FC Cincinnati lost Saturday night to D.C. United, 1-0, behind a converted penalty kick by Ola Kamara deep into second half stoppage time. 22,183 fans welcomed the Orange and Blue for the home opener at TQL Stadium.
FCC played up a man after VAR determined Moses Nyeman’s challenge on Luciano Acosta was a red card offense in the 80th minute. Nyeman was also sent off for D.C. when the two sides met last season on July 31, 2021 at TQL Stadium.
VAR later determined a hand ball in the box on Geoff Cameron, when Kamara scored the game-winner in stoppage time (90+8’).
FC Cincinnati (0-2-0) travel next Saturday, March 12 to Orlando City SC. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
FC CINCINNATI MATCH REPORT
FC Cincinnati vs. D.C. United
Date: March 5, 2022
Competition: MLS Regular Season
Venue: TQL Stadium – Cincinnati, Ohio
Attendance: 22,183
Kickoff: 6:08 p.m. ET
Weather: 72, partly cloudy
Scoring Summary
CIN – None
DC – Ola Kamara 90+8’ (PK)
GAME NOTES
- Dominique Badji, making his first career start with FC Cincinnati, recorded three shots on goal in the first half to match a career-high for SOG in a game, total (3) … his three shots on goal in the first half was the fourth time in club history a player recorded three SOG in a half.
- Luciano Acosta captained his 30th game for FCC.
- Yuya Kubo made his 50th career start … Tyler Blackett made the 10th start of his MLS career.
- Ian Murphy made his debut for FC Cincinnati. He is the third non non-Generation adidas selection to appear in a game (Nick Markanich, Tommy McCabe) for the Orange and Blue.
- Moses Nyeman received the 11th red card issued to an FCC opponent in club history.
Lineups:
CIN: Alec Kann, Ray Gaddis (Álvaro Barreal 87’), Tyler Blackett, Geoff Cameron, Nick Hagglund (Ian Murphy 75’), Alvas Powell (Harrison Robledo 76’), Junior Moreno, Yuya Kubo, Luciano Acosta (C), Dominique Badji (Brenner 62’), Brandon Vazquez
Substitutes not used: Isaac Atanga, Allan Cruz, Nick Markanich, Haris Medunjanin, Kenneth Vermeer
Head Coach: Pat Noonan
DC: Bill Hamid, Brendan Hines-Ike, Steve Birnbaum, Andy Najar (Donovan Pines 81’), Moses Nyeman, Drew Skundrich (Sofiane Djeffal, 60’), Brad Smith, Julian Gressel (Adrien Perez 46’), Michael Estrada (Ola Kamara 60’), Griffin Yow (Chris Odoi-Atsem 74’), Edison Flores
Substitutes not used: Tony Alfaro, Jon Kempin, Gaoussou Samake
Head Coach: Hernán Losada
Stats Summary: CIN / DC
Shots: 16 / 10
Shots on Goal: 6 / 4
Saves: 2 / 6
Corner Kicks: 7 / 4
Fouls: 16 / 13
Offside: 3 / 2
Possession: 50.7 / 49.3
Misconduct Summary
DC – Moses Nyeman (ejection) 80’
CIN – Brad Smith (caution) 90+1’
CIN – Tyler Blackett (caution) 90+4’
Officials:
Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere
Ast. Referees: Adam Wienckowski, Jeffrey Swartzel
Fourth official: Malik Badawi
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero
AVAR: Jose Da Silva
POSTGAME QUOTES
FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan
Opening statement on the match
“Tough result tonight. Really pleased with the group as far as the effort they put in to be aggressive, to go after the game. We had a little bit of a slow start with some of the chances that we conceded, but from that point on, I thought defensively, the guys did a very good job. We created chances, and that’s the difference right now. We’re not finishing opportunities and the ending of the game is when it becomes a full game.
“Looking back at it, I think it’s the wrong call (the handball that led to the penalty kick). The way it hits Geoff’s (Cameron) hand, arm, which is in front of his body. It’s going to hit his body if it doesn’t hit his hands, so I don’t think it’s an unnatural position. But, we have to find a way to dig ourselves out of it, be pleased with the effort, not be pleased with the lack of execution, and find ways to score goals and win games.”
On the team’s offense
“I was pleased with their effort tonight. I think they did a lot of things well – created chances for us. Bill (D.C. United Goal Bill Hamid) makes a really good save on one of Dom’s [shots] and a couple others where I think just the decision-making of where we are getting our shots from and maybe an opportunity to get closer to the goal, maybe be a little more aggressive, one be one in the box. I also thought we missed a couple opportunities to get Dom in behind. I thought he made some really good runs in front of the goal in the final third [of the match] where, similar to Brandon’s offside goal, I thought Dom had a couple moments where we missed out on finding him in behind, so that’s the difference right now. The chance creation is there, the goals aren’t.”
On Brandon Vazquez’s disallowed goal
“It helps when it counts. Those are good moments that we are creating, and it’s nice to hear the fans when a goal is scored, but we want it to last a bit longer and more frequently.”
On Dominique Badji
“Strong performance from Dom. They balance each other out. Back to goal play with Brandon, I thought he did really well with Dom’s ability to stretch the field and time his runs to look to get to goal and also create space underneath. I thought they did a good job of that tonight, and now, it’s taking it to the next level and finishing plays off. That’s what we have to do better.”
On the team moving forward
“I’m really proud of them. I feel for them right now. That’s not the best feeling in the locker room, because when you put that much into a game and you come away with nothing, it hurts, especially in the fashion that we lost the game. So, we could sulk and we can think that nothing is going to go our way or we can find a way to turn those to our advantage – a better result. I’m really proud of the way they came out and the way they got after DC tonight, but it can’t just be the effort.”
FC Cincinnati forward Dominique Badji
On the result
“It’s tough losing, but we're still positive we created enough chances today to get better results. We deserve a better result, if I was able to convert chances I had it would be a different game.”
On Pat Noonan’s message this week
“Pat emphasized intensity and we showed that today … our last game they kinda played us off the field. This game we held our own and we deserved better, I honestly believe we should have won the game today. It was a great response but the result wasn't there.”
On his performance
"I’m a No. 9, I’m a goal scorer so, I'm disappointed tonight. I had a couple chances, I had one that I should have put in the back of the net. Goals change games especially in that first half, if I score that the flood gates open up and we beat by maybe 3 or 4 goals … disappointed.”
FC Cincinnati defender Tyler Blackett
On the result
“It’s very frustrating because I mean personally I think that was one of our best games even from the course of last season. I think we were very solid, we didn’t give them much chances. The penalty decision I mean obviously we don’t agree with it but at the end of the day the referees are there to make these decisions and that’s what they chose”
On Pat Noonan’s message to the team
“We are going to review things tomorrow. Obviously everyone was a little disappointed because we all know we played a good game but we will review tomorrow.”
On the improvement from last week
"I feel like it was a good reaction from last week. We just didn’t make as many mistakes as what we did last week. We were more focused and tried to eliminate the opportunity of chances.
“I think we are working well. For sure we are going to win more games this season just from this work we’ve been doing, I’m very confident about that.”
FC Cincinnati's 2022 schedule can be viewed, HERE. Fans can get the best tickets at the best price to the best matches all season long, including the home opener, by purchasing season tickets at fccincinnati.com/tickets or by calling 513-977-KICK, that’s 513-977-5425.
Fans can also purchase half-season ticket packages and single match tickets to any of FC Cincinnati’s 16 remaining home games are available now.
FC Cincinnati begin 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.
