FC Cincinnati 2 and Chicago Fire FC II split points in a 0-0 draw Sunday night at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill. The Orange and Blue prevailed in the shootout, 4-3, to earn an extra point on the road. The result marks Cincinnati’s first shutout of the season.
The Orange and Blue remain 11th in the Eastern Conference (4-8-4, 18 points) following the result while Fire II move up one spot to eighth (6-6-5, 23 points), as results stand.
The two sides exchanged dangerous chances in the first half, as Cincinnati’s Stiven Jimenez nearly found his first MLS NEXT Pro goal in the 16th minute. The Orange and Blue forced a rushed clearance out from Chicago’s backline as an alert Jimenez stepped in front of the errant ball, setting up a shot from distance that ended just wide of the left post.
Chicago threatened in the 22nd minute, as Billy Hency nearly headed home the opening goal of the match. But it was Paul Walters who rose to the occasion, making a fantastic fingertip save. Walters played a major role in keeping things scoreless heading into the break, as he made six first half saves to deny Fire II from finding a breakthrough.
Fire II opened the second half with a golden chance to break the deadlock in the 50th minute of play, but Walters once again shut the door on the hosts with his seventh save of the match. Omari Glasgow picked out Charlie Ostrem, free at the back post, with only Walters to beat, and the goalkeeper came across the face of goal and made a sprawling save.
Walters finished the night with nine saves, a career high for the former FC Cincinnati Academy goalkeeper, and puts him at 41 saves on the season.
The match would advance to an extra time shootout, where Cincinnati’s Joey Akpunonu, Philip Horton, Isaiah Foster and Salim Adams would convert from the spot, while Chicago’s Andreas Ueland and Omari Glasgow fired off the mark.
FC Cincinnati 2 return home next Sunday, July 16 as they take on Inter Miami CF II at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET.
FC CINCINNATI 2 GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati 2 at Chicago Fire FC II
Date: July 9, 2023
Venue: SeatGeek Stadium
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro regular season
Kickoff: 6:03 p.m. ET / 5:03 p.m. CT
Weather: 83 degrees, clear
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-F
CHI: 0-0-0
CIN: 0-0-0
CHI – None
CIN – None
LINEUPS
CHI: S. Richey, A. Ueland, J. Reynolds, K. Burks (N. Egan, 46’), A. Aceves (M. Rodríguez, 46’), R. Fleming, H. Gallina (N. Hernandez, 63’), C. Ostrem, S. Oregel (M. Kidd, 78’), B. Hency (A. Monis, 64’), O. Glasgow
Substitutes not used: M. Mišković, M. Nesci, E. Leonard, M. Flores
Head Coach: Ludovic Taillandier
CIN: P. Walters, H. Conteh (J. Machado, 72’), I. Foster, J. Akpunonu, L. Aghedo, D. Garcia, S. Jimenez, S. Adams, J. Castellano, B. Stitz (D. Turcios, 61’), A. Ordoñez (P. Horton, 46’)
Substitutes not used: H. Morse, M. Schenfeld
Head Coach: Tyrone Marshall
STATS SUMMARY: CHI/CIN
Shots: 25 / 7
Shots on goal: 9 / 1
Saves: 1 / 9
Corner Kicks: 6 / 3
Fouls: 19 / 15
Offside: 2 / 4
Possession: 61.6 / 38.4
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CIN – S. Jimenez (Yellow card) 34’
CHI – N. Egan (Yellow card) 73’
OFFICIALS
Referee: Brian Wood
Ast. Referees: Jacob Little, Jackson Krauser
Fourth Official: Alex Hofstetter
