CINCINNATI — Less than one week after FC Cincinnati (8-3-1, 25 points) were shut out 1-0 by New York City Football Club, the Orange and Blue delivered the exact opposite performance in a 2-1 win over Austin FC Saturday night at TQL Stadium.
It wasn’t the exact performance just because the result was different, with Cincinnati earning three points and tying the Columbus Crew atop the Eastern Conference with 25 points. Cincinnati relentlessly attacked an Austin FC team that came in with just 13 goals allowed all season, the fourth-fewest in the Western Conference.
Cincinnati midfielder Gerardo “Dado” Valenzuela was the hero Saturday night, catching forward Evander’s crosser and lining a shot that proved to be the game-winning goal in the 76th minute.
“I was really pleased with how we moved the ball,” FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said. “(Austin FC) went with a different press than we anticipated. When we needed to, we defended well. (Austin FC) are very dangerous with their service in the box. Our center backs specifically defended very well, so I’m very pleased with our performance.”
FC Cincinnati out-shot Austin FC 18-11 Saturday night, including 7-2 in shots on goal.
It was a stellar offensive performance right from the start, with Evander scoring in the 12th minute to get FC Cincinnati on the board first. Evander now leads the team with seven goals, which is also second in Major League Soccer.
“Evander is a special player,” Noonan said. “The second ball, his assist, is just something that few can do, and that’s why he’s at a higher level than most. (It’s) one of the reasons we went and got him.
“When he makes the right pass in the right moment, it typically allows him to be in a better position where when we need to make a play, we can find him in the right spots to be able to do that. So, I think you saw more of that tonight.”
Evander nearly got a brace with a second goal just minutes later, but his shot hit off the left post. Still, though, FC Cincinnati were relentlessly attacking the Austin FC defense in the first half and throughout the match.
Austin’s goalkeeper, Brad Stuver, had five saves Saturday night. But he was facing a swarm of shots all night from the Orange and Blue.
Saturday night was much-needed for Cincinnati’s offense to reassert itself, especially after defender and captain Matt Miazga left the match late in the first half with hamstring tightness. Miazga was the MLS Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, but he’s coming off a 2024 season that was cut short due to injury and subsequent surgery.
“(It’s) too early to tell on Matt Miazga,” Noonan said. “It’s a little bit precautionary, but the extent of what he’s dealing with, I don’t know yet.”
Miazga’s replacement Saturday night, defender Teenage Hadebe, committed a handball foul just minutes into the second half that gave Austin FC a penalty shot attempt to tie the game. Brandon Vazquez, who played on FC Cincinnati’s 2023 MLS Supporter’s Shield team. nailed the shot to tie the game.
“My concern at that moment is, how are we not shifting over quicker,” Noonan said. “If we do it at a better speed, I think we defend that outside the box, which is the goal. For me, it was less about the handball and more about our shift. It needs to be quicker.”
But the Orange and Blue redeemed themselves on the offensive said with Valenzuela’s game-winning goal in the 76th minute. FC Cincinnati’s assertiveness on offense paid off with two timely goals.
Noonan’s first match as head coach of the Orange and Blue came in 2022 against Austin FC, a game FC Cincinnati lost 5-0.
Saturday’s win not only avenges that game and this past Sunday’s game. More importantly, it keeps FC Cincinnati tied with the Columbus Crew atop the Eastern Conference with 25 points. In addition, FC Cincinnati is still undefeated at home this season at 5-0-1 in MLS regular season competition and 5-0-3 overall.
The Hell is Real Derby is next Saturday in Columbus. Before that, FC Cincinnati will visit Toronto FC on Wednesday night. That’s the epitome of a trap game on Wednesday night.
But if Cincinnati can carry over tonight’s offensive performance into next week’s two-match road trip, this club will be in position to separate themselves as the clear best team in the Eastern Conference.
