FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – FC Cincinnati collected their first win of the season after defeating CF Montréal, 2-1, at DRV PNK Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Jürgen Locadia scored the equalizer for the Orange and Blue, while Gustavo Vallecilla sealed the game-winner.
After a scoreless first half, CF Montréal (2-3-2. 8 pts.) opened the scoring in the 56th minute when Djordje Mihailovic tapped in a pass from Romell Quioto inside the penalty box. FC Cincinnati (1-3-1, 4 pts.) found the equalizer in the 71st minute. After Geoff Cameron headed in a rebound from a corner-kick, Jürgen Locadia was able to redirect the ball with a header and score his first goal of the season.
Cincinnati capitalized off a freekick in the 86th minute to secure the three points on the road. Ronald Matarrita’s cross found Gustavo Vallecilla, whose powerful header found its way into the back of the net.
Today’s match marks the first come-back victory in FC Cincinnati’s MLS history.
FC Cincinnati will return to action next weekend when the club hosts New England Revolution at TQL Stadium on Saturday, May 29. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on WSTR 64, carried on the radio on ESPN1530, streamed regionally on fccincinnati.com/stream, out of market on ESPN+, while an audio stream will be available via the iHeartRadio app.
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.
Information about seating options at the club’s state-of-the-art TQL Stadium is now available at TQLstadium.com. For more information about 2021 Season Ticket Memberships, which are now on sale to the general public, visit TQLstadium.com or the stadium’s social properties on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at @TQLStadium, or by calling the team’s sales and service staff at 513-977-5425.
FC Cincinnati 2, CF Montréal 1
DRV PNK Stadium | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
May 22, 2021
SCORING SUMMARY
MTL – Djordje Mihailovic (Romell Quioto) 56’
CIN – Jürgen Locadia (Geoff Cameron) 70’
CIN – Gustavo Vallecilla (Ronald Matarrita) 86’
FC Cincinnati: Kenneth Vermeer, Joseph-Claude Gyau, Geoff Cameron, Gustavo Vallecilla, Ronald Matarrita, Allan Cruz (Brandon Vazquez 86’), Caleb Stanko (Haris Medunjanin 86’), Yuya Kubo, Luciano Acosta ©, Alvaro Barreal (Jürgen Locadia 59’), Brenner
Bench: Przemysław Tytoń, Isaac Atanga, Zico Bailey, Edgar Castillo, Nick Hagglund, Kamohelo Mokotjo,
Stats: Shots 13, Shots on goal 4, Saves 3, Corner kicks 2, Offsides 4, Fouls 8, Possession 44.6.%, Passes 398 (80.2%)
CF Montréal: Clement Diop, Joel Waterman (Ibrahim Sunusi 78’), Aljaz Struna, Rudy Camacho, Ahmed Hamd (Joaquin Torres 73’), Lassi Lappalainen (Zorhan Ludovic Bassong HT’), Victor Wanyama ©, Zachary Brault-Guillard (Clement Bayiha 85’), Romell Quioto (Bjørn Maars Johnsen 84’), Erik Hurtado, Djordje Mihailovic
Bench: James Pantemis, Bjørn Maars Johnsen, Amar Sejdic, Mustafa Kizza, Samuel Piette
Stats: Shots 12, Shots on goal 4, Saves 2, Corner kicks 3, Offsides 3, Fouls 13, Possession 55.4%, Passes 481 (89.2%)
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
MTL – Djordje Mihailovic (caution) 35’
MTL – Zachary Brault-Guillard (caution) 43’
MTL – Romell Quioto (caution) 53’
MTL – Victor Wanyama (caution) 89’
Referee:Fotis Bazakos
Ast. Referees:Peter Balciunas, Andrew Bigelow
4th official:Marcos de Oliveira
VAR:Robert Sibiga
AVAR:Kyle Longville
Weather: 83 degrees and sunny
GAME NOTES
· With today’s win, the Orange and Blue are now 1-3-1 through five MLS matches … FCC are now 1-2-1 in road matches … FC Cincinnati’s all-time, all-competition record against CF Montréal improves to 3-0-0 … The Orange and Blue are now 1-3-1 against Eastern Conference opponents this season.
· Two players scored their first goals of the season … Jürgen Locadia scored FC Cincinnati’s first goal in the match in the 71st minute … the last time the forward scored was at New York Red Bulls on March 1, 2020 on his MLS and FC Cincinnati debut … Gustavo Vallecilla scored in his second-ever match for the Orange and Blue … the Ecuadorian defender made his debut with the club against Inter Miami CF on May 16, 2021.
· Ronald Matarrita provided an assist for a second-consecutive match, and his third overall in the season … the Costa Rican defender assisted Vallecilla for the game-winner.
· Head coach Jaap Stam made one change in today’s starting lineup from the match against Inter Miami CF on May 16 … Caleb Stanko replaced Calvin Harris.
· Franko Kovacevic and Maikel van der Werff were excluded from the matchday roster because of injuries.
POSTGAME QUOTES
FC Cincinnati head coach Jaap Stam
On today’s match
“I think in the second half we found it a little bit difficult. Not saying from the start, but afterwards. They (CF Montréal) kept on pushing and we didn’t come out, to be honest. They get very close to our box. That’s why they scored that goal as well. We kept running back, instead of going forward. After, we did well. Very good response in scoring that equalizer. Afterwards, they’re pushing forward to get the second one as well, which is very good. You could see that they want to work every game, very hard to get the result. They’re very dedicated to what they need to do. They try to do their best. Also, a win in a road game in these circumstances … it’s not easy to come back against a very good side. They’ve got players, good team. At times it was difficult, but we moved forward and showed what we can do. We all know in these games we need to work very hard. We need to work very hard to get something out of it, to get a result. That’s what we did today. So, I am very proud of the team and what they’ve done.”
On how rewarding it was for the players
“It is rewarding, because I see the guys, the players, work very hard every day. We always speak about that. You see that you’re not getting the result, we don’t reward ourselves in what we’re doing. At times, you have a little bit of luck as well, but that is in football, in soccer. We all know that. But it’s very good to get the result. It gives you the extra boost as well. It gives us a good feeling.”
On the formation used
“We did very well in this formation. In the first half, we did very well. We came out several times, which was very dangerous. Second half, like I said, we struggled a little bit in the beginning by doing that. Afterwards, we picked it up. We made a couple of changes that worked out well. That’s how it is. You need to make changes in your set up as well to get something out. Also, because the opposition plays in a certain way. But also, that we think that we can make a change in play like this. And all in all, it is a very good and very important result as well for everybody.”
FC Cincinnati forward Jürgen Locadia
On today’s match
“It's a great feeling. I'm happy. I'm happy for the team, for the club. Happy for the people involved in the club. And it's been a crazy game today. I think they created a lot of opportunities in the first half, and we got lucky in the first half. At the end of the day, we won the game and that's important for us, for Cincinnati.”
On his role in the club
“If my role has been to start from the bench, it's just okay. I'm okay with it. I think the coach (Jaap Stam) makes the first 11. Then, I have to respect that and the other players on the bench have to respect it. If he makes other choices, we all have to be ready. I think that's the attitude of all the players, bench or not bench player. So, I respect the situation. I respect the choices of the coach.”
On the impact he had on the match
“Good. Thanks. I'm happy for myself, for the team. It's always hard to come back from being down, 1-0, but today we showed class. We showed character. And I think for us, we have to continue like this. And hopefully we can score the first goal in the next game, instead of chasing the other team. This is a great day and a great match for us. And I think everybody's happy in the club, outside of club defense. And I think we deserved the match after so many losses and being unlucky in the previous games. Finally, luck is on side today. So, I'm happy for the team. Happy for the club. Happy for the fans. I'm happy we'll bring back the three points to Cincinnati.”
FC Cincinnati defender Gustavo Vallecilla
On his goal
“Hola. La verdad que me siento muy motivado por mi primer gol con el equipo en la temporada. Espero hacer muchos más y darle más alegrías al club. El equipo se siente muy bien. Le veníamos trabajando. Muy merecido por el triunfo, porque el equipo se esforzó mucho. Gracias a ellos, pudimos conseguir nuestra primera victoria.”
“Hello. Truth is that I am very motivated after scoring my first goal this season. I hope to score many more and I hope to give the club more good memories. The team feels very good. We had been working hard. We deserved the victory, because the club had been working hard. Thanks to them, we were able to get our first win.”
On how comfortable he is in FC Cincinnati’s system
“Me siento muy ajusto desde que llegué. Como digo, me han acogido muy bien. Me han sentido muy bien, como si fuera en casa. Seguir trabajando. Seguir adaptándome más a todos. Hay que seguir hacia adelante.”
“I have felt very comfortable since I arrived. Like I said, they welcomed me very well. They have made me feel good, like if I was at home. I’ve got to keep on working, keep getting adjusted to everyone. We have to keep moving forward.”
On the impact the formation change had
“Si. Jugamos un poco diferente al enfrentamiento que hicimos en casa, pero yo creo que fue el esfuerzo de cada uno de los chicos por querer ganar nuestro primer partido. Creo que eso fue lo que nos motivó a dar hasta lo último.”
“Yes. We played a bit different from our last match at home, however I think it was the effort from every single person who wanted to win our first game. I think that effort motivated us till the very end.”
