May 17, 2023 (Cincinnati, OH) – FC Cincinnati wins again at home, avoiding a big yellow card suspension ahead of the Hell is Real derby on Saturday.
Match Information
- Date: May 17, 2023
- Competition: MLS Regular Season Matchday 13
- Venue: TQL Stadium
- Kickoff: 7:39 p.m. ET
- Weather: 67 degrees, Sunny
- Attendance: 23,461
- Box Score: FC Cincinnati 3 vs CF Montreal 0
Starting XI
FC Cincinnati (3-4-1-2): 18 Celentano; 32 Murphy, 21 Miazga, 4 Hagglund; 31 Barreal, 93 Moreno, 5 Nwobodo, 2 Powell; 10 Acosta; 14 Badji, 19 Vazquez (Head Coach – Pat Noonan)
Portland Timbers (3-4-1-2): 40 Sirois; 16 Waterman, 24 Campbell, 25 Corbo; 11 Lassiter, 29 Choiniere, 4 Camacho, 22 Herrera; 27 Rea; 9 Offor, 10 Duke (Head Coach – Hernan Losada)
STATS: (CIN/MTL)
- Shots: 15/10
- Shots on Goal: 7/4
- Saves: 5/3
- Corner Kicks: 5/2
- Fouls: 11/12
- Offside: 1/3
- Possession (%): 46/54
SCORING SUMMARY
2′ Joel Waterman (own goal)
26′ Luciano Acosta
65′ Brandon Vazquez
MISCONDUCT
- 34′ Yellow Card – Obinna Nwobodo (CIN)
BY THE NUMBERS
1: First own goal in favor of FC Cincinnati this season. The last own goal for FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium was this same fixture – 4/2/22 vs CF Montreal.
1 (Again): FC Cincinnati is in sole possession of first place in both the Eastern Conference standings AND the Supporter Shield standings. 27 points across 12 matches – good for 2.25 points per match.
7: Seven STRAIGHT wins at home to start the MLS season. Make it 9 if you add on the two US Open Cup matches at TQL Stadium. They are the sixth team in MLS history to win their first 7 at home, the second in the last 20 years. The only other team? Philadelphia, 2020.
11: Roman Celentano is the sole leader in career clean sheets with FC Cincinnati as he recorded his 11th MLS clean sheet. Przemysław Tytoń previously held the record with 10.
MOTM: Álvaro Barreal (CIN)
Who else? Álvaro Barreal once again was massive for FC Cincinnati, who basically assisted the first goal for Cincinnati. Barreal, in his 75 minutes on Wednesday, was great both defensively and offensively. 7/8 ground duels won, no fouls committed, 3/3 (100%) tackles won, and 7 defensive recoveries. Combine that with his 3/3 (100%) successful dribbles, and you have yourself a successful match.
The bigger thing to note is that Barreal is currently on 4 yellow cards. A yellow card issued today would have meant the Argentine would be suspended on Saturday against rival Columbus. Instead, he did not commit a SINGLE foul, was perfect on tackles, and near perfect on duels, only losing one. For Pat Noonan and FC Cincinnati, that’s one big sigh of relief.
Photo Credit: @FCCincinnati (Twitter)
Check out Area Sports Network on Twitter & Instagram and Subscribe to our YouTube Channel. We just hit 1k subscribers and look to continue to grow the channel. Stay tuned for more content going forward!
