August 30, 2023 (Cincinnati, OH) – FC Cincinnati come from behind, clinch a playoff berth in August.
- Date: August 30, 2023
- Competition: MLS Regular Season Matchday 29
- Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- Kickoff: 7:39 p.m. ET
- Box Score: Atlanta United 1, FC Cincinnati 2.
- Referee: Armando Villareal
Starting XI
Atlanta United (4-2-3-1): 1 Guzan; 26 Wiley, 4 Abram, 12 Robinson, 11 Lennon; 20 Rossetto, 8 Muyumba; 16 Silva, 10 Almada, 21 Mosquera; 7 Giakoumakis (Assistant Coach – Diego Javier De la Torre)
FC Cincinnati (3-4-1-2): 18 Celentano; 32 Murphy, 21 Miazga, 4 Hagglund; 31 Barreal, 7 Kubo, 5 Nwobodo, 42 Halsey; 10 Acosta; 17 Santos, 19 Vazquez (Head Coach – Pat Noonan)
Scoring Summary
10′ Atlanta United – Edwin Mosquera
75′ FC Cincinnati – Luciano Acosta (Assist: Junior Moreno)
80′ FC Cincinnati – Brandon Vazquez (Assist: Alvaro Barreal, Luciano Acosta)
STATS: (ATL/CIN)
- Shots: 9/16
- Shots on Goal: 1/4
- Saves: 2/0
- Corner Kicks: 6/6
- Fouls: 10/12
- Offside: 3/1
- Possession (%): 58.6/41.4
SUBSTITUTIONS
- 46′ – IN: Santiago Arias, Junior Moreno OUT: Bret Halsey, Sergio Santos (CIN)
- 58′ – IN: Saba Lobjanidze OUT: Edwin Mosquera (ATL)
- 71′ – IN: Marco Angulo OUT: Yuya Kubo (CIN)
- 76′ – IN: Amar Sedjic OUT: Xandre Silva (ATL)
- 86′ – IN: Tyler Wolff OUT: Matheus Rossetto (ATL)
- 90′ – IN: Malik Pinto OUT: Luciano Acosta (CIN)
MISCONDUCT
- 41′ Yellow Card – Obinna Nwobodo (CIN)
- 60′ Yellow Card – Matheus Rossetto (ATL)
- 72′ Yellow Card – Tristan Muyumba (ATL)
By The Numbers
12: Streak ends at 12! FC Cincinnati win a MLS regular season match on turf for the first time since March 24, 2019 in New England.
24: At the time of writing, Luciano Acosta leads MLS in goal contributions – 13 goals, 11 assists – 24 goal contributions.
25: FC Cincinnati become the first team in MLS to clinch a playoff berth – in 25 matches – the shortest in MLS history, since the league expanded to a 34 match regular season.
Pat Noonan:
On the match:
“What a big win for our group. You know, the response after a slow 20, 25 minutes to start the game and find our way to the half. Some good conversations at halftime about where we were at and how we could get back into the game and the response and the way the guys came out and went after it in the second half was really impressive.”
On what impressed about Ian Murphy:
“You know, the decision making. There’s been more consistency there on both sides of the ball. I think he looks more comfortable when we’re in possession and recognizing the right pass. The composure to be able to play out of pressure at times in advance the ball. I think all of those things in the last, you know, week have been the best version of him and then defensively I think, you know, we still challenge him all the time is finding ways to be more physical and use his frame to make life uncomfortable for attackers. But I think the 1 v 1 defending, his footwork, making plays, not letting play get behind him, I thought the past week and in all of his minutes he’s been excellent. Defending the box, decision making of when to release off the line, you know, shifting over when the wing-backs are higher, just, you know, all of his play has been more consistent and not a whole lot is going through that side of the field in terms of opposition’s play. So, that’s a credit to his performances.”
MOTM: Luciano Acosta(CIN)
Where do we start with Lucho. It seems like every week, he pulls a rabbit out of his hat of tricks – and the equalizer on Wednesday was one of those moments. He flicks the ball on to Moreno, who heads it into space – and Acosta calmly takes it first time with his left foot. Unreal.
Luciano Acosta now leads all of MLS in goal contributions with 24 (13 goals, 11 assists), and is the easy frontrunner for MLS Regular Season MVP. With a playoff berth officially clinched on Wednesday, the focus shifts (if it wasn’t already) on one goal – Supporter’s Shield.
Photo credits: Eduardo Villalobos
Quote credits: FC Cincinnati
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