FC Cincinnati downs Cavalier FC, 2-0, in CONCACAF Champions Cup debut
FC Cincinnati planted its flag in Jamaica and marked an already-memorable night with a victory.
Playing in the CONCACAF Champions Cup for the first time ever, FC Cincinnati downed Jamaica's Cavalier FC, 2-0, Thursday at Independence Park in Kingston, Jamaica.
The win put FCC in control of the two-match, aggregate-score series, which shifts to TQL Stadium on Wednesday. FC Cincinnati's job is essentially halfway finished in the first round of the Champions Cup, which will ultimately crown a club champion for North and Central America, and the Caribbean.
The winner of FC Cincinnati-Cavalier two-game set will advance to face Mexican powerhouse, Monterrey FC, which already defeated Guatemala's Comunicaciones in a two-leg series.
Few inside FC Cincinnati are thinking about the would-be, high-profile clash with Monterrey. FCC will now focus on its Major League Soccer regular-season opener against Toronto FC on Sunday at TQL Stadium. Then it will turn its attention back to Cavalier for the close-out match of the Champions Cup series.
For now, FC Cincinnati can be content to ride a wave of momentum into the MLS regular-season.
"I'm certainly pleased with how we've positioned ourselves for the second leg," FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said afterward during an in-person and Zoom news conference from Independence Park. "We had a strong preseason and I think it was nice to see them rewarded with this first result."
Sergio Santos opened the scoring and handed FCC a deserved lead in the fifth minute of first-half added time. His poke from close range punctuated a dominant first-half performance. Bret Halsey bombed toward goal from the left flank and slid the ball to Santos, providing a necessary helper on the opening tally.
Santos started the match in place of Aaron Boupendza, who didn't make the trip to Jamaica due to his visa status. An FCC official said Boupendza's availability for Cincinnati's Major League Soccer home opener Sunday against Toronto FC would have been jeopardized by traveling to Jamaica
Cincinnati held the ball for nearly 80% of the match. It out-shot the hosts, too. Still, an insurance goal was lacking until the closing moments of the contest.
Malik Pinto’s first-ever FC Cincinnati goal in the 87th minute made the win more comfortable, and afforded Pinto's team some breathing room in the series.
Noonan said the second goal didn't change his opinion of the performance but he acknowledged the importance of the score.
"You could see what it meant to Malik and what it meant to his teammates seeing him score that first goal, and doing it at an important time and knowing his family was here," Noonan said. "To see that is neat. We're proud of Malik. He's had a really, I would say, an up-and-down preseason for his standards because he's a quality player and he's a great pro, and he was one this path kind of the whole year (in 2023). Continued to impress us and I think the preseason was a little up-and-down for him if we're being honest. I think he would say that too.
"For him to be able to step into that moment and have a positive impact on the game was a testament to his character."
The breathing room could come in handy based on the post-match comments from Cavalier's head coach, Rudolph Spied, who indicated his side would be forced to play fast and direct in order to pull even with FCC at TQL Stadium.
"It's difficult but as I said, a 2-nil lead means that we'll probably have to try to score early (on Wednesday) and get some (momentum)," Spied said. "It this particular point in time, we definitely have to score two goals to be able to get back something as the away-goal rule is in effect, so I suppose we'll be taking more chances and being more open in the second game."
Before we look at how Cavalier will approach next week's match, here are our takeaways from FCC's first victory of 2024:
FC Cincinnati was who we thought it would be
Thursday was an important and historic occasion in FC Cincinnati history. The win at Jamaica’s national stadium, which is a well-traveled locale in CONCACAF lore, should be celebrated.
The game was also the opening performance following an offseason that saw five of FC Cincinnati’s preferred starters from its 2023 team depart. Of course, extensive and ongoing work on the club's roster followed the departures.
The club played like a team that was in the midst of turnover, too, which is to say things were far from perfect. And you’d be correct to call the win against a generally-overmatched Cavalier said “gritty.” Maybe even "unpolished."
“Just a little sloppy and I know at times it was difficult to control the ball. You could see that on some of the touches,” Noonan said. “It was good to get the goal before (halftime) and I think in the second half we get a good goal there at the end, but credit to Cavalier. They made it difficult in terms of some of the moments in transition, some of the direct play… If we didn’t move with the play, they’d put us under some pressure, so it certainly made the game difficult. Plenty to look at and see where I think we could have been more composed at times.”
There’s no reason to really fret here. This is the first match in what should be another long year for FC Cincinnati as it chases trophies on multiple fronts. The club has months' worth of time to gel. But undoubtedly, a by-product of the unrefined play is that Cavalier will still have hope for a comeback in a series that could have been all but finished off on Thursday. More on that below.
FC Cincinnati's depth was on display
The usual suspects, like Luciano Acosta (who was named Player of the Match), played prominent roles for FC Cincinnati against Cavalier. But the early-season match and still-growing fitness levels meant busy substitution patterns, and FCC's subs looked sharp.
Gerardo "Dado" Valenzuela followed up on what was said to be a very strong preseason with 30-plus minutes in the second half. He took on defenders and wasn't shy about testing the hosts' resistance. He was denied a goal for an obvious offside infraction but still saw the ball hit the back of the net on what would have been his first first-team goal.
Of course, there was Pinto, who combined with Quimi Ordonez via a backheel assist for the all-important second goal of the contest.
Center back Kipp Keller came on in the second half for his FCC debut, helping make clean work of closing out Cavalier.
Halsey and Yuya Kubo, fill-ins at the wingback positions who started but might not necessarily be counted on for starting minutes in those spots all season, both shone in the contest, too.
If you felt like the club needed more from its starters, maybe the role of the some of the depth pieces can assuage concerns.
Could Cavalier still come back in this thing?
In short, yes. The 2-0 deficit they'll face on foreign soil in Cincinnati is a big hurdle to clear, but it's not an impossible task.
Spied claimed his team lost concentration on FCC's two goals, which was a credible claim. It then stands to reason Cavalier could hold FCC's attack in check next week, although Cincinnati should have the added boost of being able to play with Boupendza.
Spied also claimed his side had a few good chances in the game. If they can get an early goal at TQL Stadium, the match could become very nervy.
"We could have scored, especially in the second half," Spied said. "Could have tied them, 1-1... I'm thinking that based on what happened today, we'll always have a chance. Now that we've seen the team close-up, it will be easier to play against them because we really understand what they're capable of doing and where are their strengths and weaknesses."
Cavalier is the No. 100-ranked club in the CONCACAF region. It is the lowest-ranked team in the Champions Cup whereas FCC is perched among the heavy-hitters of the region at No. 13. A gulf of that size shouldn't be bridged by Cavalier, but stranger things have happened in CONCACAF.
FCC should leave nothing to chance, especially with a chance to play a home-and-away aggregate series against Monterrey, CONCACAF's top-ranked team, at stake.
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FCC leading the series 2-0
FC Cincinnati will have a 2-0 head start when these teams reconvene their two-game series Wednesday at TQL Stadium. In essence, the job is halfway done in the first round of Champions Cup play for Cincinnati.
A marquee showdown with Mexican giant Monterrey FC is 90 minutes away for FCC.
A big second goal for Cincinnati (87')
It took a while but FC Cincinnati found a huge second goal to take a 2-0 lead on the night, and probably 2-0 up in the series if they can hang on at the national stadium in Kingston.
The goal was Malik Pinto's, marking his debut score for FC Cincinnati.
Alterations for FC Cincy's lineup (60')
The 19-year-old homegrown product, Gerardo "Dado" Valenzuela, is in the game for some big minutes - perhaps the biggest of his career. This follows what team officials described as an impressive preseason for Valenzuela.
Jamaican Alvas Powell is also now in the match, marking a homecoming of sorts.
A deserved opening goal for Cincinnati right before halftime (45+5')
After a dominant showing in the first half, FC Cincinnati got its reward on the last kick before halftime. Sergio Santos scored the club's first competitive goal of 2024 from short range to open up a 1-0 lead.
The field was tilted in FCC's favor the entire half, save for one counter-attack by Cavalier FC. FCC now has a valuable away-goal and is in position to take a lead going into the second game of this two-game series (Wednesday, TQL Stadium).
FC Cincinnati's 2024 season is underway (1')
FC Cincinnati kicked off its busy 2024 season in Kingston, Jamaica on Thursday at 9:06 p.m. This is the club's debut match in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
FC Cincinnati's, Cavalier FC's starting lineups
FC Cincinnati starting XI: Corey Baird, Sergio Santos, Luciano Acosta (captain), Pavel Bucha, Obinna Nwobodo, Bret Halsey, Ian Murphy, Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson, Yuya Kubo.
Cincinnati bench: Alec Kann (GK), Alvas Powell, Marco Angulo, Kipp Keller, Dado Valenzuela, Paul Walters (GK), Malik Pinto, Quimi Ordonez, Isaiah Foster, London Aghedo, Evan Louro (GK), Stiven Jiminez.
Cavalier FC Starting XI: Jeadine White (GK), Makenson Cadet, Richard King, Jeovanni Laing, Jalmaro Calvin, Dwayne Atkinson, Dwayne Allen, Kyle Ming, Orlando Russell, Shaniel Thomas, Gadail Irving.
Aaron Boupendza update
Per team officials, Aaron Boupendza did not make the trip to Jamaica with FC Cincinnati due to his visa status. Completing the trip to Jamaica would have jeopardized Boupendza's status for Sunday's Major League Soccer home opener for FCC, and potentially his availability beyond that.
More: FC Cincinnati 2024 preview: 'Can we replicate real success, which last year was'
More: Preview, prediction for FC Cincinnati's CONCACAF Champions Cup debut
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: CONCACAF Champions Cup: FC Cincinnati beats Cavalier FC
