FC Cincinnati 2 fell to Chicago Fire FC II, 2-1, Sunday afternoon at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium in the club’s third match of the MLS NEXT Pro season.
Cincinnati and Chicago exchanged early first half goals as Andrei Chirila and Claudio Cassano each scored for their respective sides. Chirila recorded his first goal for FCC 2 in the 4th minute, beating goalkeeper Patrick Los with a well-placed header from a second chance ball coming from an initial corner from Kenji Mboma Dem, while Cassano equalized just six minutes later for Fire II.
The lone goal of the second half, and match winner for the visitors, came in the 50th minute by way of an Orange and Blue own goal.
Midfielder Yamir Uculmana made his Orange and Blue debut, coming on as a halftime substitute for Ben Augee and playing 45 minutes in the match. FC Cincinnati Academy forward Brandon Kristel made his MLS NEXT Pro debut after making his club debut in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup.
FC Cincinnati 2’s next MLSNP match comes on April 9, as the Orange and Blue are on the road against New York City FC II at Belson Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET. The match will air on MLSNEXTPro.com.
FC CINCINNATI 2 GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati 2 vs Chicago Fire FC II
Date: March 30, 2025
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season
Venue: Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium | Highland Heights, Kentucky
Kickoff: 4:04 p.m. ET
Weather: 72 degrees, cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-FT
CIN: 1-0-1
CHI: 1-1-2
CIN – Andrei Chirila (Mboma Dem) 4’
CHI – Claudio Cassano 10’, Brian Schaefer (OG) 50’
LINEUPS
CIN: Paul Walters, Andrei Chirila, Brian Schaefer, Noah Adnan, Yorkaeff Caicedo, Peter Mangione (C) (Carson Locker 88’), Ben Augee (Yamir Uculmana 46’), Dilan Hurtado (Monsuru Opeyemi 46’), Ademar Chavez (Tega Ikoba 72’), Kenji Mboma Dem (Brandon Kristel 88’), Stefan Chirila
Substitutes not used: Nathan Crockford, Xhosa Manyana, Juan Machado, Will Kuisel
Head Coach: Tyrone Marshall
CHI: Patrick Los, Juan Calle, Christopher Cupps, Jean Diouf, Peter Soudan, Diego Konincks (C), Charles Nagle (Oluwaseun Oyegunie 90’), Harold Osorio, Claudio Cassano (Bryce Richards 87’), Dean Boltz (Jason Shokalook 55’), Dylan Borso (Vitaly Hlyut 55’)
Substitutes not used: Patryk Stechnij, Jhoiner Montiel
Head Coach: Michael Matkovich
STATS SUMMARY: CIN/CHI
Shots: 13 / 11
Shots on Goal: 3 / 4
Corner Kicks: 5 / 2
Fouls: 11 / 17
Offside: 2 / 0
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CHI – Dean Boltz (Yellow Card) 23’
CIN – Noah Adnan (Yellow Card) 57’
CIN – Monsuru Opeyemi (Yellow Card) 80’
OFFICIALS
Referee: Ryan Homik
Ast. Referees: Christopher Slane, Tre Gaither
Fourth Official: Alex Adkins
