CINCINNATI – FC Cincinnati defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 6-0 on Saturday night in front of 22,557 fans at TQL Stadium. The Orange and Blue’s six-goal margin of victory was the largest in FC Cincinnati’s history, and the six goals scored set a new club record-high.
With the win, the Orange and Blue improve to 10-8-12 (42 points) and finish Week 30 of the MLS season in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with four league games to go. The Earthquakes dropped to 7-13-9 (30 points).
The result sees FC Cincinnati extend the club’s unbeaten streak to nine games, the longest active streak in MLS. The Orange and Blue are unbeaten in 10 straight games at TQL Stadium.
The night featured the second hat trick in club history as Brenner accounted for half of FCC’s six goals. It was also Brenner who scored the first hat trick for FC Cincinnati earlier this season on June 29 against New York City FC at TQL Stadium.
The opening goal, which proved to be the game-winner, came from Álvaro Barreal right before halftime. In a first half which featured 14 combined shots, the final shot came in the 45th minute from Barreal. After Luciano Acosta received the ball on the right side of the 18-yard box, FCC’s captain sent a pass across the box to an open Barreal, who took a pair of touches and fired with his favorite left foot into the back of the net.
Barreal scored his fifth goal of the season, extending his career-high for goals in a season.
The Orange and Blue carried the momentum into the second half, with Brenner scoring his first of the night in the 47th minute. With a free kick sent in from Acosta, Brandon Vazquez headed the lofted ball in back across the box, eventually finding Brenner who chested down and quickly beat San Jose goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski.
The lead for FCC extended in the 71st minute with the first of two penalty kicks issued to the Orange and Blue. Initially not called a foul on the field, VAR determined Luciano Acosta was fouled inside the 18, which led to Acosta burying the penalty kick for a 3-0 lead.
Substitute Yuya Kubo, who replaced Acosta following the converted penalty kick, scored his first goal since October 14, 2020 in the 77th minute. A turnover for the Quakes in FCC’s attacking third started a Cincinnati counter with Junior Moreno intercepting and playing up towards Brenner. Brenner played a perfectly weighted pass to Kubo who fired a quick shot into the far corner.
Kubo’s 696-day gap between goals is the longest such gap in club history. It was his fourth career goal for FC Cincinnati.
Brenner’s second goal on the night, the team’s fifth, came in the 90th minute. A fight for possession in San Jose’s defensive half ultimately led to a back pass which Brenner pressured, intercepted and controlled, and then smoothly lifted a chipped attempt up and over Marcinkowski to make it 5-0.
In the game’s dying moments, substitute Sergio Santos was fouled inside the box, to which Brenner stepped up and converted the ensuing PK for his third of the night and to give the match its final scoreline, 6-0.
Goalkeeper Roman Celentano made five saves, all of which came in the first half. He earned his fifth clean sheet of the season.
FC Cincinnati head west to take on Real Salt Lake next Saturday, Sept. 17. for Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. ET from Rio Tinto Stadium and the game can be watched on Star64, streamed in-market at fccincinnati.com, out of market on ESPN+ and listened to on the radio on ESPN 1530.
FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati vs. San Jose Earthquakes
Date: September 10, 2022
Competition: MLS Regular Season
Venue: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 22,557
Kickoff: 7:38 p.m. ET
Weather: 75 degrees, cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-F
CIN: 1-5-6
SJ: 0-0-0
CIN - Álvaro Barreal (Luciano Acosta) 45’, Brenner (Brandon Vazquez, Luciano Acosta) 47’, Luciano Acosta (PK) 71’, Yuya Kubo (Brenner) 77’, Brenner 90’, Brenner (PK) 90+5’
SJ - None
GAME NOTES
• FC Cincinnati are unbeaten in nine straight games, the longest active streak in MLS, and in 10 straight games at TQL Stadium, the second-longest active home unbeaten streak in the league (Philadelphia, 16) … with a win or draw at Real Salt Lake next Saturday, FCC will match the longest unbeaten streak in MLS this season (10: New England Revolution: April 30 – July 3; Portland Timbers: June 18 – August 6).
• FC Cincinnati earned a win over a Western Conference foe in Cincinnati for the first time since July 6, 2019, a 3-2 win over Houston Dynamo FC at Nippert Stadium.
• The six goals scored for FC Cincinnati was a new club record, surpassing the previous record of four (Three times: 7/17/21 at MTL; 6/29/22 vs NYC; 7/30/22 at MIA).
• The six-goal margin of victory is the largest in club history, surpassing the previous record of three (3/17/19 vs POR, 3-0).
• Brenner scored the second hat trick in club history … he scored the other one on June 29 vs NYCFC earlier this season … with his assist of Yuya Kubo’s goal, he is the first player in club history to have a hand in four goal contributions in a single game.
• Brenner has scored 12 goals this season, becoming the second player in club history to score double-digit goals in a season (Brandon Vazquez – 16, 2022).
• FC Cincinnati was issued two penalty kicks for the second time in club history (October 27, 2021 vs NSH) and converted two penalty kicks in a game for the first time in club history … this season, FCC are 4-for-5 from the penalty spot and 11-for-15 all time.
• Luciano Acosta, with two assists on the evening, extended his league-lead in assists to 18 … he also leads the league in assists at home (13) … he has totaled 12 assists in his last nine home games.
• FC Cincinnati neared club records in shots with 20 (record: 22; 6/19/21 vs COL) and shots on goal with 10 (record: 12; 6/23/21 at CHI).
• Brandon Vazquez reached 10 career assists with FC Cincinnati with his assist of Brenner’s first goal.
• Álvaro Barreal scored his eighth career goal MLS for FC Cincinnati, extending his career-high for goals in a season to five.
• The San Jose Earthquakes played in Cincinnati for the first time … for the second straight home game, FC Cincinnati hosted an opponent for the first time after last Saturday the Orange and Blue hosted Charlotte FC.
LINEUPS
CIN: Roman Celentano, Álvaro Barreal (Ronald Matarrita 78’), Matt Miazga (Ian Murphy 73’), Geoff Cameron, Nick Hagglund, Alvas Powell, Obinna Nwobodo, Junior Moreno (Dominique Badji 83’), Luciano Acosta (C) (Yuya Kubo 73’), Brenner, Brandon Vazquez (Sergio Santos 78’)
Substitutes not used: Alec Kann, John Nelson, Allan Cruz, Ray Gaddis
Head Coach: Pat Noonan
SJ: JT Marcinkowski, Nathan, Tanner Beason, Tommy Thompson (Paul Marie 82’), Rodrigues, Eric Rernedi, Jackson Yueill (C) (Nico Tsakiris 73’), Jamiro Monteiro (Jack Skahan 82’), Cristian Espinoza (Shea Salinas 72’), Jeremy Ebobisse (Benji Kikanovic 73’), Cade Cowell
Substitutes not used: Matt Bersano, Jan Gregus, Oskar Agren, Judson
Interim Head Coach: Alex Covelo
STATS SUMMARY: CIN/SJ
Shots: 20 / 9
Shots on Goal: 10 / 5
Saves: 5 / 4
Corner Kicks: 4 / 3
Fouls: 14 / 11
Offside: 1 / 0
Possession: 47.8 / 52.2
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
SJ – Jamiro Monteiro (Yellow Card: Foul) 8’
SJ – Nathan (Yellow Card: Foul) 46’
CIN – Geoff Cameron (Yellow Card: Foul) 57’
CIN – Brenner (Yellow Card: Excessive Celebration) 90’
OFFICIALS
Referee: Ismir Pekmic
Ast. Referees: Ian McKay, Brooke Mayo
Fourth Official: Joshua Encarnacion
VAR: Joe Dickerson
AVAR: Craig Lowry
POSTGAME QUOTES
FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan
On the win
“A really strong performance from the group. I thought in the first 15 to 20 minutes, we came out strong and then kind of had a little bit of a drop-off where we were forcing the issue a little bit and the game got opened up. Credit to Roman (Celentano) at that time. We needed to make some saves when they were putting us under some pressure. The (first) goal came at an opportune time, and the second half was outstanding. The execution in a lot of different ways that allowed us to score six goals was impressive. It was also important in the contributions we got from different players, whether it was the guys that were on the field to start the half or the guys that came on. I thought the guys that came on were hungry and helped us to continue to play in a way where we could attack and defend higher up the field. I think that you saw the confidence when we were scoring goals and how we were able to move the ball in ways that we've been trying to do for quite some time now. Really proud of the group.”
Thoughts on expecting this performance following the Charlotte and NYCFC matches
“I don't think you ever expect to win 6-0. I'd be lying if I said that, but what we expected was a strong response to a poor performance [in New York]. The point was good, yes, but we didn't perform well. That's a sign of a team that's continuing to mature, grow and find ways to improve and respond in a strong way. Tonight, we got a really good performance and very important three points.”
Thoughts on winning seven out of nine possible points this week
“Strong mentality. We've got players stepping up, whether it's vocal leadership or guys starting games and understanding that we have some healthy bodies and some good competition. It's a hungry group and a mentality within the group that allows us to get through tough moments and tough stretches and not crumble and respond the right way. The guys in there are the reason we're talking in a positive way.”
2023 FC Cincinnati Season Ticket Memberships are now available. Season Ticket Members are guaranteed the best seats at the best prices for every match at TQL Stadium in 2023, in addition to access to exclusive events, discounts on merchandise and more!
2023 Season Tickets are on sale now at fccincinnati.com/tickets. Fans looking for more information can contact a dedicated FC Cincinnati representative at (513) 977-5435 or e-mail tickets@fccincinnati.com.
Single match tickets to any of FC Cincinnati’s remaining home games are also available now, head to fccincinnati.com/tickets or call 513-977-KICK, to learn more.
FC Cincinnati are playing their fourth season of MLS competition in 2022, and their second playing at TQL Stadium. 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. Additionally, fans are encouraged to download the team’s official mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play for instant access to mobile tickets, team content and match notifications.
