FC Cincinnati 2 suffered their first loss of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season Saturday afternoon in a 3-0 loss to Chattanooga FC. The Orange and Blue (0-1-1, 1 point) move to 10th in the Eastern Conference table while Chattanooga (1-0-1, 5 points) find themselves atop the East, as current results stand.
Cincinnati and Chattanooga played to a scoreless first half before the home side found the back of the net three times in the second. Jesus Ibarra opened the scoring for Chattanooga in the 60th minute and notched a brace seven minutes later to double things for the hosts. Mehdi Ouamri added a third in the 71st.
Jesus Castellano looked to give the Orange and Blue attack a spark, leading the team with four shots while Yeiner Valoyes provided two key passes off the bench. Cincinnati were able to put three of their nine shot attempts on goal, but Chattanooga goalkeeper Jon Burke kept the Orange and Blue off the scoresheet.
Academy defender Blake Bayless and midfielder Justin Hylton made their first appearances for FCC 2. Bayless played 52 minutes, replacing London Aghedo in the first half while Hylton played seven minutes in the second half. Stefan Chirila made his second consecutive appearance after making his debut last week against Chicago Fire FC II.
“It was a tale of two halves,” said Head Coach Tyrone Marshall. “I thought we were in the game, but we shook a bit with a lot of turnovers that led to that first moment for them. In the second half, we made a lot of mistakes and Chattanooga capitalized on it.”
The Orange and Blue return home on Thursday, March 28 as they take on New York Red Bulls II at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium with kickoff set for 6 p.m. ET. Tickets for the match can be redeemed with a SeatGeek account.
FC CINCINNATI 2 GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati 2 at Chattanooga FC
Date: March 23, 2024
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro
Venue: Finley Stadium
Kickoff: 3:03 p.m. ET
Weather: 57 degrees, clear
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-F
CFC: 0-3-3
CIN: 0-0-0
CFC – Jesus Ibarra (Sosa) 60’, Jesus Ibarra (McGrath) 67’, Mehdi Ouamir (Gray) 71’
CIN – None
LINEUPS
CFC: Jon Burke, Joseph Perez, Duvan Viafara (Farid Sar-Sar 87’), Anatolie Prepelita, Milo Garvanian, Luis Garcia Sosa (Callum Watson 66’), Andres Jimenez, Alex McGrath, Taylor Gray (Ethan Gray 87’), Mehdi Ouamri (Rivas Murillo 74’), Jalen James (Jesus Ibarra 46’)
Substitutes not used: Jean Antoine, Robert Screen, Damian Rodriguez, Logan Brown
Head Coach: Rod Underwood
CIN: Hunter Morse, Isaiah Foster, Gaël Gibert, Brian Schaefer, London Aghedo (Blake Bayless 38’), Amir Daley, Yair Ramos (Justin Hylton 83’), Alejandro Guido (Yeiner Valoyes 61’), Peter Mangione, Jesus Castellano, Ben Stitz (C) (Stefan Chirila 61’)
Substitutes not used: Kayne Rizvanovich, Juan Machado, Nicholas Samways, Connor Stout
Head Coach: Tyrone Marshall
STATS SUMMARY: CFC/CIN
Shots: 12 / 9
Shots on Goal: 6 / 3
Saves: 3 / 3
Corner Kicks: 4 / 2
Fouls: 11 / 17
Offside: 3 / 2
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CFC – Alex McGrath (Yellow card) 7’
CIN – Ben Stitz (Yellow card) 16’
CIN – London Aghedo (Yellow card) 30’
CFC – Rivas Murillo (Yellow card) 90’+2
CIN – Justin Hylton (Yellow card) 90’+6
OFFICIALS
Referee: Anya Voigt
Ast. Referees: Jarred Mosher, Colin Ashley
Fourth Official: Donovan Eubank
