Looking to break their four-match losing streak, FC Cincinnati 2 hosted Toronto FC II for the second time this season. These two teams first met for the MLS Next Pro season opener in March, with Toronto taking a 1-0 victory.
Both sides had multiple looks in the first half. Toronto FC 2 put one in the back of the net in the 17th minute. FCC 2’s Nathan Crockford saved Toronto’s Marko Stojadinovic’s shot, but Crockford couldn’t control it and Toronto’s Jahmarie Nolan scored the rebound. However, Nolan was ruled offside, and the match remained scoreless.
A few promising first-half attacks for Cincinnati resulted in four corner kicks, but nothing came from their set pieces. Their fortune changed once Toronto’s Antone Bossenberry fouled FCC 2’s Noah Adnan outside the box, allowing Peter Mangione to connect with Brian Schaefer off the free kick to convert the match’s opening goal and give FC Cincinnati 2 a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute.
Toronto immediately applied pressure and nearly had an equalizer in the 61st minute after Nolan hit the post. Toronto continued to push, and 15 minutes later, they found their goal. Constantinos Iliadis connected with Hassan Ayari on the backpost, and the match was level.
Both teams settled in for the remainder of the match, taking it to penalty kicks. Mangione, Ikoba, Schaefer, and Locker all stepped up and buried their penalties for Cincinnati, and Crockford made a save on Iliadis’ attempt, allowing FCC 2 to take the second point and the shootout 4-2.
“I love the resilience of the group. I love what they did on the field, and then stepping up at the end and getting an extra point as well,” FCC 2 Head Coach Tyrone Marshall said postgame. “This is what we work on all the time in training, and to get to say this is why we do it. We started to get that momentum and get that attitude of how to win games.”
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-FT
CIN: 0-1-1
TOR: 0-1-1
CIN – Brian Schaefer (Mangione) 48’
TOR – Hassan Ayari (Iliadis) 75’
SHOOTOUT SUMMARY
CIN – Mangione (Goal) | Ikoba (Goal) | Schaefer (Goal) | Locker (Goal)
TOR – Sullivan (Goal) | Iliadis (Saved) | Ayari (Miss) | Fisher (Goal)
STARTING LINEUPS
CIN: Nate Crockford, Andrei Chirila, Brian Schaefer, Noah Adnan, Will Kuisel (Yorkaeff Caicedo 72’), Peter Mangione (C), Yamir Uculmana (Xhosa Manyana 46’), Dilan Hurtado, Ben Augee (Benjamin Manfroy 78’), Carson Locker, Andrés Dávila (Jared Cardenas 46’ (Tega Ikoba 72’)
Substitutes not used: Slade Hall, Ali Sakr, Connor Stout, Lincoln Matuskiewicz
Head Coach: Tyrone Marshall
TOR: Adisa De Rosario, Ythallo (Mark Fisher 46’), Micah Chisholm, Reid Fisher, Hassan Ayari, Lucas Olguin (Nathaniel Edwards 77’), Marko Stojadinovic, Malik Henry (Constantinos Iliadis 70’), Antone Bossenberry (Patrick McDonald 77’), Jahmarie Nolan (Josh Nugent 84’), Michael Sullivan (C)
Substitutes not used: Shafique Wilson, Andrei Dumitru, Joseph Melto Quiah
Head Coach: Gianni Cimini
STATS SUMMARY: CIN/TOR
Shots: 11 / 14
Shots on Goal: 2 / 2
Saves: 1 / 1
Corner Kicks: 4 / 5
Fouls: 14 / 8
Offside: 2 / 4
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CIN – Noah Adnan (Yellow Card) 55’
OFFICIALS
Referee: Amin Hadzic
Ast. Referees: Race Williams, Jackson Krauser
Fourth Official: Audra Fullen
Next Match
MLS NextPro: v. New England Revolution 2, June 15 at 2pm, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts; Apple TV+
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