CINCINNATI – Despite a second-half goal from Emmanuel Ledesma, goals from Lucas Rodriguez, Wayne Rooney and Paul Arriola powered D.C. United to a 4-1 away win over FC Cincinnati at Nippert Stadium on Thursday night.
FC Cincinnati (5-14-2, 17 pts.) conceded three goals within a 14-minute span as D.C. United (9-5-8, 35 pts.) climbed to second place in the Eastern Conference.
Emmanuel Ledesma recorded his second goal of 2019 and his first via a penalty kick. In addition, Frankie Amaya and Roland Lamah returned to action for the Orange and Blue after missing time with injuries.
FC Cincinnati’s next game will come on Sunday, July 21 when the club hosts the New England Revolution. The match will be televised locally on WSTR Star64, streamed regionally on FloFC, out of market on ESPN+ and carried on the radio on WDJO, while an audio stream will be available on the TuneIn app and fccincinnati.com. Tickets for the game are on sale to the general public at fccincinnati.com/tickets or by calling 513-977-5425 (KICK). Pick-Six mini plans, individual-game tickets and group options are on sale for all remaining games.
For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati.
D.C. United 4, FC Cincinnati 1
Nippert Stadium | Cincinnati, Ohio
Thursday, July 18, 2019
SCORING SUMMARY
DC – Lucas Rodriguez (Wayne Rooney) 42’
CIN – Emmanuel Ledesma (penalty kick) 54’
DC – Lucas Rodriguez (Paul Arriola) 59’
DC – Wayne Rooney (Leonardo Jara) 64’
DC – Paul Arriola (Lucas Rodriguez) 73’
FC Cincinnati: Spencer Richey, Mathieu Deplagne, Kendall Waston ©, Justin Hoyte, Alvas Powell, Frankie Amaya, Allan Cruz (Victor Ulloa 78’), Leonardo Bertone, Kekuta Manneh, Rashawn Dally (Fanendo Adi 64’), Emmanuel Ledesma (Roland Lamah 65’)
Bench: Przemysław Tytoń, Nick Hagglund, Corben Bone, Caleb Stanko,
Stats: Shots 11, Shots on goal 3, Saves 4, Corner kicks 5, Offsides 2, Fouls 15, Possession 57.5%, Passes 479 (85.8%)
D.C. United: Chris Seitz, Donovan Pines, Steve Birnbaum, Frédéric Brillant, Joseph Mora, Leonardo Jara (Jalen Robinson 84’), Russell Canouse, Paul Arriola (Ulises Segura 76’), Júnior Moreno, Lucas Rodriguez, Wayne Rooney © (Quincy Amarikwa 83’)
Bench: Bill Hamid, Chris Durkin, Marquinhos Pedroso, Griffin Yow,
Stats: Shots 17, Shots on goal 8, Saves 2, Corner kicks 3, Offsides 1, Fouls 12, Possession 42.5%, Passes 362 (79.0%)
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CIN – Kendall Waston (caution) 15’
DC – Steve Birnbaum (caution) 32’
DC – Paul Arriola (caution) 54’
DC – Wayne Rooney (caution) 54’
CIN – Leonardo Bertone (caution) 61’
DC – Russel Canouse (caution) 70’
Referee: Baldomero Toledo
Assistant Referees: Adam Garner, Jeremy Hanson
4th Official: Elton Garcia
VAR: Malik Badawi
Weather: 81 degrees and sunny
Attendance: 28,774
HOW IT HAPPENED
- 5’ | D.C. United attacked down the left wing, but reversed play via a Donovan Pines pass to Leonardo Jara. From about 30 yards out, Jara attempted D.C.’s first shot via a low right-footed strike, but his attempt was wide of the far post
- 16’ | D.C. United were awarded a free kick following a Kendall Waston foul on Paul Arriola from approximately 40 yards away from goal. Wayne Rooney stepped up and fired a right-footed shot to the right of FCC’s wall, bending it to Richey’s far post, where the FCC keeper record his first save of the night
- 25’ | From the right corner flag, Leonardo Bertone played a cross to the near post. Waston beat his defender and headed the cross, but his attempt struck the crossbar and bounced back into play .
- 30’ | Joseph Mora sent a left-footed cross into the penalty area and found an unmarked Arriola, who headed the ball on frame, forcing Richey to make a diving one handed save to divert the ball beyond endline
- 42’ | DC GOAL – Rooney collected Mora’s throw in from the edge of the penalty box and played the ball over to Rodriguez, who was left with space. After taking a touch on the ball, Rodriguez curled a shot and tucked the ball inside the far post
- 55’ | CIN GOAL – FC Cincinnati were awarded a penalty after Bertone’s cross from a free kick struck the outstretched arm of Arriola in the penalty area. Emmanuel Ledesma stepped up to the spot for the Orange and Blue, took a stutter step, and calmly buried a shot into the lower left corner of the goal, while Seitz dove to the right.
- 59’ | DC GOAL – Rooney played the ball over to Arriola in the corner of the 18-yard box, who passed the ball back to Rodriguez. Rodriguez ripped a shot towards goal, which took a deflection before beating Richey to give the away team the lead.
- 64’ | DC GOAL – Jara intercepted a ball on FCC’s side of the pitch, took one touch beyond Mathieu Deplagne and played a long ball to the top of the 18-yard box to Rooney. The forward took two touches and sent a right-footed shot into the lower left corner of the goal.
- 73’ | DC GOAL – Rodriguez played a ball to Arriola from behind the halfway line, catching him in stride. Arriola dribbled along the left side of the pitch before cutting towards the goal and slotting his shot beyond Richey.
GAME NOTES
- With today’s loss, the Orange and Blue fall to 5-14-2 through 21 MLS matches … in addition, FC Cincinnati fall to 3-5-1 in home contests … FC Cincinnati’s all-time, all-competition record against D.C. United sits at 0-1-0 … Cincinnati is now 3-7-1 against Eastern Conference opponents
- Emmanuel Ledesma recorded his first home MLS goal in tonight’s match … The midfielder has now registered two goals and two assists in FC Cincinnati’s last four matches … the goal was FCC’s second goal via a penalty kick … Darren Mattocks tallied from the penalty spot against Sporting Kansas City on April 7
- Tonight’s match marked the first time FC Cincinnati dropped points in the month of July … coming into tonight’s contest, the Orange and Blue were a perfect 2-0-0 through two matches
- FC Cincinnati have now scored goals in four consecutive matches, tying the club’s record of consecutive matches with a goal … the Orange and Blue recorded goals in each of the first four matches of the season
- Roland Lamah made his first appearance for the Orange and Blue since suffering a hamstring injury against New York City FC on June 6 … tonight’s contest was the first time Lamah was available for selection since that match … the winger replaced Ledesma in the 65th minute of the match
- Leonardo Bertone picked up his seventh yellow card of the season in tonight’s match … with his next yellow card, the midfielder will receive a one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation
- Interim Head Coach Yoann Damet made one change to the starting lineup from FC Cincinnati’s most recent match against Houston Dynamo on July 6 …Frankie Amaya shifted into the starting lineup, while Caleb Stank was dropped … tonight’s lineup is FC Cincinnati’s 21st unique lineup of the season … the only two instances FCC have had the same starting XI was on March 10 and March 17
- Fatai Alashe (hamstring) and Greg Garza (calf) were unavailable for selection because of injury
POSTGAME QUOTES
FC Cincinnati Interim Head Coach Yoann Damet
On tonight’s match
“(It was) a game that I think we controlled. In the first half, a lot of possession, unfortunately not enough opportunities created. We got punished at the end of the first half, a bit complacent defensively. In (the) second half, come back in the game on a PK before starting to give up a little bit of space, a little bit of time on the ball and we conceded three in the second half. So, difficult and disappointing for the group, because I think everybody thought we could have gotten the result.”
On why D.C. United had time and space on their goals
“There is the discipline, the tactical discipline, at some point we switched off a little bit. Lacked the focus defensively on the organization, started to give up a bit of space, a bit of time, between the lines and on the ball. They were about to combine a bit more to use the spaces and to get in behind and to exploit what we gave up. They have quality players up front, we knew that they wouldn’t need a lot to create opportunities and to score goals.”
On how difficult it is to lose after back-to-back wins
“It was good to be back home. The expectations for us were high in terms of the playing style. We said it on the road, we can’t accept to put the mentality first at home. We wanted to have the ball a bit more, to dictate the play. I think that is what we tried to do. They were very disciplined, very compact, organized in a 5-4-1. Very difficult to break down. We tried different things, unfortunately we did not create enough. We lacked a bit of efficiency in the final third. So, it’s disappointing. There is some positives to take, like in every game, this shouldn’t make us forget what we have done in the past two games and that is the message that I want to deliver to the group.”
On why it was difficult to tighten up space
“They were organized in a 5-4-1, so it’s always difficult. We tried to position our wingers very wide, to have our attacking mid between the lines. We tried also to also bring at times the winger more centrally to overload the half spaces and to create more options centrally. I think we did a great job in the first half. We did a great job finding Rashawn and finding the third man with our attacking mid. Unfortunately, we didn’t create enough. We didn’t find the last pass in behind the back line. It’s always difficult against a team organized like that, and are very, very compact. They have quality up front. They need one goal, they put the ball in behind us, that’s the case on the third goal, I think the ball is played in behind and Rooney finished the work. We just need more movement in this type of situation. I think we had the ball possession, it was very lateral. We need a bit more verticality when we play just to get in behind and more and more rhythm. When you break one line, you need to also have movement for the next pass and to get in behind and that’s what we lacked tonight.”
On Roland Lamah’s return
“It was good to have him back. I think, like I said, we need everybody. On the flanks, in the winger position, we were a bit light in the past weeks. Kekuta (Manneh) and Manu (Ledesma) have played a lot, so it was good from that standpoint, but also, obviously, very happy for him. Being off the field for a long time is never easy for a player, so being able to give him some minutes tonight was important. His performance was good. Obviously, when you lose, it’s difficult to say that the performance was good enough, but there were some good things and I am happy with that and we need to keep building on that.”
FC Cincinnati Midfielder Emmanuel Ledesma
On tonight’s match
“I try to score a goal for the team you know, for the tie. I am so happy because I scored, but I’m so sad because of the result you know? We’re working so hard and they just arrive a couple times and score a goal. But we keep moving forward, we keep believing we can do better and then we have another battle on Sunday at home again.”
On why the result is so disappointing
“Because we have a lot of quality on this team. We show we are capable to play against the second in the league and kill them. But today is unlucky and then nothing. Just thinking about what happened tonight and then tomorrow we are back together at training. Then moving forward to another battle on Sunday.”
On the progress of the team
“Just thinking about it step-by-step, you know. We did an amazing job outside with Chicago (Fire) and now we’re back home. Disappointing because we did an amazing job keeping the ball and keeping possession. It’s unlucky you know. But, it’s a game and the beautiful part of this sport we have another chance so soon you know, so close, on Sunday, and you have to take it.”
On the quick turnaround
“So, I’m just thinking about it. It is hard. It’s so disheartening and then nothing. Just keep moving forward, just learn about this, and then we have another chance soon in a couple days. So, you have to keep focus, and maintain the confidence high.”
FC Cincinnati Defender Kendall Waston
On the difference between both teams
“Well, obviously it is difficult right now when you lose this way. I cannot blame anyone of my teammates. I have to see obviously in myself, I want to give everything in this game and all of them run and try their best to win the game. We couldn’t take the momentum when we scored from the PK. It is hard to lose this way at home because we were like having that feeling that we can win, we can win, but we have to keep our faith going and this Sunday hopefully things go our way.”
On the quick turnaround
“Yes, that is the nice thing because there are not many days to look for revenge and take away this bad feeling.”
On inability to adjust defensively
“Well, there are different decision making in the field. Sometimes you think you are making the right decision in the moment, but obviously it wasn’t right. So, basically as we go forward we want to create more chances. We didn’t create many chances and our forwards, if they don’t receive the ball in the box or whatever, obviously they cannot score.”
D.C. United Head Coach Ben Olsen
On the team’s win
“It was. It was much needed. You said last week, that we dropped points at home and that puts a little urgency on the road and to get all three points. I thought the guys handled the game pretty well, we grew into it. Midfield structure, we’re still adjusting. We’re still trying to figure out how to deal with teams. Today we did a good job of figuring the game out as we went and we were pretty efficient with our finishing. We were balanced. Defensively, we were pretty sound. We gave up some shots but nothing too dangerous. Everyone showed up to play today at a fairly high level.”
On Lucas Rodriguez’s performance
“Absolutely. He’s a great kid and he’s young, and he’s capable of really good things and, at times, great things. We’re trying to get the great more often out of him and that sometimes comes with games at times and games like this he has the confidence in him around the goal. So hopefully that makes him hungrier and he can keep on moving.”
On why Chris Seitz started
“It was (Chris) Seitz’s turn to play. And I thought he did fantastic.”
On the health of the players after a physical match
“I think he’s (Steve Birnbaum) okay, he passed a concussion test. He’s probably bleeding again somewhere in his head and that seems to be every other game. He’s a tough kid.”
On Wayne Rooney getting subbed off after a tackle
“That was fine, it wasn’t anything, it was just trying to buy us some minutes. Him and Paul (Arriola) earned a lot of minutes over the Gold Cup. It happened quick. Maybe would’ve liked to get him out a hair earlier, because of the quick turnaround. But it was also a good move, not give up another goal. Not give them momentum, because things happen quickly in the MLS here.”
D.C. United Midfielder Paul Arriola
On his reflections of the win
“Yeah, definitely much needed. The team has been playing well and the results have not been going completely our way. So, for this one to go our way and come out and play, despite the handball. It is easy for us to turn off at 1-1 away in an atmosphere like this. Credit to the boys for being able to come back and finish the game strong.”
On getting three points in the first of two quick matches
“Yeah, no 100 percent. It gives us a lot of confidence going into another tough place to play that is hard to find success. So, I think we are all happy, but it’s time to recover and look forward to Atlanta (United FC).”
On his goal
“Yeah, i just think it is just one thing that I am constantly running and constantly trying to throw it to the backline. For me to be able to get in behind, play quick, and I think Lucas (Rodriguez) was able to find me. I just went off from there, obviously. Just the determination to get in the box and put it away.”
On Lucas Rodriguez
“Yeah, Lucas (Rodriguez) has been great. In the past couple games, he has found really good form, really good understanding of the position he has been playing for the last couple of games. It was great to see him be rewarded with two great goals tonight.”
