FC Cincinnati fell to Inter Miami CF, 2-0, Saturday night at Chase Stadium in South Florida in the club’s return to MLS play following Leagues Cup competition. The Orange and Blue (15-8-3, 48 points) remain second in the Eastern Conference standings while Miami (17-4-5, 56 points) continue to pace the league in the Supporters’ Shield race.
Luis Suárez scored two goals in the opening six minutes of the match, earning the hosts all three points on the night. For Suárez, the goals mark 13 and 14 of the year as the Uruguayan now leads the Herons in goals scored. Marcelo Weigandt and Matías Rojas earned assists on the Suárez goals.
In the 42nd minute, Tomás Avilés was sent off for Miami after receiving a second yellow card for a reckless challenge against Kevin Kelsy, but Miami was able to see out the match through the final moments of the first half and over the final 45 minutes.
Forward Nicholas ‘Niko’ Gioacchini made his Cincinnati debut in a start for the Orange and Blue shortly after his acquisition on August 14. Chidozie Awaziem made his MLS debut Saturday night after appearing in all four Leagues Cup matches for the Orange and Blue.
FC Cincinnati return to TQL Stadium next Saturday, August 31 to host CF Montréal. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET for Kick Childhood Cancer. Tickets remain available at FCCincinnati.com/Tickets or by calling (513) 977-5425 (KICK).
GAME NOTES
- FC Cincinnati fell to Miami for the first time since October 23, 2021, snapping a six-match unbeaten streak against the Herons.
- Chidozie Awaziem and Nicholas ‘Niko’ Gioacchini each debuted in MLS play for FC Cincinnati.
- Ian Murphy is now two appearances shy of making his 100th appearance for FC Cincinnati while Yuya Kubo is three games played away from becoming the first player in club history to appear in 150 matches for the club.
- Miami’s Tomás Avilés was shown the fourth red card to an FC Cincinnati opponent this season.
- FC Cincinnati conceded in the 1st minute for the first time since May 1, 2021 at Orlando City SC (Akindele).
- Dominic Kinnear served as head coach for FC Cincinnati tonight as Pat Noonan served the second match of a two-game suspension.
FC CINCINNATI GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati at Inter Miami CF
Date: August 24, 2024
Competition: MLS Regular Season
Venue: Chase Stadium
Attendance: 20,106
Kickoff: 7:40 p.m. ET
Weather: 82 degrees, clear
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-F
MIA: 2-0-2
CIN: 0-0-0
MIA – Luis Suárez (Weigandt) 1’, Luis Suárez (Rojas) 6’
CIN – None
LINEUPS
CIN: Roman Celentano, Yuya Kubo, Miles Robinson, Chidozie Awaziem (Bret Halsey 82’), DeAndre Yedlin (C), Luca Orellano, Pavel Bucha, Obinna Nwobodo (Corey Baird 77’), Gerardo Valenzuela (Luciano Acosta 46’), Nicholas Gioacchini (Ian Murphy 46’), Kevin Kelsy (Sergio Santos 46’)
Substitutes not used: Evan Louro, Alvas Powell, Kipp Keller, Malik Pinto
Head Coach: Pat Noonan
MIA: Drake Callender (C), Héctor Martínez, Sergio Busquets, Tomás Avilés, Jordi Alba, Federico Redondo (Benjamin Cremaschi 69’), Yannick Bright, Marcelo Weigandt (Sergii Kryvtsov 90’+1), Diego Gómez (David Ruiz 86’), Luis Suárez (Leo Campana 86’), Matías Rojas (Ian Fray 46’)
Substitutes not used: CJ Dos Santos, Robert Taylor , Noah Allen, Franco Negri
Head Coach: Gerardo Martino
STATS SUMMARY: MIA/CIN
Shots: 4 / 17
Shots on Goal: 3 / 6
Saves: 6 / 1
Corner Kicks: 1 / 8
Fouls: 12 / 19
Offside: 4 / 1
Possession: 44.3 / 55.7
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
MIA – Tomás Avilés (Yellow Card) 11’
MIA – Tomás Avilés (Second Yellow, Red Card) 42’
CIN – DeAndre Yedlin (Yellow Card) 42’
CIN – Chidozie Awaziem (Yellow Card) 45’+4
MIA – Luis Suárez (Yellow Card) 45’+8
CIN – Luciano Acosta (Yellow Card) 65’
CIN – Miles Robinson (Yellow Card) 78’
MIA – Jordi Alba (Yellow Card) 90’+4
OFFICIALS
Referee: Armando Villarreal
Ast. Referees: Jose Da Silva, Diego Blas
Fourth Official: Elvis Osmanovic
VAR: Kevin Stott
AVAR: Craig Lowry
