Despite owning the balance of play for the entire second half and hitting the post three times while attempting to find the equalizer, FC Cincinnati could not overcome first-half New York Red Bulls goal and fell, 1-0, at Red Bull Arena on Saturday night.
Here are takeaways from the match:
All Bad Luck for FCC
After taking control of the game in the second half, Cincinnati hit the post three times – including Kendall Waston’s header in the 90th minute. If FCC didn’t have their current run of bad luck, they wouldn’t have any luck.
The Orange and Blue have gone 341 minutes without scoring, which is the longest active streak in MLS. This despite have numerous chances recently, as the shots off the post highlighted.
Darren Mattocks rounded Luis Robles with a heavy touch. When he tried his effort toward goal, his low shot hit the bottom of the post in the 65th minute. In the 71st minute, Roland Lamah tried a left-footed volley that smashed that same post. Then on one of the final chances of the game, a Waston header hit the cross bar.
Mattocks scored FCC’s last goal on April 7 when he converted a penalty kick against Sporting Kansas City.
Lineup changes offer optimism
Head Coach Alan Koch made four changes to his starting lineup from last week’s 3-0 home loss to Real Salt Lake. Of those, two players – Emmanuel Ledesma and Przemysław Tytoń - returned to the field after missing significant chunks of the season.
Both had hamstring injuries. Ledesma played for the first time since March 24; For “Titi,” he made his first start since the season opener on March 2.
With them back, Koch has more options in goal and in the attacking third. That’s not to say he’ll need to fully use them, but that does allow the South African coach to tinker with his lineups.
The only injuries on the team are to Greg Garza (calf) and Corben Bone (shoulder).
Additionally, Fanendo Adi is back available after an injury and legal matters.
What comes next
The loss was Cincinnati’s first of three-straight road matches in an eight-day span.
Next, the club play at the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday before crossing the country to play at the San Jose Earthquakes next Saturday night.
FC Cincinnati lost 2-0 to Philadelphia on March 30 at Nippert Stadium during a deluge of rain that never let up for the entirety of the game. That match snapped FCC’s two-game winning streak. Next Saturday’s game will be the Orange and Blue’s final trip to the West Coast this season.
