If FC Cincinnati’s victory against Monterrey on Thursday was eye-opening, then the match against FC Juarez on Sunday was mind-deflating.
Caught in a two-goal deficit in the second half, FC Cincinnati rode another offensive effort by Evander to keep the match drawn after 90 minutes. However, despite remaining level into the fifth round, Evander was unable to beat goalkeeper Sebastian Jurado Roca in the final attempt. The Orange & Blue gain only one point in the loss in penalty kicks, jeopardizing their Leagues Cup future.
Cincinnati (4 pts.) started their excursion into Leagues Cup action with a 3-2 victory over Monterrey on Thursday night. The Orange & Blue capitalized off of two second-half goals to keep the lead to the final whistle. However, FC Juarez (5 pts.) scored the more impressive win on Thursday, taking a 4-1 road victory over Charlotte. The win marked Juarez’s first win in nine competitive matches.
With Sergio Santos out due to a knock from Thursday’s victory, Noonan started the match with Kei Kamara as the main viable striker. Pavel Bucha and Miles Robinson were also rested, while Teenage Hadebe and Gilberto Flores started on the back line with Matt Miazga.
Juarez made only one change to the lineup that defeated Charlotte, inserting Jesus Murillo in place of Jose Garcia. The 3-3-3-1 formation made for an interesting setup that provided surprising results in the first half.
First half
While both teams are playing on short rest, it appeared the fatigue hit Cincinnati harder in the first 45 minutes. Much of the Cincinnati play slogged through a stifling Juarez press that squeezed yellow cards out of Matt Miazga and Gilberto Flores early.
The suffocation almost got to the defense, as Roman Celentano had to sprawl for a double save in the 10th minute on shots by Ricardinho and Ángel Zaldívar.
Cincinnati had their own offensive scramble stuffed by three saves in the 20th minute, as Kamara, Luca Orellano, and Lukas Engel could not scratch a shot past goalkeeper Sebastian Jurado Roca.
The deadlock was broken in the 39th minute. Guilherme Castilho sliced a cross into the box that Ricardinho reached before Flores could. Celentano reacted late to the Portuguese midfielder’s header, unable to scramble back to save the shot. Ricardinho’s first of the tournament made it 1-0.
Cincinnati had a glimpse of hope from a VAR call off a possible foul in the Juarez box in the 42nd minute. However, the foul was considered incidental after three minutes in front of the monitor. Juarez held the 1-0 lead at halftime with almost a total split of the possession and shots.
Second half
Noonan opted to bring Bucha on at halftime for Brian Anunga, and it provided a speedier attack with Orellano getting more looks at possession. However, Evander still had not looked confident with the defense constantly swallowing his advances.
FC Juarez appeared to have all three points midway into the second half. The Juarez offense created chaos in the box off of set pieces in the 63rd minute. The Cincinnati defense was unable to fully clear the penetration, allowing Castilho to pounce on a free ball in the box. The Brazilian’s first goal of the tournament gave Juarez a 2-0 lead.
“I think defensively, we did, for the most part, a good job,” Noonan observed after the match. “The two goals we conceded is on us when we turn the ball over, we don’t close the space quick enough in defending the cross. And then the second one was that second phase of the set piece where we don’t deal with the cross ball. There’s no danger in the position, but how we attack in time. The clearance ends up creating some chaos in their goal. Those are two moments that are pretty clear of what we can do better.”
The surprising addition of Ender Echenique and Stiven Jimenez after the second goal pivoted the offense into a speedier version of itself. With the wings pulling the defense apart, Evander finally made his presence felt with a 72nd minute banger from atop the box to make it 2-1.
The onslaught from Cincinnati continued, wiping out the deficit in the next five minutes. Evander’s corner kick in the 77th minute caromed off Oscar Estupiñan to knot the score at 2-2 and send TQL into palpable excitement.
While the time allowed more opportunities for offense, neither team was able to scrounge solid efforts before the full-time whistle, sending the match to penalties.
Both teams exchanged goals in the first two rounds. However, Miazga’s effort in the third round was stuffed by Roca to give Juarez an early advantage.
In the fifth round, Celentano correctly read Jairo Torres’s effort to give the Orange & Blue a glimpse of hope. However, Roca judged Evander’s shot correctly to end the match after five rounds, giving two points to Juarez.
The loss in penalty kicks puts Cincinnati in a difficult spot to qualify for the knockout rounds. While FCC is tied in points with multiple teams, the +1 goal differential means that the upcoming match against Chivas Guadalajara will have to result in an impressive win for odds to go Cincinnati way. Chivas scored a shootout win against Charlotte on Sunday, but also needs a win over Cincinnati to get closer to qualification.
Noonan was able to highlight some quality in the shootout loss. “Every game gives you answers. In every game, there’s positives, there’s negatives. It never changes from game to game. Stiven (Jimenez) and Ender (Echenique) are good examples. That’s a positive takeaway from the game. Some of the performances you look at and you say that can improve. That’s every single game you’re going to have that analysis. But the way we stayed in it and got two goals against a team that was defending in a good way the majority of the game, I was pleased with that.”
Echenique spoke with the media and could only look towards the next game. “It’s a very important game, and we have to be fully focused on getting three points in that one,” he mentioned through a translator. “As a team like Cincinnati that’s fully focused on doing the best they can, we want to be in the next round. We know how important the game is. The next three days will be to prepare as best as we possibly can.”
FC Cincinnati’s last opportunity to qualify for the knockout round is on Thursday against Chivas Guadalahara. Meanwhile, FC Juarez will likely advance if they can win all three points against New York Red Bulls.
Leagues Cup, Match #2
FC Cincinnati vs. FC Juarez
TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Attendance: 17,314
Result: FC Cincinnati 2, FC Juarez 2. (FC Juarez win 4-3 on penalties.)
BOX SCORE
FC Cincinnati Starting XI (5-2-2-1):
Roman Celentano (GK); DeAndre Yedlin (Brad Smith 87′), Gilberto Flores (Miles Robinson 46′), Matt Miazga (c), Teenage Hadebe, Lukas Engel; Gerardo Valenzuela (Stiven Jimenez 64′), Tah Brian Anunga (Pavel Bucha 46′); Luca Orellano, Evander; Kei Kamara (Ender Echenique 64′).
Bench: Alec Kann, Alvas Powell, Nick Hagglund, Corey Baird, Evan Louro, Kenji Mboma Dem.
FC Juarez Starting XI (3-3-3-1):
Sebastian Jurado Roca (GK – c); Moises Mosquera, Jesus Murillo, Manuel Mayorga; Homer Martinez, Denzell Garcia, Guilherme Castilho (Dieter Villalpando 83′); Madson (Eder Lopez 83′), Ricardinho (Jairo Torres 54′), Jose Rodriguez (Rodolfo Pizzaro 64′); Angel Zaldivar (Oscar Estupiñan 46′).
Bench: Raymundo Fulgencio, Diego Ochoa, Benny Diaz, Jose Garcia, Guillermo Ruiz, Francisco Nevarez, Leonardo Rodriguez.
Scoring summary:
FCJ – Ricardinho 39′ (Castilho)
FCJ – Guilhermo Castilho 63′ (unassisted)
CIN – Evander 71′ (Engel)
CIN – Own Goal 77′ (Estupiñan)
Penalty Kicks:
FCJ – Oscar Estupiñan – GOAL
CIN – Lukas Engel – GOAL
FCJ – Dieter Villalpando – GOAL
CIN – Luca Orellano – GOAL
FCJ – Rodolfo Pizzaro – GOAL
CIN – Matt Miazga – MISS
FCJ – Denzell Garcia – GOAL
CIN – Pavel Bucha – GOAL
FCJ – Jairo Torres – MISS
CIN – Evander – MISS
Discipline:
YC – Matt Miazga 3′ (CIN, poor sportsmanship)
YC – Gilberto Flores 20′ (CIN, foul)
YC – Jairo Torres 67′ (FCJ, foul)
YC – Guilhermo Castilho 73′ (FCJ, foul)
Next up:
Leagues Cup: vs. C.D. Guadalajara, 7 pm, Thursday August 7th; Apple TV+
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