As Yuya Kubo watched his long-range shot knuckle into the net, he turned his back toward the goal, then waved his arms, urging his teammates to grab the ball and get back into position to resume play.
It was a humble gesture, and one out of necessity. FC Cincinnati still trailed, 2-1. But it was also something else.
The celebration – or lack thereof – was a reminder that FCC still had more work to do.
“Because we were losing, we had to switch off right away and get back to the half-way line,” Kubo said, via a translator.
And that’s the biggest takeaway from Saturday night’s 2-1 loss to Atlanta United FC in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Yes, the Orange and Blue lost for a second straight game, but they showed a continuous fight to overcome the deficit they dug.
While they haven’t posted any points through the first two games, long-term perspective says this team isn’t that far off from where they’re striving to go.
Here are the takeaways from the match…
A decent performance, a bad result
“I’m disappointed for them tonight,” interim head coach Yoann Damet said about his players after the game. “I think they put in a lot of energy and a lot of hard work on the field. They respected the plan really well. We created some chances and tried a lot. We were strong defensively. On some details we conceded these two goals but overall, they didn’t create that much until the end of the game.”
Moral victories hopefully aren’t a reoccurring theme, but Saturday night’s loss to Atlanta saw FCC play a more complete game.
Rather than the night-and-day difference between halves in last weekend’s season opener, the way Cincinnati started the match was similar to how the players performed throughout the game. The only time FCC truly looked suspicious defensively was late in the match when bodies were thrown forward for an equalizer.
“We had a pretty good game,” Frankie Amaya said. “It was an unlucky result. We brought good intensity. It’s hard to play in Atlanta away, but I felt the energy was there.”
That said…
The backline again allowed early goals
FCC scoring three goals from their first two road matches is a respectable total for any team, but the club has trailed 2-0 before scoring in each of the last two games.
Entering Saturday night’s matchup with Atlanta United FC, the focus was how could FCC stop the host’s wide players with forward Josef Martínez injured.
The visitors kept Adam Jahn, Martínez’s replacement, quiet, but allowed Pity Martínez and Ezequiel Barco far too much space in the first half. The duo gave Atlanta the lead entering halftime.
In the second half, Emerson Hyndman was given too much space and doubled the Cincinnati deficit.
“We played a good game, they just get two chances and they score,” Haris Medunjanin said. “We need to be sharp for the 90 minutes. I think we kept the ball, we created chances.”
Medunjanin’s right, and Cincinnati did create chances, but it’s harder for the offense to be rewarded when it has to keep overcoming deficits.
Three goals for three designated players (so far)
Yuya Kubo became the third and final FCC DP to score this season when he unleashed a corking effort from 23 yards out. After cutting inside, the left wing found space and delivered a knuckling, back-post strike to earn his first MLS goal.
“It was great to be able to score my first goal, but hopefully I can contribute to the team with more assists later on,” Kubo said.
The Japanese winger looked comfortable against Atlanta and held the ball up for teammates. When he found space – in what was probably the most space any FCC player had around the Atlanta 18 – Kubo seized his opportunity and scored.
Including last week’s goals from Allan Cruz and Jürgen Locadia, all three of the club’s goals have been scored by Designated Players. That’s a nice early return that hopefully grows as the season progresses. Of course, it’ll be important for other players to score, but this shows Cincinnati’s attack is a multi-faceted one.
What comes next
FC Cincinnati play their 2020 home opener next Saturday night at Nippert Stadium, where the Orange and Blue host D.C. United. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
“We have a home game (next) and we have to win that game,” Medunjanin said. “Hopefully we have the fans behind us. We’re going to fight again like today.”
