After allowing two early goals to Charlotte FC, FC Cincinnati battled back in the second half to earn a 2-2 draw on the road, the first time The Orange and Blue have taken points when traveling to Charlotte FC.

Fueled by a standout offensive performance from midfielder Álvaro Barreal, who scored once and earned a penalty kick, FC Cincinnati came back to earn points after trailing at halftime for just the sixth time in the club’s history.

Building momentum

Despite entering the second half down 2-0, FC Cincinnati (13-2-6, 45 pts) began to build momentum, earning several high danger scoring opportunities and flipping the majority possession statistics into The Orange and Blue’s favor, at times owning as high as 85% possession at late intervals in the half.

It wasn't until the 50th minute when the momentum would pay off, when Álvaro Barreal earned a penalty kick for the visiting side when the midfielders foot was kicked by Jaylin Lindsey. The penalty was quickly assessed and FCC captain Luciano Acosta stepped to the spot and made no doubt about it, scoring his 10th goal of the season.

Slow start

For just the third time this season, FC Cincinnati conceded the opening goal when Karol Swiderski snuck in between FCC defenders to tap home a cross served to him from Kerwin Argus in the 14th minute. Just 10 minutes later, Charlotte’s leading goal scorer earned his brace, giving Charlotte FC the 2-0 lead and marking just the third time this season that FCC has been down multiple goals.

The visiting Orange and Blue would go into halftime down 2-0, meaning they would need to overcome a all-time record of 0-46-5 when trailing after 45 minutes.

All about Álvaro

The momentum would continue after the earned penalty kick, with Barreal continuing to play the hero. The 22-year-old Argentine would earn the equalizer in the 68th minute with a sensational run of play, taking an Acosta pass to the goal line, dribbling past a defender then sneaking a shot through the Charlotte keeper on a left-footed poke to even the score.

Barreal, appearing in his 100th match for FC Cincinnati, earned his third goal of the season and his 11th for The Orange and Blue.

Playing a man down

FC Cincinnati had to close the match down with just 10 men, as in the 75th minute Ian Murphy was assessed his second yellow card of the match and was sent off. It was the second time in as many games for the defender that he had been sent off due to multiple yellows. A substitute was waiting on the sideline to replace Murphy at the time of the foul that earned him a card.