Pat Noonan: FC Cincinnati 'can't get too high' after beating rival Columbus Crew
There's a healthy debate to bad regarding whether it's a bigger challenge for FC Cincinnati to win a "Hell is Real" match, or to keep winning after a victory against arch-rival Columbus Crew.
FCC head coach Pat Noonan sensibly pointed out during a Monday news conference that you can't have one without the other. In defeating the Crew at Lower.com Field on Saturday, 2-1, FC Cincinnati earned the opportunity to prove it can press forward after the emotional high of the first-ever "Hell is Real" win in Columbus.
"The initial. You've got to go and win first to even have a conversation about what does the aftermath look like," Noonan said.
More: After memorable win in Columbus, FC Cincinnati has to turn the page quickly
More: FC Cincinnati stuns Columbus Crew in latest edition of "Hell is Real"
But FC Cincinnati's fans will still be on guard for an emotional letdown Wednesday at TQL Stadium when Atlanta United visits following Saturday's triumph, which is already considered one of the great regular-season wins in FCC history, and of Noonan's tenure.
"The sign of a good team is when you have a poor performance or result, how do you respond to it and come back and have a better performance, or have a better result?," Noonan said. "On the other side, when you have a good performance, how do you respond to that. Obviously, we have a short turnaround against a difficult opponent who we've just seen (April 20). What's it look like in the immediate aftermath to go and perform again, because if we don't turn it around the right way and if we're not prepared for Atlanta, we'll get humbled very quickly. Just like we can't get too low with bad performances, we can't get too high.
"(Saturday) was a special moment and a good win, but it's over now and we need to make sure we're focused on Atlanta and going and performing again."
A rising youth movement
FC Cincinnati's current personnel decision-making regime hasn't shied away from developing and testing young talent. From the signing of Stiven Jimenez and giving him his MLS debut at 15 years old, to playing a pair of 19-year-old strikers alongside one another in the decisive moments of the win at Columbus, FCC has shown it knows how to bring along a burgeoning talent.
Now, there's another prospect − 17-year-old Stefan Chirila − who is quickly ascending toward getting his chance with Noonan's first-team.
Chirilia's had a strong spring at every step along the way. At the renowned Generation Adidas Cup, or "GA Cup" as many refer to it, Chirila won the Golden Boot in the Under-17 tournament as its top scorer.
With FC Cincinnati 2 in MLS Next Pro, which would be a higher level of competition than GA Cup, Chirila has continued to score. He has two goals and an assist in just 348 minutes, which is one of the best ratios of goal-contribution versus minutes played on FCC2. And FCC2 is no slouch in 2024 − they're on a four-match winning streak, sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference on a 5-3-1 record, and perhaps most importantly are just four points back of first place.
Chirila made news Sunday as the lone goal-scorer in the rivalry matchup between FC Cincinnati's and Columbus' "2" teams − a game that's come to be recognized as "Heck is Plausible."
Noonan said Monday Chirila was well and truly on the first-team's radar, and could get further chances to impress in the future.
"It's been discussed for the last month or two. He's been with us once (in training). We've talked about incorporating him on certain days, so, yes, he will have a role with first-team trainings moving forward," Noonan said. "That's just a credit to his development and his production at different levels. You saw it in the game (against Crew 2). The way he takes that goal is very impressive. The awareness of the keeper and how he lifts the ball, the movement. Obviously, Ben (Stitz) provides him a really good pass to get in behind.
"He's a goal-scorer, and goal-scorers are unique. So, what does that look like at a higher level and against bigger, more physical, faster players, and we'll continue to test him in our training environment. He will be given opportunities, at least to be with our group during the week with training... A nice young talent, like you said."
Injury outlook
Noonan addressed some injury concerns on his roster during Monday's news conference, saying Yamil Asad would return to full team activities Tuesday ahead of the Atlanta match.
Right back DeAndre Yedlin is likely out for Wednesday, Noonan said. Yedlin seemed to aggravate a hip-pointer injury during the May 4 win at Orlando City SC. After Alvas Powell, Yedlin's backup, exited Saturday's match in the 13th minute with a hamstring-related injury, the right back position will be one observers and fans focus on ahead of the Atlanta game.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Pat Noonan: FC Cincinnati 'can't get too high' after win at Columbus
