Written by: Kyra Campbell
FC Cincinnati is moving on to the Round of 16 of the U.S. Open Cup after defeating New York City FC 1-0 on Wednesday.
In contrast to their last Open Cup match, FCC rolled out a line-up made of a group of starters and some solid depth pieces. Yuya Kubo made his first start of the year for the Orange and Blue and showed why he can be a dangerous option on offense. NYCFC’s starting IX was a mix of starters and reserves.
The first half of the match was pretty back and forth, with both teams having chances. Cincinnati looked to be the more dangerous team in possession, but the game would go to half time scoreless. FCC finally managed to break through in the 56th minute, when Brandon Vazquez headed home an Alvaro Barreal corner. NYCFC would try for the next 30 minutes to find an equalizer, but FCC was able to see this one out.
FC Cincinnati will continue their Open Cup run on May 23rd at 7:30pm as they travel to Harrison, New Jersey to take on the New York Red Bulls in the Round of 16. Looking to the future, if FCC were to advance, they would host the winners of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USLC) and the Columbus Crew match in the quarterfinals. In the meantime, however, Cincinnati will turn its attention back to MLS league play as CF Montreal comes to town for a mid-week match. Kickoff is at 7:30pm on Wednesday, May 17th and as always, fans can catch the action on the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.