COVER PHOTO CREDIT: FC Cincinnati
April 25, 2024 (CINCINNATI, OH) – FC Cincinnati end their winless run of form with a come from behind win in Atlanta. A preview for the weekend’s fixture against Colorado, plus the news broke by Area Sports Network on the new U-22 Initiative signing.
Atlanta United 2, FC Cincinnati 1
- MLS Regular Season Matchday 10
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
- April 20, 2024 – 7:30 pm EDT
- MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+
Lineups
Atlanta United (4-2-3-1): Guzan; Wiley, Abram, Cobb (Hernandez 46’), Lennon; Slisz, Muyumba (Fortune 60’); Mosquera (Silva 60’), Almada, Lobzhanidze (Wolf 86’); Rios (Giakoumakis 60’)
FC Cincinnati (3-4-1-2): Kann; Robinson, Miazga, Hagglund (Murphy 43’); Orellano (Powell 89’), Bucha (Pinto 89’), Nwobodo, Yedlin (Halsey 90’); Acosta (C); Baird (Boupendza 76’), Kubo
Scoring Summary
Atlanta United 59’ – Thiago Almada (Assist: Edwin Mosquera)
FC Cincinnati 62’ – Luca Orellano (Assist: Luciano Acosta)
FC Cincinnati 64’ – Luciano Acosta (Assist: DeAndre Yedlin)
Stats Summary: ATL / CIN
Possession (%): 57.9 / 42.4
Shots: 16 / 17
Shots On Goal: 4 / 4
Saves: 2 / 3
Corner Kicks: 9 / 4
Fouls: 12 / 9
Offsides: 1 / 0
Misconduct Summary
ATL – Ajani Fortune (Caution, 68’)
CIN – Miles Robinson (Caution, 83’)
CIN – Pavel Bucha (Caution, 89’)
CIN – Luciano Acosta (Caution, 90’+3’)
Player of the Match: Luciano Acosta
For FC Cincinnati, it could really only be one player that received the POTM honors, the captain, Luciano Acosta. Assisted the equalizing goal, scored the winner, Acosta’s performance earned him a nod on the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 10, his fourth time on the TOTM, third “start” (Matchweeks 3, 5, 6-Bench, 10).
FC Cincinnati came into this match losing their last two matches, at home to former FC Cincinnati first overall pick in their inaugural season, 2019, MLS SuperDraft Frankie Amaya followed by a dominant performance from CF Montreal in their home opener. Pat Noonan had not lost three straight matches with FC Cincinnati, and he will continue that stretch for the time being, as FC Cincinnati won their second ever match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday. Acosta now sits in fourth for assists in MLS (5), only behind Dante Vanzeir (RBNY), Chicho Arango (RSL), and Lionel Messi (MIA) who all have 6.
FC Cincinnati vs Colorado Rapids
- MLS Matchday 11
- TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
- April 27, 2024 – 7:30 pm EDT
- MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+
- Announers: Mark Rogondino, Heath Pearce
Previous Matchups
May 27, 2023 – Colorado Rapids 0, FC Cincinnati 1 (Badji 33’)
June 19, 2021 – FC Cincinnati 0, Colorado Rapids 2 (Rubio 21’, Lewis 72’)
June 1, 2019 – Colorado Rapids 3 (Shinyashiki 43’, Mezquida 73’, Rubio 82’), FC Cincinnati 1 (Manneh 72’)
Preview
FC Cincinnati face off against the new-look Colorado Rapids after just facing them last season in Colorado, a 1-0 win in Denver.
Colorado were dubbed by many, including myself, as the “winners” of the offseason, signing USMNT and former Columbus Crew goalkeeper Zack Steffen from Manchester City, USMNT former Colorado Rapids defender (yes, he returned to his former club) Sam Vines from Royal Antwerp, and USMNT and former CF Montreal midfielder Djordje Mihailovic from AZ Alkmaar. Three former MLS players who made their return from Europe stateside landed in Denver – and they’ve started to click.
The trio, alongside former Feyenoord midfielder Cole Bassett (who returned to Colorado last season), after losing 4-1 in the season opener to a strong Portland Timbers side, have gone 4-1-3 in their last 8 matches, averaging 2.14 points a match during that stretch. Mind you, that included a draw against Inter Miami that featured Messi, Alba, and Busquets (granted, none of the three started the match), and a 3-2 win against reigning Western Conference champions LAFC at home.
They face off against this FC Cincinnati side that finally broke their three match winless run in Atlanta with a comeback 2-1 win against Almada and co. First choice GK Roman Celentano is set to return, as he returned to training on Monday following an ankle injury he suffered in Charlotte. Celentano has been in goal for all three of FC Cincinnati’s clean sheets this MLS season, second in all of MLS behind Sean Johnson and Toronto FC with five. The Orange and Blue may have another player available for selection on Saturday, as a new face arrives in Cincinnati…
Kevin Kelsy
FC Cincinnati and Ukranian Premier League side Shakhtar Donetsk agreed to the loan of 19 year old Venezuelan striker Kevin Kelsy on Saturday, multiple sources confirmed to Area Sports Network. Area Sports Network were the first group domestically to break the news on Kelsy.
Kevin Kelsy, standing at 6’4”, provides FC Cincinnati with the target 9 they’ve so desperately wanted since the departure of Brandon Vazquez to Liga MX side CF Monterrey. Kelsy’s loan to Cincinnati is through the 2024 MLS season, with a purchase option set at around $7 million.