Top five moments in Cincinnati's TQL Stadium history
Since TQL Stadium’s grand opening in May of 2021, FC Cincinnati, perhaps more than any other club in Major League Soccer, has experienced the highs and lows that come with being an MLS side. Cincinnati won just four games in the 2021 season, jumped to 12 and an MLS Playoff appearance in 2022, and now in 2023 hoist the league’s best record and a comfortable spot atop the Eastern Conference table. TQL Stadium has been around for it all and will continue to do so.
Outside of FC Cincinnati, TQL Stadium has hosted a slew of United States Men’s National Team games, including a memorable World Cup qualifier between the U.S. and Mexico, as well as the recent CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals.
Cincinnati and TQL Stadium has been through it all, let’s take a look back at some of the stadium’s greatest moments, so far.
5. TQL Stadium inaugural game
Yes, this game ended in a dramatic 3-2 loss to Inter Miami CF. Despite this, the May 16, 2021, encounter featured some iconic FC Cincinnati players, drama, and a solid crowd. Current FCC staples such as Alvaro Barreal, Yuya Kubo, and Luciano Acosta featured in the contest, and on the opposite side stars such as the Higuaín brothers (Gonzalo and Federico) and Blaise Matuidi appeared for Miami.
Nabbing the first goal in TQL Stadium history was Miami’s Brek Shea, who struck the net in under seven minutes. Nabbing the second goal in TQL history was Gonzalo Higuaín, who nutmegged then-FCC goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer. It wouldn’t be an FC Cincinnati classic without drama, though, as a 20-year-old Alvaro Barreal, who now represents FC Cincinnati as an MLS All-Star, scored Cincinnati’s first ever TQL Stadium goal. Hometown hero Nick Hagglund drilled in a header after 82 minutes to tie the game up at 2-2, before FCC eventually squandering a goal to Higuaín a couple minutes later.
The crowd, which was dampened to a capacity of 6,000 due to COVID restrictions, still boasted a “fantastic” atmosphere according to former head coach Jaap Stam.
“It’s good to know, even when we were behind, they keep on cheering and making noise and helping the team,” Stam said after the game.
4. USMNT victory in Gold Cup
The most recent addition to this list is the recent Gold Cup quarterfinal activities, which saw a dramatic and stress-inducing 120-minute match go to penalty kicks. The U.S. took down Canada 3-2 in penalties with the help of goalkeeper Matt Turner’s heroics; the Arsenal FC player saved Canada’s first two attempts.
TQL Stadium and Cincinnati posted another addition to the historic lore of the USMNT (see No. 2 for the other addition) by both on the pitch and off the pitch antics. FC Cincinnati stars Brandon Vazquez and Matt Miazga, who received chants and cheers all night before subbing on together in the second half, heavily contributed to the U.S. advancement to the Gold Cup semifinals. Vazquez scored the opening goal in the game, and Miazga won a crucial header in the offensive box that directly led to the second goal.
“The stadium erupting that way after I scored, it’s just incredible,” Vazquez said. “What an amazing feeling to be able to represent my country at my home stadium in front of all these FC fans and U.S. fans, it’s such an incredible feeling, literally what dreams are made of.”
The back-and-forth punch-for-punch match kept the crowd engaged as chants of “F-C-C”, “we want Vazquez”, and “U-S-A” rang around Cincinnati’s West End all evening long. The drama, the crowd, and the stakes made this match an essential addition to the list.
3. FC Cincinnati asserts dominance over San Jose Earthquakes
FC Cincinnati set two club records on the night of Sept. 10, 2022: most goals scored in an MLS game, and largest margin of victory in an MLS game. Cincinnati defeated San Jose 6-0 in front of a home TQL stadium crowd, and the ramifications are still felt today.
Cincinnati —and this can’t be stressed enough— has lost one home game since this match last September. In fact, FCC has only lost one home league game since May of 2022.
With the help of a Brenner hattrick, which was just the second in the club’s history, FC Cincinnati laid a beatdown upon the visiting San Jose Earthquakes in a game that was crucial to the Eastern Conference standings. The win put Cincinnati level with Orlando City for fifth in the Eastern Conference with four games to go, a position it Cincinnati eventually locked up heading into the playoffs.
The win extended what was an ongoing nine-game unbeaten streak, as well as a 10-game unbeaten streak at TQL Stadium. A crowd of over 22,000 fans was able to celebrate six goals coming from the boots of Brenner, Acosta, Barreal, and Kubo over the course of the 90 minutes.
2. USMNT “Dos a Cero” win over Mexico in World Cup qualifiers
In a state known for hosting the USMNT in 2-0 wins over Mexico (a happening dubbed “Dos a Cero” by U.S. faithful), Cincinnati and TQL Stadium joined in on traditional Columbus festivities and hosted a “Dos a Cero” of its own. The stadium crowd of a capacity 26,000 featured a passionate and essentially balanced showing of fans supporting both Mexico and the U.S.
U.S. stars Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie bagged the goals that sealed the win, but what stole the show was Pulisic’s iconic “man in the mirror” shirt celebration that was a response to Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa’s comment saying Mexico was the “mirror in which the U.S. wants to see itself and wants to copy.”
Not only was the game crucial to the North American rivalry and its history, but it also had ramifications on the World Cup qualifying table; following the win the U.S. jumped Mexico to take the top spot of the CONCACAF Octagonal table. Outside the table, the sense of a powershift within CONCACAF sparked as the U.S. is unbeaten against Mexico since (a current five-game streak).
The USMNT victory at TQL Stadium in November of 2021 cemented Cincinnati among the country’s prominent hosts for important international matches for the foreseeable future and added the stadium to lore of U.S. soccer and the tradition that is “Dos a Cero.”
1. Hell is Real, part one at TQL Stadium
FC Cincinnati versus Columbus Crew is inarguably one of the MLS’s hottest and most enticing rivalries, this in large part to how it went down in TQL Stadium’s first rendition. The 2-2 draw in July of 2021 featured Cincinnati surrendering a two-goal lead, but the objective drama of how the game got there is why this match tops the list.
A crowd of 25,701 showered in orange and blue kicked off the game chanting at the top of its collective lungs, and Cincinnati instantly rewarded the fans with a left footed rocket of a goal 25 seconds into the game from Edgar Castillo. The goal was, at the time, the second-fastest in Cincinnati’s MLS history.
Safe to say, the West End in Cincinnati at that moment might have registered numbers on the Richter scale for its noise and in-sync jumping and celebrating.
Acosta just over 20 minutes later slotted a ball into the net to take a 2-0 lead in what felt like a dream start to the rivalry at TQL Stadium. Columbus, despite being down a man for the entirety of the second half, halted this dream in its tracks and clawed back to a 2-2 draw with goals from Lucas Zelarayán and Miguel Berry. Heartbreak ensued for all of Cincinnati, but the journey was unforgettable.
Though it may have felt like a loss for FCC at the final whistle, an abundance of yellow cards (nine, to be exact), a red card, crowd taunts from Crew head coach Caleb Porter, and dramatic soccer displayed the possibilities of what can go down in a rivalry match in Cincinnati. The game at its very core encapsulated how the rivalry has elevated to new heights and why TQL Stadium plays a crucial role for FC Cincinnati.
Honorable Mention
FC Cincinnati vs. Columbus Crew, May 2023. Cincinnati emerged to a (familiar) 2-0 lead in front of the home crowd. Cincinnati suffered a (familiar) two-goal comeback from Columbus after 51 minutes. Learning its lesson this time, though, Cincinnati was able to propel itself to a 3-2 victory thanks to a suffocating high press steal from Acosta and a slot home from Junior Moreno.
United States Women’s National Team vs. Paraguay, September 2021. The USWNT’s first friendly at TQL Stadium was an 8-0 routing of Paraguay, a game where Cincinnati hometown hero and U.S. soccer star Rose Lavelle stole the show. Lavelle opened the scoring four minutes into the contest with a header and assisted three more goals throughout the match. A packed U.S. crowd of over 22,000 honored Lavelle with a standing ovation once subbed after 70 minutes, contributing to an atmosphere that the stadium to life in what was back-to-back dominant performances over Paraguay from the USWNT.
“It was just so special,” Lavelle said of the game. “Just to be able to step out there in front of all my family and friends. Again, this is a city that I feel like has built me into who I am today. It was incredible.”
FC Cincinnati vs. New York City FC, June 2022. A TQL Stadium crowd of 21,258 got to watch eight goals hit the back of the net in in 4-4 draw, including FCC’s first ever MLS hattrick from the boots of Brenner (who scored a bicycle kick, a left-footed worm burner, and had two goals called back). Cincinnati took a 3-0 lead within 30 minutes, goalkeeper Roman Celentano saved a penalty, FCC fell to a 4-3 deficit as every single heart inside TQL sank, but a draw was ultimately savored in the all-time classic match.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Top five moments in TQL Stadium history
