FC Cincinnati advance past Queretaro FC in Leagues Cup action
Damon Gumbert
FC Cincinnati has officially advanced to the knockout stage of the Leagues Cup after defeating Liga MX side Queretaro FC 1-0.
Queretaro entered the match needing a win in either regulation or shootouts to stay alive in Leagues Cup play while it was Cincinnati’s first match of group play.
Head Coach Pat Noonan went back to the sword formation, putting Corey Baird up top with Dado Valenzuela and Luca Orellano behind him. Pavel Bucha and captain Yuya Kubo solidified the midfield, with Yamil Asad and Brett Halsey manning the wingback position. Ian Murphy, fresh off a contract extension, Alvas Powell and newcomer Chidozie Awaziem manned the back line in front of Roman Celentano.
Notably, Luciano Acosta, Aaron Boupendza, and DeAndre Yedlin were not available for this match. Lucho continues to nurse a foot injury while Yedlin sustained an injury during training this week. Boupendza being left out of the lineup could spark some rumors about his leaving the club before the end of the summer transfer window.
The first half came to an end without either team scoring, but FC Cincinnati looked dominant in their defensive presence. Awaziem made an impact early, adding a much-needed presence on the back line that has been missing without Miles Robinson and Matt Miazga.
Offensively, Dado looked incredibly comfortable on the ball in the midfield, much more than he had off the ball in the forward position while Baird continued to look rusty in his second starting effort since returning from injury.
Noonan subbed Baird out in the 62’, electing to go with Sergio Santos over Kevin Kelsy in replacement. One minute later Obinna Nwobodo would come on for Dado, moving Kubo into the attacking midfield position. These substitutions were a key move, with Nwobodo shutting down the Queretaro attack in the midfield and Santos able to stretch the field and pull Queretaro defenders towards him. This directly led to an Asad goal in the 64’ on an assist from Santos.
Kevin Kelsy would sub into the match in the 81’ but had little effect. It’s interesting to note that since Cincinnati’s win over DC United on July 3 Kelsy has only started two of the five matches and has not played more than 60’ in a match. Kelsy seems out of place in the sword formation and fits better in the two strikers set up.
The only other notable moment for the rest of the match was when Malik Pinto made his first appearance after sustaining an ankle injury a few weeks ago. The FC would hold on to knock Queretaro out of the Leagues Cup and advance to the knockout stage.
The FC lead in most stats, dominating in shots (24), passes (428) pass percentage (80.8%), corners (7), and possession (55.9%).
The club still needs to face New York City FC on Monday to decide seeding in the next round but FCC will host the next round, regardless of seeding. NYCFC beat Queretaro FC in a penalty shootout and is rocking a remarkable streak of non-finishes, coming away with a tie in their three previous matches before Leagues Cup play began.
Some reinforcements are coming for FCC though. The USYNT was knocked out of the Olympics after falling to Morocco by a score of 4-0, meaning Miles Robinson will rejoin FC Cincinnati shortly.
FCC will take on NYCFC on Monday at 8 pm at TQL Stadium. The match will be streamed free on Apple TV+ or you can watch at any of the club’s participating Pub Partners.
