency and his final product.”
Cincinnati rises to first in the East, tied with Columbus on points. Austin falls to eighth in the West.
Both teams will have short weeks with matches on Wednesday. Cincinnati crosses the border to take on Toronto FC, while Austin returns home to face Atlanta United at Q2 Stadium.
Major League Soccer, Match #12
FC Cincinnati vs. Austin FC
TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Attendance: 25,513
Result: FC Cincinnati 2, Austin FC 1
BOX SCORE
FC Cincinnati Starting XI (5-3-2):
Roman Celentano (GK); Luca Orellano (DeAndre Yedlin 83′), Nick Hagglund, Matt Miazga (c) (Teenage Hadebe 45′), Miles Robinson, Lukas Engel; Pavel Bucha, Evander, Yuya Kubo (久保裕也) (Brian Anunga 67′); Sergio Santos (Gerardo Valenzuela 68′), Kevin Denkey.
Bench: Evan Louro, Alvas Powell, Gilberto Flores, Corey Baird, Brad Smith.
Austin FC Starting XI (5-3-2):
Matt Stuver (GK); Jon Gallagher, Oleksandr Svatok, Guilherme Biro, Brendan Hines-Ike, Zan Kolmanic (Diego Rubio 87′); Owen Wolff, Ilie Sanchez (c) (Nicolas Dubersarsky 73′), Besard Sabovic (Jader Obrian 81′); Brandon Vazquez (CJ Fodrey 73′), Myrto Uzuni (Osman Bukari 81′).
Bench: Stefan Cleveland, Riley Dean Thomas, Julio Cascante, Ervin Torres.
Scoring summary:
CIN – Evander 12′ (Engel)
ATX – Brandon Vazquez 48′ (PK)
CIN – Gerardo Valenzuela 75′ (Evander)
Discipline:
YC – Kevin Denkey 35′ (CIN, foul)
YC – Besard Sabovic 69′ (ATX, foul)
Next up:
MLS Regular Season: at Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday May 14th; Apple TV+
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