Matchday 11 Information:
- Who: FC Cincinnati (6-1-3, 21 points) vs DC United (4-4-2, 14 points)
- When: Saturday, May 6, 2023 – 7:30 PM EST
- Where: TQL Stadium – Cincinnati, OH, US
- How To Watch: Apple TV – MLS Season Pass
2022 Matchups:
- March 5, 2022: FC Cincinnati 0 – New England Revolution 1 (90′+8′ Kamara (Pen))
- October 9, 2022: DC United 2 (26′ Morrison, 46′ Flecher) – FC Cincinnati 5 (6′ Acosta, 8′, 24′, 37′ Brenner, 53′ Vazquez)
FC Cincinnati’s 2022 Decision Day match against DC United was the last time Acosta, Brenner, and Vazquez all had a goal contribution. A win and you’re in match for the Orange and Blue, Brenner recorded a 30-minute hat trick in the first half to help FC Cincinnati punch a ticket into the 2022 MLS Playoffs for the first time in club history.
Now, FC Cincinnati is tied on points for first in the East, while DC United under Wayne Rooney is a surprising 7th in the East, ahead of Orlando, Toronto, and Philadelphia. DC has won 3 straight MLS matches against Montreal, Orlando, and Charlotte.
Key Player: Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati)
Let’s get some of the focus back to USMNT goalkeeper Roman Celentano, who started out the season with 5 clean sheets in 7 matches, but has conceded in every match since.
FC Cincinnati is conceding 1.1 goals per match, while only scoring 1.3. Sure, that St. Louis match screws the stats, but regardless, this stat is not that great. Until FC Cincinnati finds a way to manufacture more than 1 goal a match, they need to be able to keep clean sheets – 1 goal conceded a match is fine if you’re scoring more than 1.
Celentano will need help from his defensive line of Hagglund, Miazga, and Mosquera, but will also need to improve on some of his games himself. Celentano consistently outperforms his xGOT faced – that’s not the issue here. His distribution numbers have dropped off since the start of the season – he was 38% inaccurate passes in New England last weekend and 30% against Portland. Early in the season, 58% against Houston, 45% vs Seattle, 60% at Chicago, 64% in Nashville – you get the point.
Goalkeeper’s pass accuracy is not completely their fault, as a lot of it has to do with how your outfield players are winning 50/50 balls. But close to a 20% drop-off in the pass accuracy stats is something to keep an eye out for. If Cincinnati wants to prevent teams from scoring, possessing the ball themselves is the most effective way to do so.
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