MONTRÉAL - FC Cincinnati braved the cold and the rain but could not pull out the result against CF Montréal as a late push for an equalizer came up short and FC Cincinnati fell to the Canadian side 2-1.
CF Montreal pushed the issue in the first half of play, winning the larger share of dangerous chances and dominating possession to the tune of 56.4 percent and outshooting The Orange and Blue to a 8-2 margin.
The opening goal would not come until the final minute of play in the half though, when Josef Martinez would fire a shot in from the penalty spot unmarked and give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Moments later, the referee would blow his whistle for halftime and FCC would head to the locker room down at the break for the first time in 2024.
The pressure continued in the second half but FCC held firm, and earned their equalizer on a beautiful piece of combination play by Luciano Acosta and Yuya Kubo, when the captain feathered a pass through the Montreal defensive line and Kubo was there on a perfectly timed run to collect it and beat the keeper to earn his third goal of the season in the 58 minute.
The goal was the 250th in club history across all competitions and the seventh for Kubo in MLS play. With his third goal of the year, Kubo also equalized his MLS high from his first season with the club in 2020, meeting the mark in eight games (seven starts).
Shortly after the equalizer though, CFM would retake the lead in the 62 minute on a transition breakout that saw Ariel Lassiter knock in the shot on a play created by Martinez, leaving FCC searching for a goal after finding one just moments earlier.
But an equalizer would not come, Corey Baird (who came on as a sub) scored an apparent second goal but was quickly called offside, leaving FCC on the wrong end of the score line.
Alec Kann made his 2024 debut for the first team, rotating in for the injured Roman Celentano to lead The Orange and Blue in net. Kann, 33, underwent hand surgery at the end of the 2023 season that left him unable to fully participate in preseason training but had his presence felt by working with the keepers in whatever capacity he could. The veteran keeper was cleared for full training in March and made a rehabilitation start with FC Cincinnati 2 in an MLS NEXT Pro game to help him regain some of the sharpness he may have missed in his recovery. Kann made an invaluable first half save and snuffed out danger multiple times by coming off his line to collect loose balls.
The loss drops FCC to 3-2-3, but they remain in fifth place in the eastern conference.
FC Cincinnati continue their two-game road stand next weekend with a trip to Georgia to take on Atlanta United FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The consecutive road matches are part of a larger stretch that will see FCC play away from home in four of five fixtures, returning home to face Colorado Rapids on April 27th before departing for another two game road stand.
