FC Cincinnati 2 (2-3-1, 7 points) defeated Atlanta United 2 (1-3-0, 3 points) in convincing fashion Sunday afternoon at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, scoring a season-high four goals to claim their first road win of the year. Four different FC Cincinnati 2 players were on the scoresheet as the Orange and Blue prepare to return home for their next MLS NEXT Pro contest against Philadelphia Union II.
The Orange and Blue scored two first half goals as Moises Tablante and Peter Mangione found their first goals for the club in the 16th and 33rd minute, respectively. Gerardo Valenzuela, who made his first MLS NEXT Pro appearance of the season, picked up an assist on Tablante’s early goal.
Karim Tmimi snatched one back for Atlanta near the end of the opening 45 minutes of action for his second goal of the year, sending the match into the break with a 2-1 score line in favor of the Orange and Blue. The teams combined for 14 first half shots with seven of those attempts on target.
Nico Benalcazar scored Cincinnati’s third of the match in the 55th minute to restore a two-goal lead for the Orange and Blue. Like Valenzuela, Malik Pinto picked up the assist in his first appearance of the season for FCC 2. Benalcazar’s goal is his second in as many matches after scoring his first for the club against TFC II last Sunday.
Ben Stitz closed out the scoring for the Orange and Blue in the 67th minute, notching his second of the campaign to make it 4-1 for Cincinnati. “I thought it was a good, complete effort from all of the boys that stepped out on the pitch today,” said Head Coach Tyrone Marshall. “Everyone contributed, both on the attacking side and the defending side. The desire that was there this afternoon, I loved it.”
“Hats off to the boys for the best effort they put in. Everyone is contributing in the environment and I love where we are at, I love to see where we are going, and this is just the first step. Hopefully, we have many, many more wins to come.”
FC Cincinnati 2 are back in action next Sunday, April 28, as they return home to Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium to take on Philadelphia Union II at 4 p.m. ET. Tickets for the match can be redeemed with a SeatGeek account through the FC Cincinnati App.
AS IT HAPPENED
CIN: Moises Tablante, GOAL – 16’ (0-1) – Gerardo Valenzuela picked up possession in the Atlanta half and pushed towards goal looking for an attacking option. Tablante made a darting run down the left wing as Valenzuela played the attacker in with a perfectly weighted pass, and Tablante held off an Atlanta defender inside the box before firing a low shot into the far corner of the net.
CIN: Peter Mangione, GOAL – 33’ (0-2) – Peter Mangione doubled the FCC 2 lead in the 33rd minute, taking advantage of a second chance opportunity inside the Atlanta box. Moises Tablante forced Jayden Hibbert into a save, but the rebound found the feet of Mangione who made no mistake, finishing from close range.
ATL: Karim Tmimi – 42’ (1-2) – Karim Tmimi pulled one back for Atlanta United 2 just before the first half break. Erik Centeno mishit his attempt at the top of the box, but the ball fell to Tmimi’s feet in a crowded penalty area and the forward quickly turned and snapped a shot into the back of the net.
CIN: Nico Benalcazar – 55’ (1-3) – Peter Mangione beat one Atlanta defender on the right wing before putting a pass into the middle where Nico Benalcazar stepped in to control before quickly laying off to Malik Pinto. Benalcazar followed with a run into the box and the quick return pass from Pinto put Benalcazar through on goal.
CIN: Ben Stitz – 67’ (1-4) – Ben Stitz capped off an impressive afternoon for the FC Cincinnati 2 attack that scored four goals on the afternoon, a season high. Amir Daley looked to put his name on the scoresheet, but his attacking move was stopped by the Atlanta defense. Daley stayed with the play and forced a rushed and failed clearance which fell to the feet of Stitz who turned and finished a composed effort.
FC CINCINNATI 2 GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati 2 at Atlanta United 2
Date: April 21, 2024
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro
Venue: Fifth Third Bank Stadium
Kickoff: 3:03 p.m. ET
Weather: 53 degrees, cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-F
ATL: 1-0-1
CIN: 2-2-4
ATL – Karim Tmimi (Centeno) 42’
CIN – Moises Tablante (Valenzuela) 16’, Peter Mangione 33’, Nico Benalcazar (Pinto) 55’, Ben Stitz (Daley) 67’
LINEUPS
ATL: Jayden Hibbert, Jacob Williams, Kaiden Moore (Ramzi Qawasmy 65’), Efrain Morales, Matthew Edwards, Adyn Torres (Matias Gallardo 46’), Javier Armas, Derrick Etienne Jr., Nick Firmino (Nobel Okello Ayo 60’), Erik Centeno (Luke Brennan 60’), Karim Tmimi
Substitutes not used: John Berner, Alan Carleton, Matthew Dejianne, Stephen Hurlock, Dominik Chong Qui
Head Coach: Steve Cooke
CIN: Hunter Morse, Moises Tablante (Stiven Jimenez 68’), Isaiah Foster, Brian Schaefer, London Aghedo (Gaël Gibert 46’), Amir Daley, Nico Benalcazar (C) (Connor Stout 79’), Malik Pinto (Jesus Castellano 79’), Peter Mangione, Gerardo Valenzuela, Kenji Mboma Dem (Ben Stitz 32’)
Substitutes not used: Luke Laramore, Alejandro Guido, Yeiner Valoyes, Nick McHenry
Head Coach: Tyrone Marshall
STATS SUMMARY: ATL/CIN
Shots: 15 / 16
Shots on Goal: 4 / 6
Saves: 2 / 3
Corner Kicks: 5 / 5
Fouls: 20 / 10
Offside: 3 / 3
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
ATL – Kaiden Moore (Yellow card) 10’
CIN – Gerardo Valenzuela (Yellow card) 26’
CIN – Nico Benalcazar (Yellow card) 27’
ATL – Jacob Williams (Yellow card) 33’
ATL – Efrain Morales (Yellow card) 50’
ATL – Matias Gallardo (Yellow card) 61’
CIN – Malik Pinto (Yellow card) 69’
OFFICIALS
Referee: Katherine McCormick
Ast. Referees: Austin Holt, Andrew Charron
Fourth Official: Aleksandar Zhelyazkov
