Denkey, Evander excel in 3-2 win over Chicago Fire
Damon Gumbert
Head Coach Pat Noonan did not mince words about FC Cincinnati’s performance on Saturday against the Chicago Fire. “I would say opportunistic is what comes to mind,” he said.
In almost every positive measurable statistic, Chicago was the better team Saturday night. They commanded 56.2% ball possession, took 19 shots, had 524 total passes with 86.1% accuracy, secured six corner kicks, and had 10 crosses. FC Cincinnati led the night in shots on goal (8), clearances (11), blocked shots (9), offside penalties (2), and yellow cards (3).
The first half was a clinic of ball possession from Chicago, who commanded 64% before the break. The Fire had 254 passes with an 87% accuracy rate, with 74 of those passes coming in the Cincinnati half of the pitch.
While Chicago looked like the better team, FC Cincinnati would come to the break with a 2-1 lead over the Fire. The first goal of the night came in the 9’ after a Chicago player tripped over the center referee, giving up possession to Cincinnati. Sergio Santos would recover the ball and send it to Evander, who took the ball and streaked down the field, flanked by Kevin Denkey and Santos and about five Chicago defenders. The Brazilian 10 took a shot from just outside the box, sending the ball off the outstretched leg of a Fire defender and rainbowed the ball over the keeper’s head and into the back of the net. Chicago fans, and players, were upset that the ref did not call interference, but the goal was allowed and FCC was up 1-0.
In the 31’ Chicago would answer back. Jonathan Bamba would outclass Miles Robinson while streaking up the left side of the pitch, sending a pass to a charging Hugo Cuypers. Cuypers handily outraced Matt Miazga, making his first start in nearly a year, and easily beat Roman Celentano to pull the game even. The Chicago offense often looked too fast for the aging Cincinnati defense.
Cincinnati would respond soon after, again off a mistake from Chicago. Sergio Santos picked the pocket of a Fire defender from behind and dribbled into the box before finding Denkey for the goal. This was Denkey’s first non-penalty goal since the opening match of the season against the New York Red Bulls. After scoring, Denkey pulled up his jersey to reveal a message for Aaron Boupendza, who tragically passed away on Wednesday. Denkey was shown a yellow card for the touching moment. Denis Bouanga also paid a similar tribute in the LAFC game later in the night but was not carded.
On the yellow card given to Denkey, Noonan said, “The rules is the rule, so what I’ll say is, there’s yellow cards that you can live with, and you know, as long as he’s not getting sent off, you know, I’m okay with it because of the message of him supporting a former FCC player.”
FCC would enter the half with a 2-1 lead, which Noonan would consider a blessing. “To go into halftime at 2-1, we felt, you know, certainly, as far as the scoreline, we were we were fortunate,” Noonan said. “But I think in the second half, we were able to just have more composure with the ball.”
The Orange and Blue split the time of possession in the second half with Chicago, with both teams securing 50%. Cincinnati’s offense wasn’t prolific, only taking seven shots in the second half, but they were accurate, with six of those shots being on target. Chicago, on the other hand, had 12 shots and only three on target in the second half. The FC’s defense was ultimately up to the task in the second half. Miazga came off at half-time for Gilberto Flores, but Robinson and Nick Hagglund both played the full 90’. The defense blocked seven Chicago shots in the second half alone.
Santos would leave the match in the 54’ after picking up a knock on a corner kick, seemingly injuring something in his leg on the play. Luca Orellano would replace him and would make an impact in the 71’ when he would find Evander after a stellar run. The MVP candidate would then put the moves on Chicago, sending a ball between the goalkeeper's legs and into the net, securing the brace and a 3-1 Cincinnati lead. Dado Valenzuela would spell Evander in the 80’, a good shift for the returning hero.
“He was, you know, for me, one of the bright spots in the first half, as far as somebody that was able to deal with the pressure,” Noonan said about Evander. “It’s just a feel for the game and a feel for the moment. And he has that.”
Chicago would get back on the board in the 80’ after Robinson was called for a foul on Andrew Gutman inside the box. Brian Gutierrez would easily convert the penalty, forcing Celentano to dive the wrong way and get Chicago back within one goal, 3-2 Cincinnati. The rest of the match was pure chaos, with the Cincinnati defense stopping several attempts on goal and securing three points and the win.
This was one of the first matches where FCC seemed like they were finally starting to figure it out. For the first time this season, Cincinnati had almost their entire ideal starting 11 playing in a match. This truly depends on where you see Teenage Hadebe, who is injured and may not be back for another week or two, sliding in on the depth chart as Hagglund has been a revelation in his return this season. Obinna Nwobodo remains out but is likely to return soon as well.
“You know, we’re so far from a finished product, and to get results in the in the short term is always good for confidence,” Noonan would say about having players get healthy and return to the club. “And yeah, I’m excited to see what the coming weeks look like if we can stay healthy.”
A fully healthy FC Cincinnati is a scary thought. A starting lineup with a fully healthy and up-to-speed back-line and offense is likely to give nightmares to other teams. The depth of the team is accentuated as well, with Brad Smith, Brian Anunga, Dado Valenzuela, and Gilberto Flores all making impacts early in the season. FCC sits tied for first place in the Eastern Conference at 19 points. At this point last season the Orange and Blue only had 15 points, and in 2023 they had 20 points. There’s no telling what the rest of the season holds for The FC, but it’s hard not to be optimistic.
