CINCINNATI - FC Cincinnati played to a 2-0 win Saturday night over Charlotte FC in a rainy affair at TQL Stadium. It’s the first win for the Orange and Blue against Charlotte after suffering a 2-0 defeat earlier in the season.
Nick Hagglund put the Orange and Blue ahead with his first goal of the season in the 38th minute of play. Luciano Acosta played provider delivering a well-placed corner kick into the middle of the box. Brandon Vazquez made an initial attempt but watched as the ball went over his head and into Hagglund who redirected the cross past Kristijan Kahlina.
Acosta continues to set the league pace in assists, picking up his 16th of the season and extending his lead over New England’s Carles Gil to three assists.
Charlotte pressured Cincinnati’s goal early in the second half through Brandt Bronico and Kamil Józwiak. Józwiak picked out Bronico with a perfect ball and the attacking midfielder found himself in behind the Orange and Blue. Álvaro Barreal recovered well and made a lunging block to divert Bronico’s shot.
It was one of Charlotte’s best chances of the night in a frustrating showing for the visitors. Charlotte ended the match with fourteen shots, just two on target, and couldn’t capitalize on a heavy share of possession.
Acosta put the match away in the 81st minute with his seventh goal of the season. Yuya Kubo played a part in the goal pressuring a relaxed Nuno Santos at the top of Charlotte’s box. Kubo’s challenge won the ball into the path of a darting Acosta who curled home a left-footed effort from just inside the eighteen.
The match would end in FC Cincinnati’s fifth clean sheet of the season and moves the Orange and Blue past Inter Miami CF and above the playoff line.
It’s a quick turnaround for FC Cincinnati as they prepare for a midweek clash against New York City FC on Sept. 7 at Citi Field. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. and can be watched on Star64, streamed in-market at fccincinnati.com, out of market on ESPN+, and listened to on ESPN 1530.
FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati vs. Charlotte FC
Date: September 3, 2022
Competition: MLS Regular Season
Venue: TQL Stadium
Attendance: 21,165
Kickoff: 7:38 p.m. ET
Weather: 82 degrees, rain
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-F
CIN: 1-1-2
CLT: 0-0-0
CIN –Nick Hagglund (Luciano Acosta) 38’, Luciano Acosta (Yuya Kubo) 81’CLT – None
GAME NOTES
- FC Cincinnati are now 1-1-0 all-time vs Charlotte
- With Hagglund’s goal, FC Cincinnati have now seen defenders score in three consecutive matches. (Miazga @ NYRB, Miazga vs. CLB, Hagglund vs. CLT)
- Saturday’s result is the first win for FC Cincinnati since August 6 when the Orange and Blue beat Philadelphia Union, snapping a run of three straight draws.
- FC Cincinnati closed out the match and earned their 5th clean sheet of the season and the first since holding Orlando City scoreless on June 24.
- Goals for the Orange and Blue extend their current scoring streak to seven straight games.
LINEUPS
CIN: Roman Celentano, Álvaro Barreal (John Nelson, 89’), Matt Miazga, Geoff Cameron, Nick Hagglund, Alvas Powell (Ray Gaddis, 77’), Junior Moreno (Yuya Kubo, 63’), Obinna Nwobodo, Luciano Acosta (C), Brenner (Sergio Santos, 77’), Brandon Vazquez(Dominique Badji, 89’)
Substitutes not used: Alec Kann, Allan Cruz, Ian Murphy
Head Coach: Pat Noonan
CLT: Kristijan Kahlina, Anton Walkes, Adilson Malanda, Harrison Afful (Nathan Byrne, 86’), Joseph Mora, Brandt Bronico (C), Ben Bender (Karol Swiderski, 58’), Derrick Jones (Nuno Santos, 68’), Kamil Jówiak, Daniel Rios (Andre Shinyashiki, 68’), Kerwin Vargas (Yordy Reyna, 86’)
Substitutes not used: George Marks, Christian Fuchs, Jaylin Lindsey, Quinn McNeill
Interim Head Coach: Christian Lattanzio
STATS SUMMARY: CIN/CLT
Shots:14 / 14
Shots on Goal: 5 / 2
Saves: 2 / 3
Corner Kicks: 7 / 10
Fouls:14 / 19
Offside: 1 / 0
Possession: 36.2 / 63.8
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CIN – Álvaro Barreal (YELLOW CARD, FOUL) 23’, Luciano Acosta (YELLOW CARD, FOUL) 90+2’
CLT – Benjamin Bender (YELLOW CARD, FOUL) 58’, Yordy Reyna (YELLOW CARD, FOUL) 88’
OFFICIALS
Referee: Michael Radchuk
Ast. Referees: Brian Poeschel, Gjovalin Bori
Fourth Official: Calin RadosavVAR: Carol Anne Chenard*
AVAR*: Tom Supple
POSTGAME QUOTES
FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan
On the win
“Certainly, an important win for our group. Wasn't the prettiest on our side, in terms of the ideas with the ball and maintaining possession and being able to create. That wasn't the game tonight. So, while that wasn't there, I thought, for the most part, we defended really solid. The center backs were excellent. Roman (Celentano) did a good job in goal, and I say center backs because they dealt with a lot of processes in the box. They dealt with runners and in a really intelligent way. The most important thing was to just walk off the field with three points, regardless of how it looked. That's a credit to the group. It's a good response to last weekend, and we had a good week of training that translated to a good result, despite us not being at our best.”
Thoughts on Nick Hagglund’s goal …
“It feels like it's been coming for a while. He's done a really good job of putting himself in a position to finish plays off on set pieces. And credit to my staff. They work really hard in trying to come up with ways that we can create opportunities off of set pieces. I think we do a good job of trying to identify our strengths in those moments and setting up some plays to get them in front of goal to finish off plays. It was good to see Nick finally finish one off.”
Fans can place deposits now for 2023 Season Tickets, and current season ticket holders can renew for 2023 now. Anyone with interest in 2023 Season Tickets can place their deposit HERE, or by calling 513-977-KICK, that’s 513-977-5425.
FC Cincinnati's 2022 schedule can be viewed, HERE. Fans can build their custom 3 Match Flex Plan today. Pick any three matches and save on single match ticket pricing with no fees at checkout. Fans can pick the same seats for three games or select different options around TQL Stadium.
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.
