Stop us if you’ve heard this before—Cincinnati needed every minute of the match (and then some) to snatch a point.
FC Cincinnati (8-9-8, 33pts.) rescued a very 2-2 late draw at one of their most challenging road environments, in the heat and against one of the top teams in the West, the Houston Dynamo (13-5-8, 44 pts.).
Pat Noonan reflected on the positive side of the draw. “To (draw) on the road and against an in-form Houston team, a consistent Houston team, a team that doesn’t concede a whole lot, the chances that we created in that second half, and to find two goals, the late goal, and with the chances we had, I was really pleased with the group because I think that’s an important point.”
For the first time in a while, the “Sword” formation made an appearance. Evander and Dado Valenzuela would be playing as advanced CAMs, while Obi Nwobodo returned to the double pivot with Pavel Bucha. Instead of Bryan Ramirez at LWB, it would be Kenji Mboma Dem. Noonan also leaned on a defensive trio of Samuel Gidi, Nick Hagglund, and Miles Robinson.
Of note, it was a rare Cincinnati sports “equinox”. The club and the neighboring Bengals would be facing an opponent from the same city. They would hope to give local sports fans a delicious away matinee before the main event in town tomorrow. Ironically enough, the voice of the Bengals, Mike Watts, would be on the mic.
FIRST HALF
An eighth minute attempt by Houston saw some quick exchange play lead to a Mateusz Bogusz chip, but it was not enough to cross the line and cleared away.
The match began as a fast pace affair, as there was a lot at stake for both sides. However, towards the 20 minute mark, both sides settled down and tried to gain control of the pitch.
Momentum began to sway slightly in favor of the Dynamo. A curling effort, again by Bogusz, went just above the top left post. Cincinnati’s defense was being properly threatened.
Even as Cincinnati began to ask questions of Houston’s defense, it was a curling free-kick from Guilherme in the 38th minute that proved unsalvageable for Roman Celentano, giving the home side the lead.
Going into the break, the Dynamo had as many shots (4) as Cincinnati and were very similar in xG. However, the team looked easier on the eye with a slight deserved lead.
SECOND HALF
A reckless 51st minute challenge by Mboma Dem provided a penalty foer Houston. Bogusz stepped to the spot and doubled his side’s lead;. Celentano would regret not putting enough of a glove on it to direct it away.
The penalty kick was the ninth conceded by FC Cincinnati this season, the most in MLS.
Being two goals down on the road, Noonan opted for ultra-offensive substitutions early. Dado Valenzuela was pushed back into the double pivot, backup striker Tom Barlow was added into the fray, and Bryan Ramirez would replace Ender Echenique.
The club began to threaten right away. In the 60th minute, Denkey had a golden opportunity from close range but put it straight into goalkeeper Jonathan Bond. Just two minutes later, Barlow’s volley from a tough angle was denied again.
Finally, in the 73rd minute, Evander’s low cross bobbed around in the box before Ramirez finished from close range. The Ecuadorian winger’s second of the season cut the lead in half.
An agonizing 20 minutes of failing to create a dangerous shot for the equalizer ended when the Orange and Blue were given a lifeline. Mboma-Dem drew a penalty kick in added time from a foul by Bogusz in the box. In the final minute, Denkey slotted home his 14th goal of the season for the last-minute equalizer.
The equalizer in stoppage time is the fifth for FC Cincinnati this season and the eighth overall in their MLS era. Four of the team’s away
The draw was an impressive result for a Houston team that had been formidable on the home turf. The two goals given up were the most Houston had allowed in a home match since a March 3-2 win over Portland.
Houston may consider the draw to be fortunate. Cincinnati ended the night being decidedly dominant in shots (26 to their opponent’s seven) and xG (2.69 to their opponent’s 1.2).
FC Cincinnati split the spoils and settle for being just a single point above the playoff line in eighth place. Their next opponent will be another away trip to CF Montreal, who sit bottom of the East. Houston remains in second place, but share the same number of points with St. Louis and FC Dallas.
BOX SCORE
FC Cincinnati Starting XI (3-4-3):
Roman Celentano (GK); Samuel Gidi, Miles Robinson, Nick Hagglund (Teenage Hadebe 54’); Kenji Mboma-Dem, Pavel Bucha (Kyle Smith 87’), Obinna Nwobodo (Tom Barlow 54’), Ender Echenique (Bryan Ramirez 54’); Evander, Kevin Denkey, Gerardo Valenzuela (Ayoub Jabbari 87’).
Bench: Evan Louro, Alvas Powell, Andrei Chirila, Kristian Fletcher
Houston Dynamo Starting XI (4-4-2):
Jonathan Bond; Franco Negri, Lucas Halter, Antonio Carlos, Felipe Andrade; Mateusz Bogusz, Hector Herrera (Matthew Arana 81’), Artur, Lawrence Ennali (Ibrahim Aliya 81’); Agustín Bouzat, Guilherme Augusto (Duncan McGuire 90’)
Bench: Blake Gillingham, Logan Erb, Duane Holmes, Gilberto Rivera, Nick Markanich
Scoring summary:
HOU — Guilherme Augusto 38’ (unassisted)
HOU — Mateusz Bogusz 51’ (PK)
CIN — Bryan Ramirez 73’ (Denkey)
CIN — Kevin Denkey 90+7’ (PK)
Discipline: N/A
Recommended for you
