Cover Image via the Cincinnati Enquirer
Written by: Kyra Campbell
FC Cincinnati (14-2-6) came from behind to get all three points in a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls (6-8-8) in New Jersey on Wednesday. This was FCC’s first come from behind win in the MLS era. The Orange and Blue now sit 8 points ahead of second place New England (11-4-7) in the Supporters’ Shield standings.
Cincinnati ran out a rather different lineup from those seen in past matchdays. Celentano got his usual start in goal. Alvas Powell filled in at centerback with Ian Murphy out with another red card suspension. Yerson Mosquera and Nick Hagglund rounded out the backline. Alvaro Barreal was joined by Ray Gaddis at the wingback position. Malik Pinto and Marco Angulo joined Obinna Nwobodo in the midfield. Luciano Acosta and Quimi Ordonez started up top. FCC was coached by Dom Kinnear with Pat Noonan away due to personal reasons.
Things seemed to be going FC Cincinnati’s way at the beginning of the first half, outside of a yellow card given to Pinto in the 19th minute. That all changed when Red Bulls was awarded a penalty in the 28th minute for a handball on Hagglund, which Omir Fernandez converted, putting the home side up 1-0. The halftime substitution of Junior Moreno helped bring stability to the midfield, and the 61st minute substitutions of Santiago Arias and Sergio Santos allowed the offense to be more creative and threatening. Santos would, however, receive a yellow card a minute after coming on and Quimi would receive one later, in the 71st minute. The match also saw Ben Stitz make his MLS debut in the 73rd minute. In the 80th minute, another penalty was awarded, this time to FCC, and Lucho converted it for his 11th goal of the season, a career high. Just when it seemed like Cincinnati would have to be content with a draw, Nwobodo’s volley somehow found the back of the net following some chaos in the box after a corner, putting FCC in the lead in stoppage time.
FC Cincinnati is back home on Saturday to take on Nashville SC (11-7-5) for its last league match before the break for the Leagues Cup. The previous meeting between these two teams this season resulted in a 1-0 victory for Cincinnati on the road. The match is at 7:30pm and, as always, fans can catch the action on the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.