FC Cincinnati tie record as they leave the nation’s capital with a win
There were fireworks plenty in the nation’s capital as FC Cincinnati defeated DC United 3-2.
The Orange and Blue have tied the record for most consecutive road wins in a season at seven, following their defeat of DC.
The scoring kicked off when Kevin Kelsy stepped in front of goalkeeper Tyler Miller and deflected a pass into the goal. This is Kevin Kelsy’s fifth goal since debuting with the team in early May.
United’s offense came out of the goal pressing the Cincinnati defense hard. Roman Celentano stopped one look at the back post coming off a header from a DC player. Moments later DC’s Martin Rodriguez would tie the match, after a weak defensive effort from Cincinnati allowed a clear shot at goal that Celentano could not block.
Cincinnati would get back on top in the 39’ after Luca Orellano, who was a force of nature on the right side of the pitch, found Pavel Bucha for a sliding shot that found the back of the net. FC Cincinnati would go into the halftime break up 2-1.
DC would make a substitution coming out of the break, taking off Christopher McVey and putting in Gabriel Pirani, a move that would become significant later in the match.
Kelsy would see the Orange and Blue’s first yellow of the match after a hard challenge in the middle of the pitch. Kelsy could be in trouble, as he is nearing the yellow card accumulation suspension if he continues to get carded in following matches.
FCC made their first substitutions in the 60’, bringing in a whole new striker crew with Yuya Kubo and Sergio Santos replacing Kelsy and Gerardo Valenzuela. Yamil Asad would also come in would also come in for Luca Orellano.
A short time later, Asad would find Pavel Bucha for his second goal of the match, netting a brace and putting the FC up 3-1. Bucha passed strikers Aaron Boupendza and Sergio Santos for fifth place on the team’s scoring sheet this season.
DC would fire back, with Pirani dribbling past multiple FC defenders and netting a goal for United. Both teams would make changes after, with Alvas Powell relieving Ian Murphy, who looked out of sorts for much of the match.
A short time later Kipp Keller would come off for Brett Halsey, with the backline now becoming DeAndre Yedlin, a returning Miles Robinson, and Alvas Powell. United went on the offensive, but Celentano was up to the task, putting off multiple shots and denying a DC equalizer. The Orange and Blue would maintain their lead and leave the nation’s capital with a win.
FCC will now turn around and have a short rest before taking on the Supporter’s Shield race-leading Inter Miami CF. Miami was able to overcome Charlotte FC 2-1 on Wednesday night, maintaining their two-point advantage in the race. Both Los Angeles teams are also in the thick of the race, but they will play each other in El Traffico on Thursday night. Saturday’s match will decide who comes out with a lead in the race for the Supporters Shield.
With Miles Robinson back in the lineup after not seeing a single minute of playing time in the USMNT’s unsuccessful Copa America run, the FC Cincinnati backline will have a boost against an Inter Miami side that has continued to dominate even without Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Matias Rojas. Young players like Ian Murphy and Kipp Keller will be thrown into the fire against the league’s leading offense.
Miami takes on Cincinnati at the Fortress on Saturday, the game kicks off at 7:30 pm and can be viewed on AppleTV+ with an MLS Season Pass.
