FC Cincinnati win wild affair against San Jose Earthquakes after Matt Miazga injury
Damon Gumbert
Yuya Kubo, in his first game back after injury, netted a hat trick after Matt Miazga was stretchered off the pitch late Saturday in San Jose.
It was a wild win for the Orange and Blue, who overcame a 2-1 deficit to secure three points on the West Coast by a final score of 2-4.
The first half was a quiet one, with the turf being the main talking point, after several members of both teams slipped and fell.
Pavel Bucha opened up scoring in the 53’, scoring his first goal for the Orange and Blue, after a San Jose player slipped, turning over the ball.
The Quakes would answer quickly when Roman Celentano blocked a rocket of a shot but was unable to recover quick enough to stop the rebound shot from Hernan Lopez.
Things got scary when reigning MLS Defender of the Year Matt Miazga slid into the goal post while trying to block a San Jose shot. Miazga sat on the pitch in pain for a short time before being stretchered off the field.
The Quakes would take advantage of the situation when Cristian Espinoza beat Ian Murphy and Celentano to put San Jose up 2-1 in the 72’.
The match looked bleak for the FC, but reigning MLS MVP Lucho Acosta would connect with human Swiss army knife, and friend of The Post, Yuya Kubo for three goals in 9 minutes.
The first came in the 78’ when Acosta fired a beautiful lead pass to Kubo, who would dribble up and laser a shot past a Quakes defender and goalkeeper to tie the game at 2 a piece.
The Acosta-Kubo connection would prove fruitful just two minutes later, when Acosta, while blanketed by defenders, found Kubo again for a sliding goal.
Kubo would score the third goal of his hat trick soon after, coming off another lead pass from Acosta and nutmegging the San Jose goalkeeper.
Even with 11 minutes of extra time, San Jose was unable to overcome a great late-game defensive effort from Kipp Keller, who came in for the injured Miazga, and DeAndre Yedlin, who slid over to center back after Yamil Asad subbed in for Nick Hagglund.
Acosta’s three assists put him tied for the league lead with Lionel Messi. The two Argentinians have been competing for the lead in MVP votes this season and likely will be the front runners going forward.
Laurel Pfahler of The Queen City Press stated that Matt Miazga was taken to a local hospital after suffering a laceration to the leg. There was no update on his availability going forward. Given the situation, if that’s the only injury Miazga suffered, it would be a blessing.
The Orange and Blue will be back at TQL Stadium in just a few days when the Philadelphia Union comes to town. Philly lost a humiliating match-up against Inter Miami Saturday, with Miami missing Luis Suarez and Messi to Copa America and following two red cards. Miami was still able to score on the Union, even being down to nine players on the pitch. Philly will likely be looking to bounce back, and with Miazga’s availability in question, it could be a hard match for The FC.
With the win FCC keeps pace in the race for the Supporter’s Shield, sitting three points behind Miami in the standings. Miami will take on Columbus at home while missing Suarez, Messi, Tomas Avilez, and David Ruiz. If Columbus can win, and FCC defeats The Union, Cincinnati could leave Wednesday night with a one-point lead over Miami in the Supporter’s Shield rankings.
Wednesday’s match at TQL Stadium kicks off at 7:45 p.m.
