FC Cincinnati's work has only begun after CONCACAF Champions Cup victory vs. Cavalier FC.

Cavalier FC, you were quotable and memorable but ultimately didn't put up much of a fight against FC Cincinnati.

FC Cincinnati gave Cavalier FC faint hopes of a comeback after their initial meeting but Wednesday at TQL Stadium proved to be far too much for the Kingston, Jamaica-based club to overcome against the defending Supporters' Shield winners. FCC won on the night, 4-0, and 6-0 on aggregate, leaving little doubt about which club was superior and deserved to advance in the club championship for North and Central America, and the Caribbean.

Now, a real test awaits FC Cincinnati, which will have a quick turnaround before facing Mexican giant, Monterrey FC of Liga MX in the next round of Champions Cup. Monterrey's deeper into its season than FCC is in MLS, and Cincinnati is yet to hit its stride whereas Monterrey is undefeated (5-4-0) in the Liga MX Clausura.

The Monterrey games − one in Cincinnati March 7 and one in Monterrey on March 14 − represent a pair of the biggest matches in club history. For now, though, FC Cincinnati can savor progressing in its debut Champions Cup appearance. Here are the big takeaways from FCC's win over Cavalier:

A convincing series win in the end

What FC Cincinnati's fans saw through the seemingly-less-than-HD camera lenses in the series opener at Independence Park in Kingston was a shaky FC Cincinnati whose insurance goal didn't arrive until the closing moments of the contest. Not exactly a reassuring sight against a lesser opponent.

What the fans didn't see was the unfortunate state of playing surface, and the unfamiliar Nike match ball jumping and dancing around on the spotty pitch. FCC couldn't be blamed for the field conditions, and so they probably did better on the night than most realized given the circumstances.

At the same time, the bottom line was Cavalier came into Wednesday's game still hanging around, still hopeful and still with plenty to play for as its 2-0 deficit was far from insurmountable.

But Cincinnati snuffed out Cavalier's hope early on Wednesday, scoring in the 19th minute through an Alvas Powell tap-in. By Cavalier manager Rudolph Speid's own admission prior to the game, a goal for 3-0 would essentially end the series, and Powell's essentially did.

Just to make absolutely certain the series was over, Aaron Boupendza scored his first competitive goal of 2024 late in the first half. Then, FCC's youngsters piled on late in the contest to close out a series that ultimately revealed these truths: Cavalier was completed over-matched (and out-shot 33-2 on Wednesday), and really only served to bolster FCC's confidence after a shaky first game in the series.

A 6-0 aggregate score win with FC Cincinnati's big guns on the bench and waiting in reserve for long stretches is a big boost for confidence levels, as well as heading into Saturday's league match at Chicago Fire as FCC will be pretty fresh on shorter rest after making eight changes to the starting lineup from Sunday's draw against Toronto.

FC Cincinnati keeping good MLS company by advancing

In the 2023 CONCACAF Champions Cup (formerly Champions "League"), Austin FC was the talk of the first round for all the wrong reasons. Austin wasn't just eliminated by Violette AC of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. They were shellacked and embarrassed by the Haitians, ultimately losing 5-0 on aggregate in a series that foretold a disappointing year all-around in Austin.

The Champions Cup is a tricky proposition. It stretches teams thin personnel-wise early in the year, but it also offers incentives worth chasing. Those things are hard to balance, and there's no shame in struggling to do so. But you don't want to go about it like Austin, which face-planted with all of MLS watching.

And that's the thing about Champions Cup: All of MLS is watching. Some corners of the general MLS fan base are inevitably rooting against you but most want you to carry the MLS banner with dignity because the competition is an important proving ground. MLS continues to try to gain more respect regionally in CONCACAF. Any club that represents the league with distinction is generally supported by the broader MLS community.

But the embarrassments? You don't want to be on the wrong end of one of those. Just ask Austin.

There haven't been any abject embarrassments so far in the 2024 Champions Cup. With New England Revolution still looking to hang on in its series against Independiente (Panama), just two MLS clubs have been eliminated so far (Vancouver and St. Louis City, who faced another MLS club). At least six MLS clubs will play in the Cup's Round of 16.

Nashville SC. Inter Miami. Philadelphia Union. Houston Dynamo. Columbus Crew. And now Cincinnati, too. That's the kind of company FC Cincinnati wants to be in.

For now, FC Cincinnati's still a long way from claiming regional supremacy in CONCACAF but wins like the convincing 6-0 aggregate "dub" over Cavalier help to reinforce the league's supremacy over some of CONCACAF. So, FCC's pulling its weight and now has a chance to do real damage in the Round of 16 against Monterrey FC (more on Monterrey below). If that happens, then we're really talking.

Who had a good series against Cavalier for FC Cincinnati?

• Bret Halsey – Two starts, three assists and played his role in two Champions Cup shutouts. That’s ideal production for a player in that position from FC Cincinnati’s point of view. Wing-back is supposed to be an area with some question marks around it, and that's still true in terms of the starters. The depth sitting just behind the starters, including Halsey, is set and ready to grow.

• Gerardo "Dado" Valenzuela - He had a long run as substitute in the first match of the Cavalier series and started Wednesday’s clincher at TQL Stadium, notching an assist, a goal and earning "Player of the Match" honors. Valenzuela was the subject of positive reviews coming out of preseason and the hype has been justified by his first three performances of the year, including in Sunday's MLS match against Toronto FC. He's being noticed for all the right reasons now, inside FCC and far beyond. "Dado's" late goal for 6-0 also made him the youngest goal-scorer in FCC history at 19 years old. We could be watching the beginnings of a very intriguing 2024 for a very promising player.

• Matt Miazga − Miazga used a start in the first game against Cavalier to keep his fitness levels high ahead of his anticipated suspension for FC Cincinnati's league opener against Toronto FC. After the Friday announcement that the Toronto match would be the last of Miazga's suspension stemming from the 2023 postseason, the necessity to keep him on the field Wednesday was lessened. He played only the first half. But over the two games, Miazga helped lead FC Cincinnati defensively, and while it was slightly worrisome there were any threats posed by Cavalier, Miazga did his job in helping keep the Jamaican side off the scoreboard. And since he was able to get off the field after 45-plus minutes on Wednesday, Miazga should be fresh for Saturday's road match in league play at Chicago.

What is FC Cincinnati getting in the Round of 16 against Monterrey?

Aside from the obvious of Brandon Vazquez facing the FC Cincinnati team he ascended to stardom with, and later departed this winter, Monterrey is one of the most successful clubs in Mexico, particularly this century.

“Rayados” has eight domestic titles and five CONCACAF Champions Cup trophies (it was still called the “Champions League” when Monterrey won them). Its most recent Champions Cup triumph was in 2021, and it won three in a row in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

FC Cincinnati will host Monterrey March 7 at TQL Stadium. FCC on March 14 will also pay a visit to Estadio BBVA, Monterrey’s 54,000-capacity home stadium that was named a host site for FIFA World Cup matches in 2026. The game is scheduled for March 14.

Monterrey had its first-round Champions Cup matches against Comunicaciones of Guatemala completed before FCC and Cavalier played once. Rayados won the series on aggregate, 7-1, and it was never really in doubt.

Monterrey's margin of victory was convincing, and Comunicaciones (No. 52-ranked in the region) is held in higher esteem within the CONCACAF region than No. 100 Cavalier is, too.

As for Vazquez, he had five goals across all competitions in less than 400 minutes for Monterrey entering Wednesday's game against TIjuana. If Monterrey advances past FC Cincinnati, Vazquez figures to have plenty to do with it.

"We get a top club in Liga MX. They've been a top club for quite some time, and obviously now with the addition of a former FCC player in Brandon (Vazquez), it adds to a little bit of the excitement and conversation around that game," FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said post-match on Wednesday. "We know it's going to be a very difficult series... When the time comes and we step on the field on (March 7) at home, we know we need to start in a very sharp way against against a very dangerous opponent."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati facing quick turnaround after CONCACAF Champions Cup victory