Orange and Blue go undefeated in Group Stage, beat NYCFC 4-2
Damon Gumbert
A wild affair at TQL Stadium Monday saw The FC overcome an 0-2 deficit to defeat New York City FC and go undefeated in Leagues Cup Group Stage play.
Head Coach Pat Noonan trotted out a vastly different starting squad for a relatively low-stakes match, both teams had already secured a spot in the round of 32 before kickoff.
It was a night for the kids as Paul Walters made his first appearance for FC Cincinnati in goal, having mostly spent time playing for FC Cincinnati 2 and on loan to the Hartford Athletic of the USL. Malik Pinto also made his first start of the season after reemerging from an ankle injury he suffered during an FCC2 match a while back. Dado Valenzuela took over Luciano Acosta’s spot as the attacking midfielder, with Kevin Kelsy starting as striker next to Corey Baird.
Things started hot for the home team, with Luca Orellano and Dado making noise early in the match when Luca found Dado open on a corner kick that just narrowly bounced off the left post.
Things would calm for the FC before halftime, but NYCFC managed to sneak a goal past Walters in the 25’ and went into the break with a 1-0 lead.
As the break ended Noonan made his first two subs of the evening, shoring up the back line by substituting Ian Murphy and Alvas Powell for London Aghedo and Chidozie Awaziem. Aghedo has been a member of FCC’s main roster for a heavy portion of the season but has seen little to no action before last night, having made occasional appearances for FCC2 this season.
NYCFC would put another goal past Walters in the 61’ after Walters successfully blocked one shot but the rebound went to the feet of Jovan Mijatovic who would score his first goal with NYCFC after signing with the team in the winter.
It was all FC Cincinnati from there on, with Noonan bringing in Yuya Kubo and Pavel Bucha in the 63’ for Kelsy and Pinto respectively, and subbing in Yamil Asad for Brett Halsey in the 72’. Bucha would open up the scoring with a wonderful strike from the top of the box in the 79’. Sergio Santos would sub into the game for Orellano, which would be the club’s sixth substitution. Yamil Asad would join Bucha in the scoring party, firing a shot past the NYCFC goalkeeper from the top of the box in the 82’.
Not to be outdone, Yuya Kubo turned a pass from Awaziem into a goal in the 86’. This would be Awaziem’s first assist since joining FCC just over a week ago. Sergio Santos would finish the scoring, netting a goal in the 89’ of the match and sending FC Cincinnati into the knockout stage of the Leagues Cup riding a 4-2 victory. This marks the first time the club has won a match after having trailed by two or more goals. It was also the first time in MLS history that a team featured four different goal-scoring substitutes.
“That was certainly a fun conclusion to the night,” said Noonan in his post-match press conference. “There was a lot of good things from our group…the reason we’re sitting here at the top of the group is the guys that came into the game.”
A historic night turns into a day of rest for players before preparation begins for the next stage of the Leagues Cup. FC Cincinnati will host Liga MX club Santos Laguna on Friday, Aug 9.
