D.C. United struck early and never looked back as FC Cincinnati fell in the nation's capital 3-0, snapping their 14-game unbeaten streak across all competitions and 10 in league play.
With five starters out of the lineup due to injury, illness and international duty, the Orange and Blue could not find their footing, conceding all three goals in the first half and never recovered.
"Disappointing. A little bit frustrating, but you know the game was lost with some avoidable mistakes." Head Coach Pat Noonan said after Saturday night's game in Washington, D.C. "(D.C. United) just defended really well on the night, and we couldn't take advantage at times of space behind, and the timing of it, and the movement...we take the loss and move on."
In the 10th minute of the match, D.C. United accomplished a rare feat, scoring the opening goal on FC Cincinnati and setting the tone for the entire evening. It was only the second time all season that Cincinnati conceded a game's opening goal. The goal came off the foot of Pedro Santos, who corralled the cross from Mateusz Klich and snuck his strike into the lower corner of the net just beyond the outstretched glove of Roman Celentano.
A second D.C. United goal came just seven minutes later when a free kick set piece beginning from just inside the midfield line was served into the box and won by the home side. After an initial save from Celentano, Derrick Williams cashed in for the second goal of the evening on the rebound.
With just minutes remaining in the first half, United struck a third time and took away any momentum FCC hoped to build going into the locker room. A goal kick from Tyler Miller sprung United's attack, and Cristian Dájome was able to sneak a shot through to the back of the net.
"I wasn't overly disappointed with the first half despite the scoreline..." Noonan said, "There were individual things that were poor, but if you just look at some of the ways in which we could have created... There were some opportunities missed, but I thought in terms of having the ball and being able to advance into their half of the field, that wasn't too much of a concern...defensively, it didn't feel like we were constantly under pressure."
The second half saw plenty of opportunities for FCC to get back into the game with a goal, the best of which included a 69th-minute shot from Marco Angulo that rang off the left post. However, missed connections plagued the Orange and Blue, ultimately keeping them off the scoresheet.
"It was always going to be difficult to get anything out of the game," Noonan said of coming back from the three-goal deficit in the second half. "But it was about at that point having a good 45 minutes and trying to make some adjustments."
FC Cincinnati generated 17 shots, tied for the most the club has been able to create this season. 11 of which went on target, and D.C. defenders blocked four. Two made it on target, the fourth fewest in an FCC MLS game this season and the fewest since the 1-0 June 3 win over Chicago Fire FC.
"In front of goal tonight, there were forced shots, rush shots, and then just the moments where we had some clear looks (where) we just missed the opportunity or they blocked (the shot).
"So, it was a combination of a lot of things, but I'm not concerned."
The final toll rang for FCC in the 79th minute when defender Ian Murphy received his second yellow card of the evening and forced the visitors to play a man down for the remainder of the match. This was only the second time this season that an FCC player had seen a red card.
The scoreline and the following result stand out as rare for FC Cincinnati. Along with it being only the second time they've conceded first, it is also only the second time FCC has been unable to score and the third time they've allowed three or more goals this season.
It is also the Orange and Blue's first loss across all competitions since April 15, marking 14 consecutive positive results overall and 10 in MLS league play.
"We were bound to lose games," Noonan said of the snapped unbeaten streak. "The goal all along (is) to continue to find ways to stay at the top...we'll look at some of the mistakes that we made and how we can be better prepared not to let those moments happen again...and I don't think they're mistakes that we've made all year.
"We'll assess it and analyze it and then see how we can take the last two games and build on that."
More debuts
Defender Joey Akpunonu made his MLS debut Saturday night as a second-half substitute. Akpunonu, 21, was brought on in the 82nd minute for Álvaro Barreal.
A Toledo, Ohio native, Akupunonu was drafted 22nd overall in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft out of Bowling Green State University as a Generation adidas player.
With debuts by Bret Halsey, Stiven Jimenez and Gerardo Valenzuela debuting in Wednesday’s match with Toronto FC, Akpunonu is the fourth FCC player to make his MLS debut this week.
On to New England
FC Cincinnati return to TQL Stadium for their next match, welcoming New England Revolution Saturday night, July 1. TQL has been a fortress for FCC, winning all 10 MLS home matches this season. With a win, Cincinnati would set the MLS record for consecutive home wins to start the season with 11.
With 43 points, FCC remain top of the Supporters' Shield table; with 36 points, New England stands second in the Shield table, making Saturday's clash between the top teams in the Eastern Conference and MLS.
