Matchday 18 Information:
- Who: Vancouver Whitecaps (5-5-6, 21 points) vs FC Cincinnati (12-1-3, 39 points)
- When: Saturday, June 10, 2023 – 10:30 PM EST
- Where: BC Place – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- How To Watch: Apple TV – MLS Season Pass
2022 Matchup:
- July 13, 2022: FC Cincinnati 2 (Barreal 3′, Vazquez 23′) – Vancouver Whitecaps 2 (Gauld 5′, Dajome 82′)
Key Player: Roman Celentano (CIN)
Once again in MLS play, Roman Celentano recorded a clean sheet last weekend. Unlike the other clean sheets he’s recorded this season, the IU product did not have to record a clean sheet against a struggling Chicago Fire team. He had the day off (as he usually does) in US Open Cup play against USL Championship side Pittsburgh Riverhounds during the week at home, and should once again be between the sticks against one of the surprising teams of the MLS season – Vancouver Whitecaps.
The goalkeeper he’s going against (most likely) is one I’m personally familiar with – former J League Best XI goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka. Takaoka came over from J1 side Yokohama F.Marinos over the winter window, and he remains one of the very few Japanese players to ever play in MLS.
Of course, FC Cincinnati has the first Japanese DP in MLS history (although it’s worth noting that he’s no longer on a DP contract) – Yuya Kubo. Both share familiar stories, moving away from Japan with bigger aspirations and ending up in MLS with the hope of making the Japanese national team. For Kubo, it was signing with Cincinnati before the 2020 season, hoping he could make big enough of an impact to make the 2022 World Cup roster. For Takaoka, he came over with the 2026 World Cup as his goal.
I go more in-depth about these two players in an article I wrote last month here:
Back to Celentano. He’s still on pace to get the MLS record for most clean sheets in a season. Add the fact that his last match he didn’t have to record a single save to achieve that feat… it’s safe to say he’s on the right track. However, for the Vancouver match, Celentano and FC Cincinnati will be without the services of Colombian center-back Yerson Mosquera, as he travels to Spain to play two international friendlies with his national team. Mosquera has been nothing short of brilliant since joining Cincinnati on loan from Premier League side Wolves, so his absence will certainly be felt against a good Vancouver side.
FC Cincinnati has been winning matches by one goal almost as if it’s their goal this season, with 10 of their 12 wins ending with only one goal separating the two sides. With a vital part of the defense gone and with it being 8 matches in 25 days, Celentano will have a big task in front of him before a much-deserved break with the FIFA international window coming up. FC Cincinnati will want to finish this stretch on a win – and a great performance by Celentano will be key.
Photo Credits: @FCCincinnati (via Twitter)
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