FC Cincinnati Beat: Cincinnati squanders two-goal lead, settles for 3-3 draw against FC Dallas

CINCINNATI — Despite silencing former attacking midfielder Luciano Acosta in his first match back at TQL Stadium Wednesday night, FC Cincinnati wasted a golden opportunity to earn three points against an FC Dallas side there for the taking.

After letting a two-goal lead dissipate in the second half, it looked Cincinnati striker Gerardo Valenzuela was the hero of the night for the Orange and Blue. Valenzuela, who came off the bench earlier in the second half, booted in a go-ahead goal in the 86th minute that was poised to give Cincinnati three points.

But Cincinnati’s leaky second-half defense conceded a third goal to FC Dallas, who scored in extra time to draw even 3-3. Both teams, ultimately, earned one point in the standings.

“It was a tale of two halves,” FCC head coach Pat Noonan said. “We were excellent in the first half, and we were embarrassing in the second half. So that falls on me, because there were guys that had no idea how to manage a two-goal lead and manage the momentum we had coming out of the break. So, there’ll be some good conversations around what we want this to look like moving forward, and what we want to accomplish because there were guys that were nowhere close in the second half.”

Dallas’s three goals come on the heels of Cincinnati allowing four goals at Atlanta United on Sunday night. That means FC Cincinnati have allowed seven goals over their previous two matches that span just the past four days.

“Decision making. Guys’ understanding of the moment, how we’re getting pressure to the ball, where the danger is, and awareness,” Noonan added. “There are some simple plays that we make very complicated. Then some are more complex where maybe you got, you know, lack of experience, or you know, poor understanding of how to keep play in front of us and how to defend the box, and make real simple plays that don’t turn into chaos.”

Playing their first game without standout defender Nick Haaglund, the homegrown heart-and-soul of the club, Cincinnati turned to its offense to set the tone for Wednesday night.

Cincinnati’s offense wasted little time in lighting up the scoreboard in the first half. They relentlessly attacked FC Dallas’s defense, which entered the match allowing the fourth-most goals in the Western Conference with 25. In the 30th minute, central midfielder Pavel Bucha was in the right place at the right time- the centre of the box- for a right-footed shot that put Cincinnati on the board with a 1-0 lead.

Bucha’s goal sent the TQL Stadium crowd into a frenzy, and the club fed off of it. Striker Kevin Denkey drew a foul in the box 11 minutes later, and he converted the penalty kick to double FC Cincinnati’s lead to 2-0.

It wasn’t just the two goals that told the story of the domination Cincinnati displayed on offense in the first half. The Orange and Blue had possession for nearly 65 percent of the time and out-shot Dallas 9-2 and 3-0 in shots on goal.

But in the second half, the script completely flipped. FC Dallas scored twice in a 19-minute span to tie the match 2-2 in the 68th minute. The crowd of 25,424 fans were completely taken out of the match, especially considering all the momentum was on FC Cincinnati’s side at the end of the first half.

Valenzuela’s goal proved to just be a go-ahead goal in an otherwise entertaining match. Cincinnati, though, is now a full three points behind the Philadelphia Union, who won 2-1 at Toronto FC Wednesday night. If FC Cincinnati is going to catch the Union, they need to get three points in every match against teams lower in the MLS standings like FC Dallas.

“He’s getting more consistent minutes, and he’s doing more with them,” Noonan said of Valenzuela. “He’s been strong, and he’s got the production to go along with his strong performances. Tonight was a game where we anticipated rotation for three or four guys. He was one of them because his performance in Atlanta warranted a start. But I anticipate more minutes for him, and hopefully, you know, for him to continue his form.”

Another team low in the standings, D.C. United, are FC Cincinnati’s next opponent Saturday night at TQL Stadium. D.C. is 13th in the Eastern Conference standings (3-7-6, 15 points). Kickoff will be shortly after 7:30 E.T..