FC Cincinnati’s offense ignites, secures 2-0 win against Toronto FC
Damon Gumbert
The Orange and Blue of Cincinnati walked away with a commanding 2-0 victory Saturday night, their best performance of this young season.
FC Cincinnati trotted out a new/old formation for the match, something Head Coach Pat Noonan said was mainly about managing minutes ahead of the club’s trip to Monterrey, Mexico on Tuesday.
“So, in looking at how we wanted to go about that, it just felt like the best way to approach this game was with that structure tonight,” Noonan said. “It was not a lot of prep, as far as working on some things, but in the amount of time we gave them information, I thought the guys did a really good job tonight to look a little bit different, but still try to play the game the same way.”
The club commanded possession, securing the ball 55.6% on the night, but it was significantly higher for most of the game. Along with possession, the offense notched their second match in a row with at least five shots on target, this time besting their previous season record with eight shots on target out of 13 total shots.
The influence of Luca Orellano on the offense as he makes his way back into the lineup is evident. The Argentinian started his first game of the 2025 season and was able to put three of his four shots on target. While unable to put any shots into the back of the net, it was clear that his presence opened up opportunities for others as well.
Of Orellano, Noonan said, “I think he’s still getting his legs and he’s still getting his sharpness back.” If that is true, the sky is the limit for the offense as he gets back into game shape.
Other standouts on offense were striker Kevin Denkey, who only took two shots on goal but was on target with both. He was able to notch his second goal of the MLS season after converting a penalty kick in the 73’. Denkey was then subbed off for Sergio Santos, likely to keep him fresh for the teams match on Tuesday.
That penalty goal was set up by fellow FCC newcomer and star Evander, who had a cross into the box blocked by Tyrese Spicer. Upon review though, it was ruled that Spicer had used his arm to block the pass, and FC Cincinnati was awarded the PK.
Evander wasn’t done on the night, though. The Brazilian #10 also laid a beautiful lead pass to a streaking Yuya Kubo, who was able to convert his third attempt of the night and put the Orange and Blue up 2-0. Kubo had two previous goals called back for different reasons earlier in the night, so it was nice to see him be able to finally get a point on the board.
The defense also had a spectacular game, led by captain Miles Robinson, Brian Anunga, and Alvas Powell. Powell started at right back on the night and was instrumental in shutting down the Toronto offense on multiple occasions. Robinson too had a wonderful night, being in the right place at the right time more than once to stifle the Toronto counter attack.
Anunga was a force in the midfield, helping regain possession and being behind only Robinson (93%) and Pavel Bucha (95%) in pass accuracy on the night, notching a 92%. A key defensive play that really showed how in synch the team was featured Miles Robinson chasing a defender streaking up the side of the pitch and fighting to slow him down. Robinson slipped out of bounds but was covered by Anunga, who cut off the attack and sent the ball out of bounds.
“I thought we attacked in a good way despite not being able to find a goal early, and defensively, we were outstanding,” Noonan said of the teams performance. “So, very pleased for the group to have some guys step in, change the structure and perform really well. Everybody was up for it, and they deserved a win.”
The club will now turn their attention to rest ahead of their trip to Mexico for more CONCACAF Champions Cup play. The second leg of their matchup against Tigres kicks off on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. eastern. The FC needs to win the match against Tigres outright to advance, whether in regulation or in a shootout. If Tigres can keep a clean sheet against FCC, they will advance on the away goal tiebreaker. If FC Cincinnati scores a goal in Monterrey, Tigres would need to win outright to advance. As with most CONCACAF games, there is no telling where you can actually watch this match.
After that match, The FC will travel to Charlotte to take on Charlotte FC in the Queen City Derby (trademark pending) on Saturday, Mar 22. That game can be viewed at 7:30 pm on AppleTV+ or at a participating Pub Partner like Streetside Brewery.
