Playing in front of a hometown crowd for the first time since April 5, FC Cincinnati downed Sporting Kansas City 2-1 in its first Saturday afternoon match of the season. Let’s discuss that goal, an undefeated (but flawed) April, and much more.
Kevin Denkey, my oh my
Before his act of athletic poetry in motion in the 78th minute, I thought Kevin Denkey was making the best of what he could in a match where FC Cincinnati’s front three were disconnected from the midfield. (More on that later.) FCC’s No. 9 had already scored in the 43rd minute, pouncing on a shot by Lukas Engel that was deflected into his path. And I adored the hustle and ball pressure he used to force a corner kick in the 71st minute that eventually led to a shot on goal from Evander.
But whenever Denkey departs Cincinnati (hopefully not for many years), his bicycle kick against Sporting KC will likely lead the highlight reel. Luca Orellano’s second assist of the season supplied him with the chance for this audacious goal, which was vaguely reminiscent of Sean Okoli’s scissor kick goal in April 2016, the club’s first-ever score at Nippert Stadium.
Denkey’s six goals put him level with Evander in the team lead and tied for second in MLS. The 24-year-old has eight goals in 13 appearances across all competitions in 2025—and it feels like he hasn’t approached peak form.
4-0 in April, but…
A perfect month is an achievement worth noting and (mildly) celebrating. But Saturday was yet another contest in which the Orange and Blue just could not click into gear. Consider these snippets from Head Coach Pat Noonan’s post-match press conferences in the four contests prior to Saturday:
- 2-1 win at Nashville: “If not for Roman [Celentano] and Evander, this is a different result. I think those two won us the game tonight.”
- 1-0 win vs. New England: “One of our best wins, if I’m being honest.”
- 1-0 win at D.C. United: “Well, certainly not our strongest performance, but where we lacked in attacking ideas and creativity, we made up for with how we defended the ball.”
- 3-2 win at Chicago: “I thought Chicago was in control and much better (in the first half) and so to go into halftime at 2-1, we felt, certainly, as far as the scoreline we were fortunate. But I think in the second half, we were able to just have more composure with the ball.”
Here’s what the skipper said (in part) post-match Saturday: “All in all, there were good stretches and then some stretches where we just need to eliminate that from our play where we have guys just trying to do too much. When we simplify the game, we’re a pretty good team.”
Also, shout out to the hard-working beat reporters for getting these answers out of the skipper and the players.
So, what’s happening?
Saturday was the most outwardly frustrated I’ve seen Evander all season. There were a few full-body sighs and other indications of displeasure. He started dropping all the way back to the center back line to receive the ball and kickstart Cincinnati’s progression, something Lucho Acosta used to do when he felt the offensive rhythm was stagnant.
We’re three months into the season, and the Primary Transfer Window closed on April 23. This is the squad until the Secondary Transfer Window opens on July 24. While I’m still wary of fully-formed opinions given the roster’s early-season roster limitations, the squad is basically whole after Obinna Nwobodo returned from injury on Saturday. (Fan- and nerdy-internet-soccer-writer-favorite Yuya Kubo remains out.)
In my view, FCC’s most critical issue is that too many players lack either the confidence or the ability to execute quick passes and make snap decisions that demonstrably affect the structure of opposing defenses. These players run for the team. They’re committed. But some of them are also doing too much—a bit too much individualism mixed with trying too hard.
Minutes before Denkey’s bicycle kick, Orellano dribbled into the teeth of the Sporting defense seemingly without a plan. The hosts retained possession, only for Nwobodo, he of two career MLS goals, to fire a highly speculative shot from 25 yards out that landed nowhere near the goal. A final third offensive possession was wasted.
“In the final third, I think it’s a matter of what guys see but also taking too many touches, and that brings in more defenders and then the moment to play behind is gone,” Noonan said. “The moment to play their teammates is gone. Hold onto the ball too long, overcomplicating the pass instead of making the simple one that might lead to our wingbacks, especially getting time and space on the ball so we could run hard in front of goal. All those little things can improve.”
Roman’s centurion
Goalkeeper Roman Celentano was just minutes away from his 29th clean sheet prior to Zorhan Bassong’s 89th-minute goal for Sporting KC. Instead, the 24-year-old had to settle for improving his winning percentage to 66.5, tied for the highest for a keeper in MLS history in his first 100 regular season starts.
Celentano had three saves on Saturday, including a few sturdy stops on Sporting striker Dejan Joveljić. For the second straight week, Cincinnnati conceded late to force itself to sweat out another one-goal win. All five triumphs during the current win streak have been by a single score.
All that being said … first place!
Inter Miami’s home loss to Acosta and FC Dallas on Sunday ensured that FC Cincinnati would remain in first place through Matchday 10, one point ahead of Columbus. Buyer beware, though, because 1) it’s April 30, 2) see everything I wrote above, and 3) FCC’s goal-differential is only +3, which is good for seventh in the Eastern Conference.
The Orange and Blue are back on the road this week, visiting New York City FC on Sunday afternoon.
Grant Freking writes FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter at @GrantFreking.
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