Advertisement

FC Cincinnati falls to Orlando City in first TQL Stadium loss of 2023 | Replay

pat brennan, cincinnati enquirer
·6 min read

FC Cincinnati will play 3,060 minutes in Major League Soccer regular-season play, and that's before you factor for added time. But it only takes one minute to derail or threaten the kind of success first-place and trophy-chasing FCC aspires to.

One such moment arrived late in the first half Saturday against Orlando City SC at TQL Stadium.

Referee Drew Fischer issued a yellow card to FC Cincinnati captain and most valuable player-hopeful Luciano Acosta in the 44th minute.

Whether or not Acosta deserved a yellow card was debated but it resulted in a suspension for FC Cincinnati's Sept. 16 road match against Eastern Conference rival Philadelphia Union.

Less than a minute later, Orlando went to the opposite end of the field. Facundo Torres scored in front of the Bailey supporters section for a 1-0 lead.

FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga (21) reacts late in the second half of the MLS match between FC Cincinnati and Orlando City at TQL Stadium in the West End neighborhood of Cincinnati on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. Orlando City won the match 1-0.
FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga (21) reacts late in the second half of the MLS match between FC Cincinnati and Orlando City at TQL Stadium in the West End neighborhood of Cincinnati on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. Orlando City won the match 1-0.

The goal ended up being a decisive one. FC Cincinnati lost to Orlando, 1-0, to mark its first home defeat of 2023.

FC Cincinnati fell to 17-4-6 (57 points), leaving itself vulnerable to seeing its 10-point lead in the Supporters Shield race cut down. That didn't happen as FCC's nearest rivals in the Shield race all dropped points, although second-place New England Revolution pulled one point closer in the Eastern Conference with a game in-hand.

FCC players exited TQL Stadium with its 10-point Shield lead intact but missed an opportunity to grow the lead.

"Look, I think you saw a tired group that put everything into it. Just didn't have the legs or that final bit of quality to break them down," FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said. "You can see when you're so physically tired, the mental side becomes a challenge as well in just making the right pass or being able to provide the right cross (or) final shot. All of that was just a little bit off.

"Credit to Orlando, they defended really well. They obviously did a really good job taking us out of our rhythm, which was something we talked about prior. I can't fault the effort that these guys put in."

More: FC Cincinnati: Luciano Acosta, Roman Celentano celebrate milestone moments

More: FC Cincinnati clinches MLS Cup playoff berth in comeback win at Atlanta United

FCC’s best chance came in the seventh minute when Sergio Santos broke in alone on Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and scored only to see the play called back for offside. A video-assistant referee (VAR) check upheld the call.

In response to a pool report question, officials said the a clear and obvious officiating error wasn't committed on the play.

Yerson Mosquera and Aaron Boupendza were added to the match at halftime and in the 57th minute, respectively. Their additions added some zest to Cincinnati's attack, which produced only two shots in the first half.

But FCC failed to equalize, even with more than 11 minutes of second half added time and Orlando losing a player to a red card during that period. All 13 Cincinnati shots, four of which were on-target, went begging.

"I think you could just see we looked heavy. I think we weren't pressing with the same intensity," FCC center back Nick Hagglund said. "It felt like they had one really good opportunity and they scored that one. On the other end, we didn't finish our chances. They did a good job of making things difficult for us. At the end of the day, we just didn't execute."

Like most nights during the 2023 season, even the nights when FC Cincinnati falters still possess some kind of silver lining. That was true again Saturday.

New England conceded points in a 2-2 tie with Austin FC. St. Louis CITY SC could have sliced FCC's lead in the Shield race down to seven points but lost its 10th game of the season instead, falling to Sporting Kansas City on the road.

FC Cincinnati right back Santiago Arias (Colombia) and midfielder Junior Moreno (Venezuela) will both participate in FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying matches over the next two weeks. The rest of the team will generally use the time between now and the match at Philadelphia to train as it normally would, or heal in the case of any players carrying nagging injuries.

*** ***

The first loss of the year at TQL Stadium

Orlando won tonight, something no other visiting club could do (from open play, so officially excluding shootout defeats) in 2023. Other results are going to chip away at Cincinnati's lead in the Shield race, too.

Boupendza, Mosquera on for Cincinnati (57')

FC Cincinnati needed to change something, so Yerson Mosquera came in for Ian Murphy to start the second half. By the 57th minute, designated-player striker Aaron Boupendza was on, too. FCC will be at full-strength as it attempts to preserve its unbeaten home record in 2023.

Cincinnati down at the break

The first half was full of stoppages for injuries and VAR checks. It did not make for much of a spectacle. Orlando handled the start-stop nature of the game better, though. They had several threatening moments in front of Cincinnati's goal and took the lead in the 45th minute through Facundo Torres.

Orlando takes the lead (45')

Perhaps FC Cincinnati was still reeling from seeing star Luciano Acosta receive a yellow card, which rules him out from the club's Sept. 16 match at Philadelphia Union (yellow card accumulation). Whatever the reason, the defense let up and Facundo Torres capitalized with a go-ahead goal.

A warning shot at Orlando (7')

Some sharp passing in the midfield allowed FC Cincinnati to spring Sergio Santos for a breakaway, which he scored on. However, the goal was flagged for offside. A video-assistant referee (VAR) check upheld the call.

Underway at TQL Stadium (1')

Referee Drew Fischer's whistle gets the match started at 7:39 p.m.

Boupendza, Mosquera return to FC Cincy's bench

Yerson Mosquera, who hasn't played since Aug. 4 in Leagues Cup, and Aaron Boupendza, who missed the midweek win at Atlanta United FC, are both on the bench for FCC today.

FC Cincinnati, Orlando City starters

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati falls in first TQL Stadium loss of 2023 | Replay